NetBet fined £650,000 for AML and social responsibility breaches

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By Chris Horton
Fri 07 Nov 2025 12:17
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  • Failures in anti-money-laundering and social responsibility checks.
  • £650,000 to be paid to socially responsible causes.
  • Independent audit ordered by the UK Gambling Commission.
UKGC
UKGC orders NetBet to pay £650,000 and complete an independent audit after major compliance lapses.
On 5 November 2025, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced a £650,000 penalty against NetBet Enterprises Ltd following a regulatory investigation into weaknesses in its anti-money-laundering (AML) and social responsibility systems.

The UKGC said the Malta-based operator, which holds a remote betting licence in the UK, failed to identify customers whose spending was inconsistent with their income and to take sufficient steps to prevent potential gambling-related harm.

Funds from the penalty will be directed to socially responsible initiatives, and NetBet must now commission an independent audit to assess and strengthen its internal controls.

The regulator found that between November 2023 and July 2024, NetBet relied too heavily on automatic financial triggers when assessing customer risk.

  • Customers who deposited large sums quickly or displayed suspicious betting patterns were still categorised as low risk.
  • Source-of-funds checks were often delayed or incomplete.
  • Some regulatory returns were inaccurate or incomplete, breaching reporting obligations.

The Commission said these lapses undermined the effectiveness of NetBet’s AML framework and created vulnerabilities to financial crime.

Alongside AML breaches, NetBet was criticised for failing to identify early signs of problem gambling.
Players who increased their deposits rapidly, gambled overnight, or triggered multiple responsible gaming flags were not promptly reviewed or contacted.

The UKGC emphasised that social responsibility failures remain a central focus of its enforcement agenda, particularly when operators do not intervene early enough to prevent harm.

The Gambling Commission said the case should serve as a warning to the wider sector.

“Operators must ensure that their controls are effective in practice — not just well-documented,” a UKGC spokesperson stated. “Where weaknesses persist, we will act.”

The regulator added that audits and remedial actions are increasingly being used alongside financial penalties to ensure sustained compliance improvements.

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