UK's Gambling Commission suspends Deadheat Racing licences over suspected AML, social responsibility breaches

The UK Gambling Commission has suspended both the remote and non-remote operating licences of Deadheat Racing, placing the operator’s betting activities on hold while it conducts a formal review into suspected compliance failures.

The action, effective immediately, follows concerns related to social responsibility and anti-money laundering obligations. Deadheat has held its licences since January 2015 and is headquartered in London. The regulator said the suspected breaches were “key considerations” in its decision to issue the suspension.

In a statement announcing the move, the commission said the review was triggered by evidence that Deadheat’s activities “have been carried out in a manner which is inconsistent with the licensing objectives, not in accordance with conditions of their licence and that the licensee may be unsuitable to carry on the licensed activities.”

It added that it has instructed the operator to ensure that, throughout the suspension, customers are treated fairly and kept updated on any developments that may affect them.

Deadheat Racing’s board includes directors James Grassi and Antony Komui, both of whom have held their positions since April 2012. A third director, Christos Symeon, joined at the same time but stepped down in August 2019, according to filings at Companies House.

The suspension involves operating licence numbers 040247-N-320138-007 and 040247-A-320139-005 and has been issued under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005, which allows the regulator to review the suitability of a licensee and assess whether licence conditions are being met.

Deadheat is the latest operator to face regulatory action as the commission continues to scrutinize anti-money laundering and social responsibility compliance across the industry.

In recent weeks, Videoslots was fined £650,000 for multiple breaches, while NetBet received a penalty of the same amount earlier in November for similar failings.

In October, the commission also suspended Spribe OÜ’s software licence after identifying “serious” non-compliance with hosting rules. Spribe said at the time that it was in the process of securing the required hosting licence and anticipated resuming operations within weeks. 

The Gambling Commission said the suspension of Deadheat’s licences will remain in force while the review is ongoing.