Blue Star Planet Limited enforcement action
UKGC enforcement action - February 2023

Summary

Financial Penalty

£620,000

What This Means for Consumers

Blue Star Planet Limited remains licensed and active, so customers can continue to use its services. The settlement addresses historical compliance issues found by the regulator.

Full Details

The Gambling Commission announced a Regulatory Settlement with Blue Star Planet Limited on 16 February 2023. The operator will pay £620,000 as part of the agreement, which was made in lieu of a formal financial penalty. This action followed a regulatory review that found compliance failings between November 2019 and June 2021.

The investigation found weaknesses in the company's processes for preventing money laundering and protecting vulnerable customers. Specific breaches included failures in customer interaction to minimise gambling harm (SRCP 3.4.1). The operator also didn't comply with rules for preventing money laundering and terrorist financing (Licence Condition 12.1.1 and 12.1.2).

The UKGC also noted that Blue Star Planet Limited failed to display its licensing status on all gambling screens as required (Licence Condition 8.1.1). A regulatory settlement means the operator agreed to the outcome and payment instead of the regulator imposing a formal penalty. This is the first enforcement action recorded against the company.

Key Findings

  • Payment of £620,000 as part of a regulatory settlement.
  • Failures in anti-money laundering (AML) processes between November 2019 and June 2021.
  • Breaches of social responsibility rules for customer interaction (SRCP 3.4.1).
  • Failure to display its UKGC licence information on all screens (Licence Condition 8.1.1).

Timeline

Enforcement action timeline — Source: UKGC Regulatory Actions Register
Action Date 16 February 2023

Related Operator

Blue Star Planet Limited

Operator profile not yet available.

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Written by

Corporate Investigations Editor

ACAMS Certified (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists). BSc Criminology, University of Manchester.

Mark has 15 years of experience in financial crime and corporate due diligence, including a role as Intelligence Analyst at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) specialising in money laundering through gaming.