The UK Gambling Commission released a press statement in which it detailed the withdrawal from the market of TGP Europe, a white label operator which chose to exit the market after it was told it would need to pay a £3.3 million penalty and significantly improve its offer should it wish to continue operating in the jurisdiction.
According to the Gambling Commission, TGP Europe has failed to carry out effective due diligence on each entity involved in the ownership of the third party, as per the official statement by the regulator.
There were other violations, however, including a failure to carry out due diligence on the source of funds used in businesses, or sufficiently consider money-laundering risks, as well as any activity by a third-party that is illegal in either Great Britain or "the territory in which it is conducted."
The legalese aside, this is not the first time TGP Europe faced regulatory pressure. The company was also targeted in a similar enforcement move back in 2023 when the firm was handed down a £316,250 fine related to similar offenses, and specifically a failure to adequately consider and mitigate money-laundering risks in B2B relationships.
The company’s exit is important for another matter – without the white label firm to back them up, several operators are now considered "unlicensed," and notably companies that have been linked to sponsorship deals with Premier League clubs, including Fulham FC, Newcastle United FC, WolverhamptonWanderers FC, Burnley FC, and AFC Bournemouth.
The regulator’s Commission Head of Enforcement, John Pierce, detailed the case against the company and noted:
"This case involves a gambling company that was unwilling or unable to meet the regulatory standards we expect from our licensees. It is right that they have now exited the British market."
Pierce also confirmed that because of the company’s exit, several operators have been affected and can no longer offer their products lawfully in Great Britain.
"We have already been in contact with several football clubs today to highlight the impact of the withdrawal from the market by TGP and make clear that we will be carrying out checks without further notice, to ensure these sites remain blocked," the statement read.
The regulator similarly cautioned consumers to be wary of playing at websites previously running their business under a TGP Europe license, and that such websites were no longer eligible to provide their products in the United Kingdom, nor could they offer the high standard of consumer protection otherwise expected.
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