Software provider and operator Gamesys have been ordered to repay £460,472 ($584,000) to victims of thieves who played on its gambling platforms with stolen money.
The UK gambling regulator (UKGC) has also ordered Gamesys to forfeit a further £690,000 ($875,000) for violating money laundering regulations and “failing to prevent gambling harm,” bringing the total penalty to nearly £1.2 million ($1.52 million).
In a statement on Wednesday the regular stated that it had launched a review of the company’s procedures following police investigations that uncovered three instances where criminals unnamed by the regulator had deposited some of the proceeds of their crimes into Gamesys platforms.
The London-based company operates the popular Jackpot Joy and Virgin Games brands, among others.
UKGC concluded that a “variety of failures” that lasted for a sustained period of time saw “stolen money flowing through the business.”
Last year, Paddy Power Betfair was fined £2.2 million ($2.8 million) for failing to prevent two customers from gambling “significant sums” through its betting exchange.
One of these was the former chief executive of Birmingham Dogs Home, Simon Price, a gambling addict who embezzled £900,000 ($1.1 million) in legacy payments to the charity, £650,000 ($825,000) of which he blew on Betfair.