The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fined Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Limited, trading as Betfred, £825,000 following an investigation that uncovered significant social responsibility and anti‑money laundering (AML) failings. The operator, which runs a network of betting shops, has also received a formal warning and must undergo an independent third‑party audit to ensure its AML and safer gambling controls are effectively implemented.
Anti‑Money Laundering Failures
- Inability to adequately identify and manage money laundering risks linked to customers using B3 gaming machines.
- Reliance on machine alerts and daily reports without assessing overall customer spend or related terrorist financing risks.
- No effective policy to identify or manage customers subject to financial sanctions.
- Risk thresholds for source‑of‑income checks set too high (£15,000 losses or £125,000 stakes in 365 days), failing to reflect appropriate risk‑based standards.
Social Responsibility Failures
- Inadequate monitoring of customer spend and financial indicators of gambling harm on B3 machines.
- Customer interactions not consistently triggered by risk indicators, or conducted in ways that minimized gambling harm.
- Poor quality of interactions, with insufficient understanding of their impact on reducing harm.
Regulatory History
This marks the second enforcement action against Done Brothers in recent years. In 2023, the operator paid a £3.25 million regulatory settlement for similar AML and social responsibility breaches.
Commission Statement
John Pierce, UKGC Director of Enforcement, commented:
“While the failings identified during the 2024 Compliance Assessment were predominantly technical breaches rather than arising from specific customer examples, they were nevertheless unacceptable. Thresholds appeared too high and insufficiently risk‑based, and deficiencies in processes and procedures were evident.
We acknowledge the improvements the operator has already made since these issues were identified. The independent audit will be critical to confirming these changes are sustained so that the operator remains fully compliant with social responsibility and anti‑money laundering requirements.”
