Caesars slapped with biggest-ever fine for a gambling company in the UK

Caesars has been fined for money laundering, social responsibility and customer interaction failures
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Kit Heren2 April 2020

Caesars Entertainment has been hit with a £13 million fine - the biggest ever penalty for a gambling company in the UK - for money laundering failures and allowing possible problem gamblers to carry on playing.

The Gambling Commission, which regulates the British gambling industry, said it found "serious systemic failures" at Caesars, which runs 11 casinos in the UK.

These include allowing a self-employed nanny, who told staff she had already spent her savings and was borrowing family money, to gamble and lose £18,000 in a year.

Caesars also let a customer who lost £323,000 in a year carry on gambling, even after they had spent more than five hours in casinos 30 separate times.

The £13 million will go to a scheme to reduce problem gambling
PA

The casino operator also sparked fears of money laundering after failing to carry out proper checks on where big spenders' money came from.

These included a prominent public figure who lost nearly £800,000 in just over a year and another customer who bet £3.5 million and lost £1.6 million in three months.

Three senior managers have also given up their licences.

Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission chief executive, said: “The failings in this case are extremely serious. A culture of putting customer safety at the heart of business decisions should be set from the very top of every company and Caesars failed to do this. We will now continue to investigate the individual licence holders involved with the decisions taken in this case."

Mr McArthur added that the commission would give close scrutiny to "VIP practices" - when a casino gives frequent customers special treatment.

“We are absolutely clear about our expectations of operators – whatever type of gambling they offer they must know their customers. They must interact with them and check what they can afford to gamble with – stepping in when they see signs of harm. Consumer safety is non-negotiable.”

The £13 million will be given to a scheme to reduce harmful gambling.

The previous largest fine was an £11.6 million penalty given to Betway in February for VIP customer failings.

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