Gambling Commission warns ProgressPlay chief executive over compliance failings

The Gambling Commission said it had completed a licence review of Itai Loewenstein’s Personal Management Licence and determined that he had breached paragraph 1 of the general conditions attached to personal licences under section 75 of the Gambling Act 2005. As a result, the Commission issued him with a warning under section 117(1)(a) of the Act.

The Commission said Mr Loewenstein held the licence while acting as chief executive officer of ProgressPlay Limited, with responsibility for the overall management and direction of the business. It said he had failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure the company complied with licence conditions covering the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, including requirements for operators based in foreign jurisdictions to comply with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information of the Payer) Regulations 2017.

The Commission also said he had failed to ensure compliance with parts of Social Responsibility Code Provision 3.4.3, which require licensees to implement effective customer interaction systems that minimise the risk of gambling-related harm, to monitor customer activity from the point an account is opened, to tailor action according to the number and level of harm indicators shown, and to assess the impact of individual interactions on a customer’s behaviour and ongoing risk of harm.

The Commission said Mr Loewenstein had been open and transparent throughout its engagement with him. It added that he had accepted the shortcomings in his oversight and had shown understanding and insight into the issues that gave rise to the review.

The outcome of the review is recorded as a warning, and the Commission confirmed that details of the sanction have been added to the public register.