In addition to the financial penalty, GGPoker also received an official warning for the failings.
The business’s social responsibility failings included not identifying or interacting with vulnerable customers at risk of experiencing gambling-harms. Additionally, the company sent marketing emails to 125 self-excluded customers,
The regulator also identified shortcomings with the operator’s anti-money laundering practices, such as failing to conduct adequate risk assessments of the areas business in jeopardy of being used for money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the lack of proper policies, procedures and controls to mitigate these risks.
The regulatory action is the latest in a string for the Commission. Just in September, the regulator fined Petfre Limited, the parent company of Betfred, £2.8m for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings, as well as Betway £400,000 for marketing on children’s web pages.
These fines followed a string of four fines or settlements in four weeks between July and August.
GGPoker has an international presence, having launched its poker room in Ontario in partnership with the World Series of Poker at the beginning of the month. The operator has a type 3 gaming services licence through the Malta Gaming Authority.