UKGC ISSUES £650,000 PENALTY AND FORMAL WARNING TO IMMENSE GROUP FOLLOWING AML AND SAFER GAMBLING BREACHES.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fined Immense Group—formerly Videoslots—£650,000 and issued a formal warning after identifying what it described as significant anti-money laundering (AML) and safer gambling failings.
The enforcement action also requires the operator to undergo an independent third-party audit.
Immense Group, which operates videoslots.co.uk, mrvegas.com and megariches.com, rebranded from Videoslots late last year. CEO Alexander Stevendahl, however, has publicly challenged aspects of the UKGC’s findings, arguing that important clarifications were omitted from the published statement.
UKGC flags ineffective customer monitoring
The UKGC’s investigation, covering October 2023 to February 2024, found that the operator had become overly reliant on automated systems that failed to detect high-risk or harmful gambling behaviour.
According to the Commission, Immense Group’s internal thresholds for monitoring deposits were set on a calendar-month basis and did not account for a player’s initial deposit. As a result, several customers incurred significant losses without timely intervention.
One customer lost £5,000 in a month, despite a nominal £3,000 internal threshold; another lost £5,000 in under 24 hours, whilst a third lost £7,500 across 18 days.
The UKGC said the operator also failed to interact meaningfully with a customer who lost £6,550 over three active days across two months, despite what it described as clear indicators of potential harm.
AML weaknesses and over-reliance on automation
The regulator also highlighted deficiencies in AML processes, citing gaps in record-keeping and excessive reliance on algorithmic scoring models that did not trigger enhanced due diligence at appropriate times.
One case involved a customer who deposited more than £75,000 in prepaid digital vouchers over 16 days, gambled heavily, and transferred winnings to four different bank accounts—sometimes accessing the account from outside Great Britain. Despite multiple risk factors, automated systems failed to escalate the case promptly.
The Commission said the incident demonstrated “unacceptable delays” and emphasised the heightened risks presented by open-loop digital voucher systems. UKGC director of enforcement John Pierce warned that such payment methods can facilitate anonymous funding or be financed through credit or crypto purchased via third parties.
Stevendahl challenges interpretation of findings
Responding on LinkedIn, Stevendahl said the company had engaged “closely and constructively” with the regulator throughout the process and implemented every improvement requested.
He expressed concern that several clarifications provided to the UKGC were not reflected in its final public statement. In particular, he disputed the implication that customers had exceeded their self-set deposit limits, clarifying that internal thresholds were designed only to trigger checks long before a player approached their own limit.
For example, an internal review might be triggered at £500 or £1,000 for a customer with a £2,000 personal limit—well below the customer’s actual cap. While acknowledging that the Commission preferred an alternative framework, Stevendahl cautioned that describing the issue as a “limit breach” could cause unnecessary confusion.
He also noted that one of the AML cases highlighted in the notice had originally been identified and reported proactively by the operator, suggesting that including this context would have offered a more complete picture of the circumstances.
Stevendahl said his response aimed “solely to clarify the facts and prevent misunderstandings,” adding that transparent communication between regulators and operators is essential to safeguarding the long-term health of the industry.
Penalty, warning and additional licence conditions
The enforcement action includes a £650,000 financial penalty, a formal warning and an additional licence condition requiring a full independent audit of AML and safer gambling controls.The UKGC acknowledged Immense Group’s cooperation and the swift steps taken to address identified failings.
In its wider advisory, the Commission reminded all operators using open-loop digital voucher systems that they must report this as a key event if they have not yet done so. Updated guidance on emerging money-laundering and terrorist-financing risks has also been published.
The regulator confirmed that Immense Group’s audit results will be monitored closely over the coming months.
