Corbett Bookmakers fined £686,070 for AML and safer gambling failures

Serious gaps in retail betting oversight

Corbett Bookmakers operates 36 locations across the UK, including racecourse betting pitches. According to the Gambling Commission, the company did not intervene in several high-risk customer cases.

One customer bet £23,674 over 13 days without being flagged as at risk. Another placed 56 bets in four hours and lost £3,523. Staff did not respond adequately.

A third player wagered £47,416 across 10 weeks and lost £6,741, again with no meaningful interaction.

Weak anti-money laundering controls

The regulator also found major AML issues. Corbett set high financial thresholds that allowed some customers to avoid standard checks. In one case, a customer lost £14,000 after betting £47,000 in eight months. The operator did not verify their identity or source of funds.

The Commission criticized Corbett’s risk assessment. It failed to address key areas, such as customer behavior, payment methods, and geographic risk.

The regulator said the company did not take a “sufficiently risk-based” approach to AML and terrorist financing.

Audit required within a year

As part of the enforcement action, Corbett must undergo a third-party audit. The review will cover its AML and safer gambling policies, procedures, and controls. The operator has 12 months to complete the process.

John Pierce, Director of Enforcement at the Gambling Commission, said:

“Corbett has failed to adhere to vital regulations designed to make gambling safer and free from criminal activity. As a result, it will not only pay a significant fine but also undergo a rigorous audit to ensure full compliance with anti-money laundering and safer gambling measures.”

He added:

“In addition to remedial actions already taken, we expect the operator to swiftly and fully implement the audit recommendations, demonstrating clear and measurable improvements in both policy and practice. Failure to do so will prompt our compliance team to reassess the situation and take further action as necessary. All operators should carefully consider this case and the price this operator is now paying.”

Broader pattern of enforcement

The Gambling Commission recently fined AG Communications £1.4 million for similar violations. The company failed to act when customers lost large sums in short periods.

It also allowed previously self-excluded players to open new accounts.

One player lost £6,000 in 48 hours. The operator only intervened after the player hit a £5,000 daily loss limit.

Another customer lost £7,000 in four hours due to a system error that removed safety limits. A manual review failed to catch the problem. In a separate case, a self-excluded individual opened multiple accounts.