Gala Coral to forfeit £846k in UKGC regulatory settlement
Gala Coral has agreed to forfeit more than £846,000 (€1.1 million/$1.2 million) after the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) ruled the operator made a series of failings related to its anti-money laundering and social responsibility processes.
The UKGC investigation focused on the firm’s Coral Racing and Gala Interactive divisions and how they handled a relationship with a man who was jailed for three years after admitting to stealing £800,000 from a vulnerable adult.
The man in question had been a retail customer of Gala Coral since 2012 and was an online customer from January 2014 to January 2015.
As part of a regulatory settlement with the UKGC, Gala Coral will pay £846,000 to the man’s victim, as this was the total amount he lost through gambling with the operator.
Gala Coral will also take steps to improve its anti-money laundering and social responsibility processes, with the UKGC advising all operators to learn from the case in order to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Richard Watson, programme director at the UKGC, said: “We expect the industry will learn the lessons from this case, as it is their responsibility to keep crime out of gambling and protect vulnerable people from harm.
“We know that Gala Coral have reflected heavily on this case and have assured us of actions they have taken to address the failings.
“Operators must proactively monitor customers to keep gambling safe and free from crime.”
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