From Australia to the United States and many other countries in between, gambling operators faced penalties for various reasons, totalling $184.4 million in 2024. Here is a closer look at the main reasons global gambling regulators/commissions/licensing authorities issued financial penalties.
Why were so many global gambling companies issued financial penalties in 2024?
Here are some of the main reasons why so many gambling companies were issued financial penalties throughout 2024:
- Some fines were handed out because certain iGaming website owners were operating in specific regions without obtaining the necessary license from that jurisdiction’s main online gambling governing body/regulator
- One fine was handed out to an operator for offering unauthorized bonuses. In some countries, iGaming operators are only allowed to offer players specific types of bonuses
- Social responsibility failings and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) failings were also a cause for fines being issued in one region
Despite these global gambling companies being issued fines for various reasons totalling almost $185 million, which equates to around £148.2 million or €177.9 million, there was a sharp decline compared to the previous year, where the total value of fines issued to gambling operators reached a record-breaking $442.6 million (approx. £335.0 million or €388.8 million).
In 2023, a total of 96 major fines were dished out, compared to 70 fines being issued by the end of 2024. The countries where real money betting services are legal on a handful of licensed and regulated sites to receive the fewest fines were Canada, Italy, and Finland.
For example, in Ontario, Canada, which is home to several top online casinos for Canadian players, a modest total of $21,483 (€20,652/£16,969) in fines was issued to iGaming operators.
In Italy, regulators issued $1.4 million (€1.3 million/£1.1 million) in fines, and in Finland, gambling operators faced fines totalling $3 million (€2.9 million/£2.4 million).
Which countries saw the heaviest fines being issued?
According to reports, Spain handed out more fines than any other country. A record-breaking €65,325,000 in fines were issued by the country’s Ministry for Consumer Affairs throughout 2024 to 15 iGaming companies.
13 out of those 15 companies were operating real money betting sites in the Spanish market without a license. By the end of 2024, these fines that were issued throughout the year meant that since 2021, Spain had issued close to €400 million in fines for the gambling sector.
Australia also fined multiple companies a considerable amount, totalling $58.5 million. However, compared to the $311.4 million issued in Australia to gambling operators throughout 2023, this total was also a significant drop.
The largest fine last year in Australia came to AU$ 67 million ($44.6 million/€41 million). The Federal Court of Australia issued the fine to SkyCity Adelaide Pty Ltd as a result of proceedings initiated by AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre).
In the United States, various gaming commissions dished out fines totalling around $9.5 million. MGM Resorts was issued the biggest financial penalty of $7.5 million by the US Justice Department relating to illegal sports betting operations. According to further reports, former Resorts World Las Vegas president and chief operating officer Scott Sibell knew what was happening.
The Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, issued financial penalties to gambling operators totalling $11.5 million in 2024. The most significant fine came to $2.7 million and was issued to Spooniker for offering unauthorized bonuses.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) handed out fines that totalled almost $26 million. The Dutch regulator’s biggest fine went to Gammix Ltd. They were ordered to pay $21.3 million for illegal betting activities, making it the largest-ever fine issued by the Netherlands Gambling Authority.
In the United Kingdom, the UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission) saw a drop in fines compared to the previous year. In 2023, they issued gambling fines totalling £214.2 million, compared to just £6.6 million in 2024.
Gamesys Operations Limited was ordered to pay the heaviest fine of £6 million due to social responsibility and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) failings.
A breakdown of which countries paid the most fines
Here is a quick breakdown of the countries that issued the most fines to online gambling companies, starting with the smallest and finishing with the largest total value of fines:
- Canada (Ontario): $21,483 (€20,652/£16,969)
- Italy: $1.4 million (€1.3 million/£1.1 million)
- Finland: $3 million (€2.9 million/£2.4 million)
- United Kingdom: $8.4 million (€8 million/£6.6 million)
- United States: $9.4 million (€9 million/£7.3 million)
- Sweden: $11.5 million (€11 million/£9 million)
- Netherlands: $25.7 million (€24.6 million/£20.3 million)
- Australia: $58.5 million (€56.2 million/£43.2 million)
- Spain: $69.3 million (€65.3 million/£55.3 million)
The significant reduction in fines issued to online gambling business operators over one year in many of the world’s top iGaming markets shows that the industry is better regulated than ever and that players are more protected.
Final thoughts
Anyone who is looking to play on a real money betting site to play online casino games or competitive poker, place sports bets, or take part in lotteries and bingo-style games should always stick to ones that are licensed and regulated by the main governing body in their region that oversees online gambling activities.
The legal minimum age to play on sites like this is usually just 18. However, in certain Canadian provinces, you may find that it’s 19, and in certain areas of the United States, it stands slightly higher at 21.
