The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner has issued a formal caution to Unibet in response to a £10m fine issued by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings.
Platinum Gaming Limited, which holds a dual licence for the UK and Gibraltar, received the original penalty from the UKGC in October, as well as a warning and it will be subject to a third-party audit to ensure that AML and safer gambling policies, procedures and controls are being implemented effectively.
Gibraltar’s regulator is issuing a formal caution to Unibet as the case highlights “fitness and propriety” concerns for the operator, in addition to impacting the “reputation of Gibraltar”.
However, the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner will not be imposing a financial penalty on the operator for the following reasons:
- Historical nature of the failings in 2023 – case completed by UKGC in October 2025, after 21 months from the date of the relevant site visit.
- A significant financial penalty has already been imposed.
- Systems and controls related to the Gibraltar regulatory regime have been improved and are now considered satisfactory, pending a third-party review.
The regulator said: “Licence holders which are dual licensed are reminded that they are expected to comply with the AML/CFT/CFP regime not only in Gibraltar but also in other relevant jurisdictions in which they operate.
“Any Gibraltar licence holder which is subject to a regulatory sanction in another jurisdiction for AML/CFT/CPF breaches can expect the circumstances of that case to be reviewed by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the possibility of a public statement being made as to findings.
“Further enforcement action on the part of the Gambling Commissioner cannot be ruled out where it is justified by the circumstances. The fact that a formal caution has been issued will be taken into consideration if other matters come to light in the future.”
iGaming Expert has reached out to FDJ United for comment on the formal caution issued to Unibet by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.
UKGC penalty
In its report, the UKGC illustrated major faults in Unibet’s customer interaction systems, including failing to spot and act on clear harm markers.
Customers lost thousands of pounds in a few hours or days of registration, players breached loss limits repeatedly and consumers showed binge gambling patterns without appropriate intervention.
One customer exceeded their loss limit of £2,500 within 16 minutes of registering and another lost £5,000 within 24 hours.
AML failures were also highlighted, including gaps in risk assessment, which resulted in customers who previously had their accounts closed by the licensee before 2023 being able to open new accounts and gamble.
It was also deemed that there was a lack of clarity in the company’s AML policy around due diligence thresholds and customer reviews failing to include potential high-risk factors.
This is the second time Platinum Gaming has been subject to a fine by the UKGC for AML and social responsibility failures, as the operator received a £2.9m penalty by the commission in 2023.
AML and safer gambling ‘a top priority’
In response to the UKGC penalty, an FDJ United spokesperson told iGaming Expert last month that AML and safer gambling are “a top priority” to its senior leadership and that the independent review will show that necessary steps are being taken.
“Platinum Gaming Ltd, the operator of Unibet in the UK and an entity of FDJ UNITED (at the time under the management of Kindred Group), acknowledges the UKGC’s finding that legacy monitoring technology was not sufficiently effective at the time of the review (i.e. from January 2023 to May 2024),” said the spokesperson.
“As a result of the findings by the UKGC, Platinum Gaming has implemented new software solutions and risk management frameworks across anti-money laundering and safer gambling, providing a detailed knowledge of customer risk, allowing for near real-time automated alerts and customer interventions.”
The spokesperson added: “FDJ UNITED remains committed to the highest compliance standards and player protection policies. As part of this, the Group will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of and improve its processes and tools to meet these standards.
“Senior leadership have safer gambling and anti-money laundering as a top priority in operational discussions, as well as a priority in the Group’s strategic agenda. FDJ UNITED will continue to work closely with the UKGC on this matter and remain confident that the external review will show necessary steps have been taken.”
