Maple International Ventures Limited, the company behind the Lottomart brand, has been ordered to pay a £360,000 penalty following an investigation by the UK Gambling Commission.
The investigation uncovered significant failings in the operator’s anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CTF), and social responsibility obligations.
The Commission found that Maple International’s risk assessment was inadequate, as it did not sufficiently cover the risks associated with organised crime gangs and mule accounts.
Furthermore, the operator had failed to update its risk assessment to reflect the latest publications from the Commission. One notable case highlighted by the investigation involved a customer who was able to evade detection by simply switching their surname and forename.
As a result of these failings, Maple International will pay a financial penalty of £360,000.
This money will be directed towards socially responsible causes, including GambleAware, Ygam, GamCare, and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, as well as various universities conducting gambling-related research projects.
The Gambling Commission did acknowledge that Maple International had a clean regulatory history prior to this incident and had cooperated fully with the investigation.
Maple International Ventures Limited also accepted its failings at an early stage and has since put a plan in place to rectify the issues.
John Pierce, the Commission’s Director of Enforcement, commented on the case, stating:
The cornerstone of every licensed business must be the proper implementation of effective policies and procedures aimed at making gambling crime-free and safer. This operator is now being held to account for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings uncovered during a compliance assessment.
He further stated:
We would advise all operators to read the Maple International Ventures public statement and consider whether their own policies and procedures are both effective and are being successfully implemented.
