£6.2 Million Fine for William Hill Over Unethical Practices

There have been several reports over recent months claiming that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is investigation several iGaming companies and betting firms over a lack of sufficient measures to prevent money-laundering and problem gambling, and it appears that the first fine has been handed out, with William Hill being charged over £6 million.

The fine, which is reported to be able to rise if more people come forward, is the second largest ever given out by the UKGC, and is due to 10 William Hill customers depositing money with links to criminal activity, which benefitted William Hill to the tune of £1.2 million.

What happened?

The UKGC investigation, which covers the period from November 2014 to August 2016, turned up several questionable cases, including that of a player who spent approximately £541,000 over 14 months, despite having an annual income of only £30,000. Insufficient questioning by William Hill meant that it was not realised that the player was stealing with their employer to fund their gambling.

Another customer deposited £653,000 across 18-months, which activated an alert and a grading of “amber risk” which meant the customer’s profile had to be investigated to comply with William Hill’s money-laundering prevention measures. Due to a systems failure, this did not happen, and the player was able to play at the site for a further six months despite continuous alerts.

The charge

William Hill will have to “divest themselves” of the £1.2 million they gained from the 10 players in question, and pay a further £5 million plus as a fine for breaching UKGC regulations.

Executive Director at the Gambling Commission, Neil McArthur, said: “This was a systemic failing at William Hill which went on for nearly two years and today’s penalty package – which could exceed £6.2m – reflects the seriousness of the breaches.”