Gibraltar’s Gambling Commissioner has announced that Virtual Global Digital Services Ltd — a subsidiary of 888 holdings plc — has agreed a £2.9 million ($3.7 million/€3.3 million) settlement for KYC (Know your Customer) and EDD (Enhanced Due Diligence) failings.
Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner Agrees £2.9 Million Settlement with 888 Subsidiary Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner Agrees £2.9 Million Settlement with 888 SubsidiaryThe Gibraltar Gambling Division carried out its own review and found the following weaknesses:
- Ineffective KYC controls — address details not verified or recorded correctly.
- Historical overreliance on high thresholds for EDD intervention and a lack of clarity in the threshold approach.
- Lack of consistency in the effectiveness of EDD checks — checks not carried out quickly enough. Number of accounts with suspicious activity were not flagged.
- Inconsistency with regards to keeping accounts open with restrictions as opposed to closing accounts. Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner Agrees £2.9 Million Settlement with 888 Subsidiary
When deciding on the penalty the Commissioner took into account the fact that the company self-declared the issues and suspended all accounts with immediate effect. The Commissioner also noted that 888 was at all times forthright with information and took a proactive approach to ensuring that processes were updated accordingly.
No specific cases were identified which involved 888 dealing with the proceeds of crime or terrorist financing.
So far in 2023, gambling regulators across the globe have issued a total of £309,952,410 in fines and penalties.