Rank Digital, Annexio to Pay £1.3 Million Fine

This week it was revealed that Rank Digital and Annexio will pay the UKGC settlements of more than £600,000 each after they were found to have social responsibility failings for their Mecca Bingo and Lotto Go brands.

Rank will pay the UKGC £700,557 after the UKGC found that the company breached paragraphs 1 and 2 of the UK Social Responsibility Code Provision 3.4.1. This section requires operators to act in ways that minimize the risk of harm. Rank's triggers to identify potentially harmful play weren't always effective, according to the regulator, as it required a 30-day net loss threshold of £1,000. The company also didn't ensure that customers with more than one account have their accounts cross-checked for potentially harmful activity. Lastly, Rank's self-exclusion measures were deemed to be insufficient.

The UKGC noted that Rank has taken steps to rectify its failures and offered an early regulatory settlement offer, which helped in its case.

Annexio violated anti-money laundering provisions and social responsibility rules, which led to them paying a fine of more than £600,000. The company didn't have a sufficient money laundering risk assessment, as well as not completing required due diligence reports on time. The regulator found that the company allowed one customer to have a deposit limit lifted before a due diligence check was completed. Another incident saw a player request limits on their account be reduced, but the operator failed to comply with that request.

Annexio did implement a £500 deposit limit per month on new players while an affordability check is carried out. More employees were also hired to help complete due diligence checks.

Funds from both of these fines will go toward the UK National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.