GREAT BRITAIN · REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT
Gambling Commission fines and settlements, 2024 to 2026
The Gambling Commission recorded at least £41.5 million in financial penalties and regulatory settlements against licensed operators between January 2024 and October 2026. Anti-money laundering and safer gambling failures appear in almost every large case; the biggest single penalty was £10 million against Platinum Gaming in 2025.
- 84 monetary cases with published amounts from 1 January 2024 to 24 October 2026, totalling £41,498,521: £22.8m in financial penalties and £18.7m in settlement payments (our sum from the Commission's register).
- Largest: Platinum Gaming £10m (2025), Gamesys £6.07m (announced January 2024), Grosvenor Casinos £5.01m (2026), Evolution £4.75m (2026).
- At least ten licence suspensions in 2025 and 2026 and one operating-licence revocation (Fairbetter, December 2024).
- Under a decision published on 22 July 2026, settlement money now goes to the government's Consolidated Fund rather than to socially responsible causes.
The Gambling Commission, which licenses and regulates gambling in Great Britain, imposed or agreed at least £41.5 million in financial penalties and regulatory settlements with operators between 1 January 2024 and 24 October 2026, on our count of its public register. Activity rose sharply after a quiet 2024: about £0.65 million in 2024 excluding one large case decided in late 2023, £22.3 million in 2025 and £12.5 million so far in 2026. Failures to prevent money laundering and to interact with customers at risk of harm are cited in nearly every large case.
Totals by year
| Year | Cases with amount | Settlements | Financial penalties | Total | Other action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | £582,120 | £6,136,629 | £6,718,749 | 1 revocation; includes Gamesys (decided Nov 2023, announced Jan 2024); £647,457 without it |
| 2025 | 48 | £5,792,834 | £16,465,395 | £22,258,229 | 6 suspensions |
| 2026 to 24 Oct | 27 | £12,323,200 | £198,343 | £12,521,543 | 4 suspensions |
| Total | 84 | £18,698,154 | £22,800,367 | £41,498,521 |
The 2026 figure is mostly settlements, where the operator agrees to pay in place of a penalty. The 2025 figure is mostly imposed penalties, led by Platinum Gaming's £10 million.
Main cases
| Decision | Licensee and brands | Action | Amount | Main failings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov 2023 (announced 10 Jan 2024) | Gamesys Operations Ltd (jackpotjoy.com, doublebubblebingo.com and others) | Penalty, warning, third-party audit | £6,071,292 incl. divestment | AML, safer gambling | Register |
| 4 Apr 2024 | Hillside (UK Sports) and Hillside (UK Gaming) ENC (bet365) | Settlement | £582,120 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 12 Dec 2024 | Fairbetter Ltd | Licence revoked | n/a | AML, self-exclusion, technical standards, fair terms | Register |
| 9 Jan 2025 | Greentube Alderney Ltd (Admiral Casino) | Settlement | £1,000,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 4 Feb 2025 | AG Communications Ltd (AspireGlobal, 58 websites) | Settlement | £1,407,834 plus £220,334 divestment | AML, safer gambling, self-exclusion | Commission |
| 6 Mar 2025 | Corbett Bookmakers Ltd | Penalty, audit | £686,070 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 27 Mar 2025 | The Football Pools Ltd | Settlement | £375,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 17 Apr 2025 | Taichi Tech Ltd (Fafabet) | Penalty, audit | £170,000 | Unfair bonus terms, AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 7 May 2025 | Spreadex Ltd | Penalty, warning, licence condition | £2,022,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 9 May 2025 | ProgressPlay Ltd | Penalty, warning, audit | £1,000,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 20 May 2025 | Petfre (Gibraltar) Ltd (Betfred) | Penalty | £240,000 | Technical standards | Commission |
| 26 Jun 2025 | Grace Media (Gibraltar) Ltd | Penalty | £60,000 | Direct marketing consent, self-exclusion | Register |
| 21 Jul 2025 | Tombola (International) Plc | Penalty | £184,500 | Direct marketing consent, self-exclusion | Register |
| 1 Sep 2025 | Maple International Ventures Ltd (Lottomart.com) | Settlement | £360,000 plus £50,000 divestment | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 22 Sep 2025 | Platinum Gaming Ltd (unibet.co.uk, uk.bingo.com) | Penalty, warning, audits | £10,000,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 30 Oct 2025 | Videoslots Ltd | Penalty, warning, licence condition | £650,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 5 Nov 2025 | NetBet Enterprises Ltd | Settlement | £650,000 | AML, safer gambling, inaccurate returns | Commission |
| 7 Nov 2025 | Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd (Betfred) | Penalty, warning, licence condition | £825,000 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 10 Nov 2025 | Playbook Gaming Ltd | Penalty, warning | £250,000 | AML, safer gambling, identity checks | Register |
| 17 Dec 2025 | PPB Entertainment, PPB Counterparty Services, Betfair Casino, TSE Malta (Paddy Power, Betfair) | Joint settlement | £2,000,000 | Customer interaction (safer gambling) | Commission |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Stakelogic BV | Settlement | £122,835 | Responsible product design ("running slots too fast") | Commission |
