Corbett Bookmakers Fined £686,070 for Social Responsibility Failures

_{Corbett Bookmakers Limited faces a £686,070 fine after an investigation revealed failures in social responsibility. (Image: John David Photography / Alamy)}

A land-based casino will pay a £686,070 penalty after a Gambling Commission investigation revealed social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) failings.

Corbett Bookmakers Limited will also undergo a third-party audit to ensure it is effectively implementing its AML and safe gambling policies, procedures, and controls. 

The failures were revealed during a two-day Commission compliance assessment. 

A recent report by HM Treasury has found that the GC has been effective in its efforts to tackle AML in the UK.

Social responsibility failures included:

• Failing to identify a consumer who staked £23,674 in just 13 days as someone at risk of gambling-related harm.
• Failing to adequately interact with a consumer who placed 56 bets and lost £3,523 during a four-hour session.
• Failing to adequately interact with a consumer who staked £47,416 and lost £6,741 over a 10-week period.

AML failures included:

• Customers were able to stake and lose significant sums without sufficient Know Your Customer (KYC) evidence or verification of the source of funds due to high financial thresholds. In one case, a customer staked approximately £47,000 and lost £14,000 over eight months without the licensee verifying the legitimacy of the funds.
• The licensee’s money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment failed to consider the full scope of customer, product, geographic, and payment risks, resulting in an inadequate risk-based approach to anti-money laundering.

The breaches occurred over various periods between February 2022 and May 2024. 

John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, said: “This operator has failed to adhere to vital regulations designed to make gambling safer and free from criminal activity. 

“As a result, it will pay a significant fine and undergo a rigorous audit to ensure full compliance with anti-money laundering and safer gambling measures.  

"In addition to the remedial actions already taken, we expect the operator to swiftly and fully implement the audit recommendations, demonstrating clear and measurable improvements in both policy and practice. Failure to do so will prompt our compliance team to reassess the situation and take further action as necessary." 

“All operators should carefully consider this case and the price this operator is now paying.”