Unprecedented cooperation against money laundering

On 13 February 2025, over 100 industry professionals, regulators and law enforcement representatives gathered at the Gambling Anti-Money Laundering Group‘s (GAMLG) annual event to address the growing challenges of financial crime in the UK gambling sector.

Cross-sector collaboration to combat financial crime

Keith Bristow, Chairman of the GAMLG, reaffirmed the industry’s commitment to fighting financial crime through close collaboration with regulators, law enforcement and government agencies.

The annual GAMLG event, held on 13 February 2025, brought together more than 100 industry professionals to discuss new strategies to combat money laundering. For the first time, the event was open to members not affiliated to the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

Reinforcement of anti-money laundering measures

Attendees included representatives from the Gambling Commission, HM Treasury, the UK Financial Intelligence Unit and the West Midlands Police Regional Economic Crime Unit.

Grainne Hurst, CEO of the BGC, stressed the need for vigilance to prevent money laundering in the regulated sector and to limit the risks associated with unlicensed operators. She also announced that the BGC is working on a new Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Code, aimed at raising industry standards without harming players.

The illegal gambling black market: a growing concern

A recent study by the BGC found that 1.5 million UK adults use unregulated gambling platforms, contributing up to £4.3 billion ($5.34 billion) a year to the black market. This highlights the urgent need to strengthen enforcement and better protect consumers.

Hurst warned against illegal operators exploiting regulatory loopholes and stressed the need for cooperation within the industry to prevent financial crime.

Combating money laundering in the UK gambling industry requires ongoing collaboration between operators, regulators and law enforcement. Initiatives such as the annual GAMLG event play a key role in strengthening prevention and promoting best practice in compliance.

Anti-money laundering measures in Belgian casinos

In Belgium, the law of 18 September 2017 strictly regulates the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing in the gambling sector. Casino and online gaming operators must apply strict rules to prevent any illegal activity.

Tighter internal controls

Casinos must implement control procedures tailored to their business. This includes:

• The adoption of internal rules validated by a manager.
• The appointment of a compliance officer, responsible for monitoring operations and reporting any suspicious activity.
• Mandatory training for employees to detect fraudulent behaviour.

Risk assessment

Operators must analyse the risks associated with money laundering on the basis of several criteria:

• Customers: gambling habits, unusual transactions.
• Products and services: types of games offered, amounts wagered.
• Distribution channels: online or physical games.
• Geographical areas: some countries are more at risk.

Prevention measures must be tailored to these risk factors.

Monitoring players and transactions

Casinos must verify the identity of players in the following cases:

• On registration for online games.
• As soon as €2,000 or more is wagered or withdrawn.
• If money laundering is suspected.
• If there are doubts about the accuracy of the information provided by the player.

In addition, player transactions must be constantly monitored to detect any anomalies.

These measures guarantee a more secure framework for gambling in Belgium and make it possible to combat illegal financial flows effectively.