| 30 Jun 2026 | Petfre (Gibraltar) Ltd (Betfred) | Settlement | £900,000 | Customer interaction (safer gambling) | Commission |
| 23 Jul 2026 | Evolution Malta Holding Ltd | Settlement | £4,750,000 | AML: games available on six unlicensed GB-facing sites | Commission |
| 31 Jul 2026 | Holland Park Leisure Ltd | Penalty | £150,000 | Multi-operator self-exclusion; misleading information | Commission |
| 20 Aug 2026 | QuinnBet (Gibraltar) Ltd | Settlement | £609,104 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 7 Oct 2026 | Grosvenor Casinos Ltd, Grosvenor Casinos (GC) Ltd and Gaming Group Ltd (Rank Group, land-based) | Settlement | £5,012,261 | AML, safer gambling | Commission |
| 21 Oct 2026 | L & L Europe Ltd | Settlement | £900,000 | AML, safer gambling, unfair withdrawal restrictions | Commission |
Suspensions
The Commission suspended licences at least ten times in 2025 and 2026, according to its register and enforcement news: GridRival UK (June 2025, lifted May 2026), Mark Stuart Lloyd, trading as East Midlands Vending Supplies, for late returns (July 2025), Spribe (October 2025, for serious non-compliance with hosting requirements; lifted 30 March 2026), VGC Leeds, the Victoria Gate casino (31 October 2025; lifted 25 November 2025, and the licence was surrendered on 14 July 2026 after the premises were sold), Holland Park Leisure (October 2025, disclosed in its August 2026 penalty notice), Deadheat Racing (November 2025), BresBet and Bet St George (August 2026; both surrendered their licences on 4 September 2026), Tom Horn Gaming (September 2026) and Targetlocal, trading as Ken Howell's Sports Betting (September 2026, remote licence). Separately, TGP Europe surrendered its licence in May 2025 after the Commission said it would need to pay £3.3 million to keep trading; no penalty was imposed.
The Commission's own figures
The Commission's 2024-25 annual report says it took enforcement action against 24 operators in that financial year, leading to £4.2 million in fines or settlements. Its trust statement for the same year records £879,000 in financial penalties from 15 operators and £2,783,000 in payments in lieu from three settlements. Those three match Greentube, AG Communications and The Football Pools in our table. The 2025-26 annual report had not been located when we checked.
How settlements and penalties work
A regulatory settlement is an outcome the licensee accepts, usually published, in which it volunteers a payment in lieu of a financial penalty, gives up gains from the failings (divestment), contributes to costs and agrees a public statement. The Commission considers one where the licensee has been open, shows insight and settles early. Otherwise it can review the licence under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 and impose a warning, conditions, suspension, revocation or a financial penalty.
Penalties follow the Commission's statement of principles, last updated on 22 July 2026: a disgorgement element, a seriousness level from 1 to 5 with a starting point as a percentage of gross gambling yield over the breach period, adjustments for aggravation, mitigation and deterrence, a discount of 5% to 30% for early resolution, then checks on affordability and proportionality. Under a change announced on 22 July 2026, settlement payments go to the Consolidated Fund. Our guide to reading enforcement notices explains what a public statement does and does not establish.
Marketing-related cases
Few Commission cases centre on marketing. Tombola (£184,500) and Grace Media (£60,000) were penalised in 2025 for sending direct electronic marketing without valid consent, alongside self-exclusion failures. Taichi Tech, trading as Fafabet, was fined £170,000 for bonus terms that gave it a discretionary right to close accounts or forfeit winnings. We found no affiliate-specific Commission case in the period; affiliate cases are more common at the ASA, as our affiliate enforcement briefing shows.
Questions about Gambling Commission enforcement
What is the largest Gambling Commission fine since 2024?
£10 million against Platinum Gaming Ltd, operator of unibet.co.uk and uk.bingo.com, decided on 22 September 2025 and announced on 22 October 2025, for anti-money laundering and safer gambling failures.
How much did the Gambling Commission fine operators in 2025?
On our count of its register, £22.3 million across 48 cases with published amounts: £16.5 million in financial penalties and £5.8 million in settlements.
Where does settlement money go?
To the government's Consolidated Fund, under a decision the Commission published on 22 July 2026. Before that, settlement payments were directed to socially responsible causes, while financial penalties already went to the Consolidated Fund.
Sources
- Gambling Commission: public register of regulatory actions (140 actions, read 24 October 2026)
- Gambling Commission: enforcement news
- Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, foreword; Trust Statement 2024-25
- Statement of principles for determining financial penalties (updated 22 July 2026)
- Consolidated Fund to receive regulatory settlement money
- Licensing, compliance and enforcement policy statement, section 5 (updated 19 March 2026)
- TGP Europe leaves GB market (16 May 2025)