AspireGlobal operates 58 websites under its British licence across bingo, casino and betting. Current active domains and brands include Casinoluck.com, Greenplay.com, Mrluck.com and Tangobet.com.
Setting out its ruling today (4 March), the Commission said AspireGlobal breached several of its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). These were recorded between May 2023 and October 2024.
The period covered follows Aristocrat entering into a definitive business combination agreement to acquire AspireGlobal’s parent NeoGames for approximately $1.20 billion (May 2023). The deal was completed in April 2024.
Commission hits out at AML failures
First, the regulator highlighted a failing within Licence Condition 12.1.1 (3), which sets out requirements for licensees to have appropriate AML and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) policies, procedures and controls in place. The Commission said AspireGlobal did not ensure that these were effectively implemented.
According to the regulator, policies and procedures were too reliant on financial thresholds. It said customers were not subject to manual Enhanced Customer Due Diligence (ECDD) checks until certain financial triggers were hit.
However, even when such financial thresholds were reached, the regulator noted delays in completing ECDD checks. On one occasion, a player who hit the financial trigger did not face an ECDD review until one week later.
AspireGlobal was also criticised for not following its policy regarding ECDD checks. One user who reached the threshold but did not have a high AML risk score did not have a manual ECDD review until eight days later.
Daily loss limit failures at AspireGlobal
Turning to SR, the regulator flagged paragraphs 1, 4, 7, 9 and 11 of Social Responsibility Code Provision (SRCP) 3.4.3. All of these relate to remote customer interaction.
First, AspireGlobal was ruled in breach of paragraph 1, which states licensees must have customer interaction systems in place to help prevent player harm when gambling. During the period in question, several failures were note by the Commission.
These include backstop daily loss limits not working correctly for certain users due to a system error. As such, some customers were able to play through the loss limit. In total, 176 players deposited a combined £220,334 over the daily loss limit.
Paragraph 4 of the SRCP covers monitoring systems to track potentially harmful behaviour. The Commission said AspireGlobal did not have “effective” procedures in place, which in turn placed players at increased risk of harm.
On one occasion, a payer deposited and lost approximately £7,000 in four hours during a late-night session. The user was able to play through the backstop due to a system error, although a manual customer review also did not flag the issue.
Also on SR failings, licensees must flag indicators of risk of harm in a “timely manner” for manual intervention. However, in this instance, AspireGlobal only used automated financial trigger thresholds that were calculated in euros. As such, players gambling in sterling were not always identified.
Customer stakes £35,000 in two weeks
A further SR failure related to operators taking a tailored approach to harm prevention for each player. The Commission said this was not the case and the action taken by the operator was not effective enough to influence future player behaviours.
Offering examples, one player lost £4,500 after depositing £35,000 in two weeks, all during sessions lasting over three hours. The user was sent two general emails and contacted once via phone call, but the regulator said this was not enough to address the issue.
In another case, AspireGlobal failed to keep a detailed record of interactions with a customer identified as high-risk. The user was allowed to raise their monthly loss limit from £1,000 to £4,000 with no justification recorded.
Then, one player, a student, lost £6,000 in 48 hours without a safer gambling interaction by AspireGlobal. A phone call was only attempted when the daily loss limit of £5,000 in 24 hours was reached.
The final SR failure was in relation to how strong indicators of harm are acted on in a timely manner. Again, the Commission said AspireGlobal failed to do this.
Self-exclusion failures also flagged
Setting out further findings, the Commission noted SCRP 3.9.1 (1), referencing how licensees must be able to identify players with multiple accounts. With this, one player held several accounts despite previously self-excluding. Another was able to open an account despite having an existing one closed due to suspicious activity.
Also flagged was LCCP 4.2.1 (1), which related to terms and conditions on customer funds. According to the regulator, these were not clear enough on the operator’s Neptuneplay.com website.
Finally, licensees are ordered to have in place effective self-exclusion measures. AspireGlobal acknowledged its systems here were not robust enough.
As an example of this failure, the regulator said one user, who had self-excluded, bypassed an account-matching mechanism by using different variations of their first name, surname, email address and postal address.
This meant they were able to circumvent the self-exclusion system and were able to register for more than 100 accounts. Over a 21-month period, they spent £30,000 and lost £19,000.
Payment in lieu of penalty
Ruling on the case, the Commission noted several aggravating factors, including how the operator previously faced a licence review. It was also fined £237,600 in 2022 for AML failures.
Mitigating factors included AspireGlobal putting a plan in place to address the issues. It also cooperated throughout the investigation and accepted failings at an early stage.
However, in agreement with the Commission, AspireGlobal accepted making a payment of £1.4 million in lieu of a financial penalty. It will also cover the regulator’s cost of investigating the case.
“This case marks the second occasion that this operator has been subject to enforcement action,” said John Pierce, director of enforcement at the Commission. “Its failure to uphold AML standards, delays in necessary interventions and deficiencies in SR measures are wholly unacceptable.
“Today’s outcome underscores the gravity of these breaches. This case stands as a clear warning to all operators that repeated regulatory failings will result in increasingly stringent enforcement action.”
Aspire Global was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publishing.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/british-regulator-orders-aspireglobal-pay/
