Gambling industry regulators set a new record by instituting more than $442 million USD in financial penalties across the globe in 2023.
The massive spike represents a 42.3 percent year-over-year increase for penalties from the previous record of about $264 million USD which was set in 2022. The spike was mainly due to an AU$450 million penalty – about $306 million USD – levied by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Center against Crown Resorts in Australia.
Crown was fined after it failed to report suspicious gaming activity at its casinos in Perth and Melbourne. Crown’s penalty was the largest ever levied against a gaming institution, and the Australia-based house also has the dubious distinction as the previous record holder – the gaming house was fined AU$120 million in 2022 due to similar activity.
That fine represented 98 percent of AUTRAC’s collectible fines of about AU$458 million, for breaching gambling regulations.
The United Kingdom also set a new record by collecting more than £214 million, or about $167 million, in fines in 2023, with the largest going to the William Hill Group.
The group paid a record £19.2 for also failing to report potential money-laundering activity at three of its establishments – WHG International (fined more than £12 million), Mr. Green Limited (fined more than £3 million) and William Hill Organization Limited (fined £3 million).
North American Fines
The United States and Canada combined for less than $2 million in fines, or 0.45 percent of the total global fines levied.
Since wagering is only allowed in Ontario in Canada, the province that boasts the country’s largest population of about 16 million, the province’s alcohol and gaming commission imposed just seven fines worth about $365,000. The largest fine was sent to PointsBet, of $150,000, due to violations of its responsible gaming standards.
The United States levied just $1.6 million in fines against gaming operations in 2023, with the largest being assessed by the Colorado state gaming board to the Nevada-based Monarch Casino Group, which operates the Black Hawk online casino. The gaming commission fined Monarch about $400,000 after an investigation found the company’s employees were placing wagers for out-of-state players.
Other Findings
Of the 13 nations that levied fines in 2023, Denmark dealt out the fewest by only issuing about $15,000 worth.
Conversely, the Netherlands gambling authority issued 21 fines and settlements to its operators worth roughly £26 million, including the £6.8 million fine to Goldwin Limited for operating without a license.
The Netherlands received the fourth-highest sum of penalty fines from operators, trailing only Australia, the U.K. and Greece, which received about $27 million USD in fines due to violations from gaming houses.
Here are the top-10 fines levied (all amounts in USD):
Australia: $311.4 million
U.K.: $271.6 million
Greece: $26.8 million
Netherlands: $26 million
Sweden: $9.2 million
Gibraltar: $3.6 million
Singapore: $1.7 million
United States: $1.6 million
Malta: $966,000
Canada: $365,000