£1m Fine for Online Casino Operator ProgressPlay Over AML and Player Safety Failures

_{ProgressPlay fell foul of the Gambling Commission. (Image: Gambling Commission)}

The UK Gambling Commission has fined ProgressPlay Limited £1 million for repeated anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings. 

ProgressPlay Limited, which operates 134 online gambling websites, has been fined £1 million following a compliance assessment by the UK Gambling Commission.

The regulator found significant failings in anti-money laundering (AML) and player protection policies. Alongside the fine, ProgressPlay has received a formal warning and must undergo a third-party audit to ensure compliance.

John Pierce, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence at the Gambling Commission, said: “Gambling businesses must have robust policies and procedures in place to protect consumers and ensure appropriate anti-money laundering controls are maintained. These measures must be actively implemented and regularly tested to confirm their effectiveness.”

AML Failures

The Gambling Commission identified several AML shortcomings, including:
•    No appropriate Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (MLTF) risk assessment or adequate controls to minimise risk.
•    A failure to consider all risks associated with its business, resulting in an insufficiently risk-based approach.
•    Inadequate scrutiny of customer transactions, including failures to verify Source of Funds (SoF) where necessary.

These gaps meant the operator was unable to ensure customer activity matched its understanding of individual risk profiles.

Social Responsibility Failures

The assessment also revealed failures in safeguarding players from gambling-related harm. These included:
•    Weak monitoring systems at account registration, preventing early identification of at-risk customers.
•    A customer interactions policy that did not fully meet Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice standards for identifying, acting, and evaluating.
•    Insufficient processes to assess whether interventions were effective in reducing potential harm.

Repeat Breaches

This is not the first time ProgressPlay has faced enforcement. In 2022, the company paid £175,718 for similar AML and social responsibility shortcomings.

Pierce noted: “This case marks the second time ProgressPlay Limited has been subject to enforcement action by the Gambling Commission. Its failure to meet AML obligations, along with the gaps identified in its social responsibility processes, are unacceptable.”

He added that repeated regulatory breaches will result in “increasingly severe enforcement action” and urged other operators to review their own compliance systems.

What Next for Progres Play?

As part of the regulatory outcome, ProgressPlay must undergo an independent audit to assess whether its policies and controls are sufficient. The breaches occurred between August 2021 and August 2024, according to the Gambling Commission.

The regulator has reminded all licence holders that repeated failings will not be tolerated.