Welsh Bookmaker Fined Following Compliance Failures – Parallels for Ireland’s Incoming Regulator

Corbett Bookmakers, a Welsh family-owned operator with 36 premises, has been fined by the UK Gambling Commission following significant failings in anti-money laundering (AML) and safer gambling practices between February 2022 and May 2024. In addition to the financial penalty, Corbett will undergo a third-party audit to ensure it fully implements improvements to its policies, procedures, and controls.

This marks the second enforcement action taken by the UKGC against a land-based operator in 2025, following a £95,450 fine issued to Merkur Slots last month.

John Pierce, the UKGC’s Director of Enforcement, stated:

“This operator has failed to adhere to vital regulations designed to make gambling safer and free from criminal activity. As a result, it will not only pay a significant fine but also undergo a rigorous audit to ensure full compliance.”

Among the social responsibility failings identified during a two-day compliance assessment were:

• Failure to identify a customer who staked £23,674 within 13 days as being at risk of gambling harm.

• Inadequate interaction with a customer who placed 56 bets in a four-hour period, losing £3,523.

• Lack of intervention with a player who wagered £47,416 and lost £6,741 over ten weeks.

• Allowing customers to stake and lose large sums without sufficient Know Your Customer (KYC) checks or source of funds verification.

In one case, a customer bet approximately £47,000 and lost £14,000 over eight months without undergoing proper financial checks, largely due to Corbett’s excessively high thresholds for due diligence.

Pierce added:

“We expect the operator to swiftly and fully implement the audit recommendations, demonstrating clear and measurable improvements. Failure to do so will result in further action. All operators should take note of the consequences of non-compliance.”

Implications for Ireland’s Incoming Gambling Regulator

The incoming Irish Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI), having recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UKGC, is likely to adopt similar enforcement approaches. Irish operators should expect:

• Increased focus on AML compliance and safer gambling measures.

• Higher expectations around customer interactions, particularly with at-risk gamblers.

• Mandatory audits following breaches.

• Significant financial penalties for failure to comply.

Given the alignment between the two regulators, Irish bookmakers and gambling operators should take this case as an early warning. Proactive action to strengthen KYC processes, lower financial thresholds for monitoring, and improve customer interaction protocols will be crucial to avoiding similar penalties once the Irish regime becomes fully operational.