The Playing Fee has launched an up to date model of its on line casino steerage, bringing it consistent with earlier amendments underneath the Cash Laundering Rules 2017, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and the FCA’s method to politically uncovered individuals (PEPs). Whereas many of those points have been flagged in current notices, that is the primary time they’ve been consolidated into the formal steerage.
For compliance groups within the playing sector, the message is obvious: scrutiny of AML controls is tightening, thresholds are shifting, and operators should reassess their danger frameworks, notably round buyer due diligence, DAML reporting and B2B partnerships.
Up to date PEP steerage
The Fee has aligned its on line casino steerage with the FCA’s expectations on PEPs. This consists of up to date language in paragraphs 6.88 and 6.92, reinforcing proportionate risk-based assessments slightly than blanket enhanced due diligence.
This mirrors the broader shift in UK monetary crime regulation to guarantee companies deal with PEPs pretty whereas sustaining strong controls. For casinos, this implies reviewing risk-scoring fashions, buyer onboarding processes and the justification for any enhanced checks.
Excessive-risk third international locations
The steerage now incorporates the latest adjustments to the high-risk third international locations record. Operators should guarantee their jurisdictional danger assessments and source-of-funds procedures mirror the up to date designations.
A first-rate instance of this pattern is the Corbett Bookmakers case, the place failings in AML controls resulted in a big high-quality. This highlights the continuing focus of UK regulators on addressing source-of-funds weaknesses and inadequate due diligence requirements throughout the trade.
DAML threshold improve: £1,000 → £3,000 (on line casino sector solely)
As of July 2025, the edge for submitting a Defence Towards Cash Laundering (DAML) report has elevated from £1,000 to £3,000 for casinos.
This shift is important: it reduces the quantity of low-value DAML stories however raises the bar on what constitutes suspicious exercise. Casinos might want to recalibrate their inner triggers, retrain employees, and revalidate their SAR workflows to make sure consistency with each the edge change and the NCA’s expectations.
Elevated scrutiny of B2B and white-label partnerships
Paragraphs 1.42 and a couple of.11 have been revised to explicitly require operators to evaluate the money-laundering dangers posed by:
- Enterprise-to-business relationships
- Third-party suppliers
- White-label companions
This can be a notable shift. The Fee is making it clear that AML accountability can’t be outsourced or diluted in complicated working constructions. The place operators depend on expertise companions, associates or white-label suppliers, they need to guarantee these companions meet equal AML requirements and perform acceptable oversight.
This aligns with broader enforcement tendencies globally, together with Australia’s rising concentrate on on line casino AML failings as a part of which new money restrictions will influence playing operators in Queensland.
Why this issues for the playing trade
These updates are usually not simply administrative. They sign that the subsequent section of UK AML supervision will place higher emphasis on:
- Threat-based decision-making for PEPs
- Jurisdictional consciousness tied to high-risk international locations
- Larger accountability for B2B and white-label oversight
- Operational changes linked to the DAML threshold improve
With the Playing Fee persevering with to situation high-profile penalties for AML deficiencies, operators should deal with these adjustments as a immediate to replace their insurance policies, controls and coaching programmes. The Corbett Bookmakers enforcement motion is a reminder of the results of weak monitoring, insufficient buyer due diligence and ineffective oversight.
What’s coming subsequent
The Fee has confirmed {that a} additional replace to on line casino steerage will comply with as soon as the subsequent spherical of amendments to the Cash Laundering Rules 2017 is finalised.
For now, casinos ought to deal with the present updates as instantly relevant and start updating their AML frameworks, coaching and inner documentation.
