Unibet operator Platinum Gaming fined $13.3 million for money laundering, safer gambling failures

Platinum Gaming Limited, operator of unibet.co.uk and uk.bingo.com, has been fined £10 million (US$13.33 million) by the Gambling Commission for "serious" failings in anti-money laundering (AML) and safer gambling controls.

The company also received a formal warning and must undergo an independent audit to ensure its AML and responsible gambling policies are being properly applied.

The investigation found multiple social responsibility breaches. Platinum Gaming failed to identify a player who lost £5,000 (US$6,664) within 24 hours of registering and went on to lose more than £16,000 (US$21,329) within three months.

The operator also did not intervene when another customer lost over £31,000 (US$41,324) in nine months, repeatedly hitting monthly loss limits and showing clear signs of gambling harm. In another case, a player exceeded a £2,500 (US$3,332) loss limit within 16 minutes of opening an account without triggering any review or support.

The commission also noted a failure to act during a 23-day period in which a customer staked £73,000 (US$97,302) and lost £4,100 (US$5,466), again without any intervention from the company.

The commission identified several anti-money laundering failings as well. Platinum Gaming allowed some customers whose accounts had previously been closed for money laundering concerns to open new accounts and continue gambling.

The company’s AML policy was found to lack clarity around due diligence thresholds, leaving uncertainty about how customer risk levels were determined. In addition, customer reviews failed to consider key high-risk factors such as a player’s occupation, the volume of transactions, and the scale of losses, despite these being outlined in the operator’s own risk framework.

This is the second time Platinum Gaming has faced enforcement action. In 2023, the company was fined £2.9 million (US$3.87 million) for similar AML and social responsibility breaches.

John Pierce, the Gambling Commission’s Director of Enforcement, said the case revealed serious shortcomings in Platinum Gaming’s systems. He noted that consumers lost thousands within hours or days of registration without adequate checks, and that significant gaps remained in the company’s approach to high-risk customer monitoring and anti-money-laundering oversight.

Pierce confirmed that, alongside the £10 million penalty, the operator is required to complete a follow-up independent audit and provide regular compliance updates to the Commission.

"These added conditions are designed to drive meaningful change, reinforce accountability, and embed a culture of compliance," he stated. “Senior leaders must take ownership of compliance outcomes and ensure lessons are embedded across the organisation, supported by structured reporting and board-level oversight – and further regulatory activity will remain a possibility.”