William Hill Group Fined

The UK Gambling Recently, the Gambling Commission has intensified efforts against operators skirting gambling laws. This renewed focus includes William Hill Group, now facing the largest penalty ever enforced by the UKGC: a fine totaling £19.2 million, targeting William Hill Organization Limited, Mr Green Limited, and WHG Limited.

In the UKGC’s view, these brands have fallen short by breaching anti-money laundering regulations and neglecting their social responsibilities. WHG (International) Limited, managing williamhill.com, faces the biggest portion of the fine at £12.5 million. Meanwhile, Mr Green (mrgreen.com) incurs a £3.7 million fine, with the remaining penalty on William Hill Organization Limited, known for operating over 1,300 gambling locations across the UK.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the UKGC has fined William Hill Group. Back in 2018, they were made to pay £6.2 million for major shortcomings in addressing social responsibility. anti-money laundering .

The most recent sanctions were prompted by a customer gambling £23,000 just 20 minutes after account creation without the necessary checks. Another case involved a patron registering and spending £18,000 in merely 24 hours. Additionally, the operator was criticized for neglecting necessary diligence on a customer wagering £32,500 in two days.

Furthermore, the UKGC observed that 331 self-excluded clients on Mr. Green still managed to open accounts and place bets on WHG (International) Ltd due to weak controls. Additionally, their failure to conduct adequate checks enabled large client deposits without scrutiny. For instance, one client lost £70,134 in just a month, another suffered a loss of £38,000 over five weeks, and a third lost £36,000 in four.

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the UKGC, revealed that they seriously weighed suspending William Hill Group’s license. In his words:

“Upon commencing our investigation, the sweeping failures we identified prompted serious contemplation of a license suspension. However, due to the operator’s prompt acknowledgment of the issues coupled with swift corrective measures, we opted for our largest enforcement action rather than suspension.”

Representatives from 888, parent company of William Hill, noted that these lapses date back to the previous ownership era. They assured stakeholders that all problems flagged by the UKGC have been tackled under the new leadership.

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