UKGC faults Evolution over AML, third-party failures

The UK Gambling Commission concluded Evolution’s anti‑money laundering controls and oversight of third parties were inadequate, allowing five of its games to appear on six unlicensed websites accessible to UK consumers. Evolution accepted a £4.75 million regulatory settlement.

The Commission’s licence review, published in July 2026, identified the five games across six sites run by two unlicensed operators. The review reported “large volumes of visits” by UK consumers to those sites between December 2023 and November 2024. The regulator notified Evolution in December 2024; the supplier confirmed the games were genuine and immediately geo‑blocked them while the review proceeded.

The UKGC found breaches of Licence Conditions 12.1.1 and 12.1.2. It said Evolution’s 2024 AML risk assessment did not meet the regulator’s minimum standards for assessing third‑party risk and that the company lacked appropriate policies, procedures and controls to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

The regulator also found Evolution’s policies and processes did not fully comply with the UK’s Money Laundering Regulations. Shortcomings included weak controls to monitor where games were supplied and gaps in customer due diligence that meant the company could not reliably identify when its content was available on unlicensed platforms.

Under the settlement, Evolution will pay £4.75 million and accept a new licence condition requiring an independent audit of the relevant AML and third‑party oversight policies and controls within 12 months of the review’s conclusion. The company also agreed to publish the regulator’s statement of facts and to reimburse the Commission’s investigation costs.

The Commission listed aggravating factors including financial gain from the breaches, the seriousness of the failings, prior industry warnings about illegal gambling and potential harm to the objective of protecting vulnerable people. It noted mitigating factors including Evolution’s prompt action plan after notification, full cooperation during the review and early acceptance of the failings.

The licence review states that suppliers must carry out robust third‑party checks and ongoing monitoring, and that AML frameworks must meet statutory requirements. The case follows the regulator’s continued enforcement activity aimed at preventing unlicensed gambling and protecting consumers in the regulated UK market.