UKGC orders Greentube to pay £685,000 AML settlement

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has taken regulatory action against Greentube Alderney, demanding the operator pay a £685,000 penalty in relation to social responsibility and money laundering failures. 

An investigation launched by the Commission on 16 December 2020 found that Greentube subsidiaries Admiralcasino.co.uk and Bellfruitcasino.com had failings in money laundering and player protection safeguards.

The Commission’s report stated that between December 2019 and November 2020, Greentube had failed to comply with numerous LCCP requirements in relation to its compliance with money laundering procedures, transfer of funds, record keeping and ensuring safe interaction with customers.

With regards to money laundering failings, the Commission noted an incident where a “politically exposed person (PEP) was able to gamble up to a £1,000 deposit limit before source of wealth checks were carried out”.

Greentube subsidiaries were deemed unable to take into account the Commission’s AML guidance when preparing their risk assessment of customers.

On record keeping, the Commission deemed that Greentube had failed to submit six suspicious activity reports (SARs) to the National Crime Agency as demanded by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and Terrorism Act 2000.

Meanwhile, on customer interaction, Greentube subsidiaries failed to comply with numerous social responsibility code provisions (SRCPs) with regards to identifying customers experiencing harm and initiating customer care interventions.

Greentube acknowledged that its customer interactions were “overly reliant on its £1,000 30-day net loss threshold to identify potential signs of problematic gambling”.

As a result of the investigation, the UKGC has added specific conditions to Greentube’s licence, forcing it to carry out a third-party audit to review its compliance with LCCP conditions within 12 months – the findings of which it will reported back to the Commission. 

Helen Venn, Commission Executive Director, said: “Compliance with Commission rules aimed at keeping people safe and gambling crime-free is not optional. We will always take firm action against those operators who fail to meet the high standards we expect for consumers in Britain.”