SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Online casino group Genesis Global Limited has been placed under immediate investigation by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), with the regulator citing unspecified compliance issues.
Yesterday, the UKGC disclosed that it had enforced section 116 (2) of the 2005 Gambling Act, placing Genesis under investigation for carrying out activities in breach of its licence conditions.
Under section 116, the UKGC can launch an investigation if it suspects that the operator may be ‘unsuitable to carry out licensed activities’ or if a person connected to the licensee has acquired a criminal conviction.
The UKGC followed its investigation by enforcing section 118 of the Gambling Act, requiring Genesis to suspend all operating licences related to online casino, real event betting and virtual sports wagering.
The suspension is effective from 20 July, with Genesis no longer allowed to service UK gambling transactions across its portfolio of online casino websites, including: Casoola Casino, Casino Planet, Kassu, CasinoCruise, Casino Gods, Casino Joy, Genesis Casino, Pelaa, Sloty Online Casino, Spela, Spinit and Vegas Hero.
“We suspect that Genesis Global Limited has breached a condition of the licence (section 116(2)(a) of the Act)) and is unsuitable to carry on the licensed activities (section 116(2)(c)(i)) of the Act). We therefore consider it appropriate to suspend the licence with immediate effect pending the conclusion of the review,” the UKGC detailed in its enforcement.
The UKGC has instructed Genesis to facilitate customers in accessing their accounts to withdraw funds, in which the operator must disclose to customers that it is under investigation.
