EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority opens consultation on gambling risk supervision
The AMLA’s proposed new Regulatory Technical Standards that will apply to gambling operators as well as several other sectors.
Germany.- The European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has invited licensed gambling operators in the bloc to contribute to a new consultation on risk profiling and risk-based supervision. Running until September 27, the consultation focuses on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) that will apply to gambling operators as well as several other sectors.
The RTS define how supervisory bodies assess the AML and terrorist financing risks of obligated entities operating in the non-financial sector. That includes both online and retail gambling operators as well as areas like real estate financing, the online sale of luxury goods, art and antiques and legal advisory payments.
Explaining the purpose of the consultation, AMLA recognises that supervisory obligations designed for banks cannot simply be applied to non-financial industries. Instead, it acknowledges that sector-specific rules are needed to avoid disproportionate compliance burdens.
As such, it saw feedback from stakeholders as essential to refine its risk assessment methodology. It highlighted potential issues such as proportional reporting requirements, the treatment of smaller businesses and the costs of implementation.
The AMLA was established this year with the objective of strengthening cooperation among EU member states in tackling money laundering and financial crime. Although gambling licences remain under national jurisdiction, AMLA’s consultation represents a collective effort to reshape supervision of Europe’s gambling industry as part of a push for stronger oversight of high-risk sectors. The authority has a mandate to develop harmonised RTS and supervisory guidelines, enabling national regulators to apply anti-money-laundering rules consistently through shared risk-based principles.
Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has urged its licensed operators to participate. It noted that the draft RTS “will form the basis for the supervisory authorities’ work on risk classification and supervision,” with further consultations expected later in the year.
