The operator, referred to as “GU” in the CNS decision since individual identities were anonymized, received a two-month suspension of its online betting operations and a €20,000 fine. The company’s former CEO, identified only as Monsieur AB, got a two-month ban from managing online betting activities along with a €20,000 fine, while compliance officer Madame BG received a similar ban and a €5,000 fine. Additionally, no sanctions were placed on the legal officer or the operator’s majority shareholder.
The case goes back to December 3, 2023, when GU opened an account for someone listed on France’s national asset-freezing register, and automated system alerts flagged the account the same day, but GU didn’t confirm the issue until 11 days later. France’s gambling regulator, the ANJ, opened an inquiry on January 3, 2024, and GU closed the account the next day. The CNS found GU didn’t have proper systems to stop this kind of account from being opened in the first place, and also failed to notify the finance ministry about the incident when it happened.
The case, originally brought by the ANJ last year, was upheld by the CNS in July before being published this week. It adds to a wider push by French regulators this year to tighten AML compliance across the online gambling sector.
