The UK Gambling Commission will be stepping up its efforts to regulate online gambling, as it issued a warning to bitcoin gaming operators to get the necessary licenses or face penalties. The commission stressed that regulations require gambling websites that offer services in the UK to have a license regardless of the currency it uses. “We wrote to these operators because they were either advertising gambling illegally or illegally offering gambling products to consumers or both,” said UKGC CEO Jenny Williams. “The Commission neither prohibits nor encourages bitcoin. We are interested only in ensuring the proper regulation of gambling products consumed…

The UK Gambling Commission has chosen Susan Harrison to replace Jenny Williams as CEO. Williams will step down from her role in September. According to news sources, the search for a new CEO took longer than expected. Harrison serves as a senior partner with Ofgem, the electricity and gas regulatory body. She will start work as at the UK Gambling Commission as a commissioner on September 7, 2015 before assuming the full role of CEO on October 1, 2015. Chairman Philip Graf stated “Harrison has a wealth of experience in regulation along with social and consumer policy and communications. She…

Danish national gambling regulatory body Spillemyndigheden has entered into a partnership with the UK Gambling Commission. Under the agreement, the regulatory bodies will cooperate on projects and share information related to the gambling industry. The partnership will help both bodies with their respective processes surrounding the fight against money-laundering, in addition to the ongoing protection of consumers and prevention of problem gambling. The two organisations will also collaborate on projects to boost the management of player accounts as well as the supervision of advertising in the UK and Danish markets. “The signature of this agreement with Gambling Commission pursues cooperation…

Gambling Kingz – It has taken 12 weeks for the UK Gambling Commission player funds protection decisions to be made. For players, the three month consultation period was worth the wait in order to be ensured of better guidelines to keep their funds safe. While not all operators have failed to protect player funds, there have been some that have, and because of that, the need to regulate this issue came about. The UK Gambling Commission has made the decision that player deposits must be kept segregated from other funds. This means that when players make deposits, these deposits should…

The Guardian – At least 10 illegal poker dens have been forced to close down as local authorities, backed by the Gambling Commission, have turned tough. Now, in the latest skirmish between the illegal poker world and local authorities, the council in Enfield, north London, has become the first in the UK to prosecute an illegal den operator successfully for money laundering. Ahmet Melin, 33, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, will be sentenced next month after being found guilty of five offences of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Money laundering carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment….

iGaming Business – The UK Gambling Commission has announced it is to host a series of training workshops across the country to help local councils identify and manage the siting of illegal gaming machines in their respective constituencies. Training will be provided by Westminster City Training in partnership with the Gambling Commission’s Local Authority Liaison Unit (LALU), the latter of which regularly supports UK councils and polices forces on joint operations to remove illegal gaming machines. Many of the courses, a number of which are already fully booked, will be hosted in casino premises in order to give participants first-hand…