As many as 17 online casino operators serving the UK gambling market are under investigation and or review by the UK Gambling Commission. The investigations center around money laundering and social responsibility controls and it is reported that 5 of those operators are under review by the Commission on what if anything should be done with their licenses.
The Commission refused to name any of those either being investigated or being written to regarding the Commissions concerns regarding money laundering and social responsibility.
Rumours are now rife on who those under review are but this is a serious problem for all online operators as too how serious the industry is taking social responsibility.
Sarah Harrison, Gambling Commission Chief Executive, said: “It is vital that the gambling industry takes its duty to protect consumers and keep crime out of gambling seriously. The Gambling Commission’s new strategy sets out our vision for a fairer and safer gambling market. The action we are taking to examine online casino operators’ compliance with money laundering and customer interaction requirements is just one example of how we will be relentless in turning that vision into reality.
“As the online sector continues to grow, and now accounts for a third of the British gambling market, it is right that we maintain a sharp focus on online gambling. That is why in addition to our work on compliance among online casino operators, we have also been conducting a wider ranging review of online gambling looking at how the market has evolved and to identify where further action can be taken to make gambling fairer and safer for consumers.”
The Commission did not say how long the review would take and if it would name those under review depending on the conclusions found by the Commission.