Aspers Stratford hit with financial penalty over AML and player protection failings
4th February 2021
| By Daniel O'Boyle
The Gambling Commission has issued a £652,500 ($890,000/€742,000) financial penalty to Aspers’ Stratford City Casino after an investigation uncovered a number of anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility failings.
The investigation was launched in December 2018 after the Commission became aware that a member of Aspers’ VIP programme, died by suicide in the early hours 12 November, 2018.
The individual last visited Aspers on 11 November, where they spent £6,100 in cash. They previously incurred significant losses at the venue, including a £51,000 cash purchase.
After X’s death, Aspers immediately launched an internal investigation and created an internal report about its interactions with this customer and the adequacy of these procedures, which it produced to the Commission in December 2018. This report noted regulatory failings and problems with Aspers’ policies that could affect all customers.