William Hill laments Mr Green failings in Sweden

William Hill has issued a response expressing its disappointment after the Swedish gambling regulator issued fines totalling €3.1m.

Sweden.- William Hill has issued a statement after its flagship European subsidiary Mr Green was fined SEK 30m (€3.1m) by the Swedish gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, this week.

The two fines of SEK30m and SEK1.5m were issued as a result of responsible gambling, anti-money laundering and know-your-customer failings between January 1 2019 to June 1 2020. An investigation found that 15 customers may have laundered money, while five customers who had shown signs of problem gambling had not been contacted.

Mr Green responded that some customers suspected of money laundering had not been identified due to technical problems with a new detection system that had failed to issue warnings over high-risk customers. It said the new automated system had identified a larger number of customers than expected and had placed customers in a queue according to level of risk, resulting in delays. 

It added that it was now using a better case management system to help perform risk assessments and that it has increased its number of money laundering investigators to manage the increase.

Patrick Jonker, managing director of William Hill International and Mr Green, said in a statement: “Player protection has always been a priority for Mr Green. We are disappointed by the findings as we always seek to operate in full compliance with regulations,” read a statement made by

“The gaps noted by the Swedish authority were in relation to Mr Green’s procedures required under the duty of care, and the handling times relating to AML. “Since this was identified, Mr Green has invested significant time and resources addressing the issues raised in the investigation, which Spelinspektionen has acknowledged in their findings.”

Last Month, Spelinspektionen warned three companies for breaching guidance on the information that operators must display on their websites. Meanwhile, a survey suggested a rise in the use of unlicensed gaming sites in Sweden.