Largest in History
The Isle Of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) has imposed a £3.9 million civil penalty on Celton Manx. The penalty is for extensive and systemic breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) regulations.
The fine, which is the largest documented discretionary penalty issued by the commission, follows a comprehensive AML/CTF inspection conducted in October 2024. The regulator found what it described as a “significant” number of contraventions of the Gambling (AML and CTF) Code 2019 also known as “the Code”. Many of the transgressions were found to be systemic in nature.
The failings all occurred while Celton Manx held an Isle Of Man gambling licence, which it formally surrendered in May 2025 after 17 years operation on the island.
The commission’s investigation concluded that Celton Manx had not adequately ensured its network partners met the Isle of Man’s standards. They had failed to properly monitor customer behaviour within its Network Services Model. The company also failed to carry out required risk assessments for money laundering and terrorist financing, and they neglected to implement enhanced due diligence for high-risk customers.
To top it all, investigators also found serious deficiencies in the company’s training, record-keeping, and technological risk assessment processes. The company also repeatedly failed tosubmit materials to the Financial Intelligence Unit in a timely manner.
Unprepared
The investigation raised concerns over the qualifications and preparedness of Celton Manx’s money laundering reporting officer and AML compliance officer. The fact they lacked the expertise to fulfill their role breaches the Code.
Celton Manx maintain that their investigation didn’t find evidence of money laundering or harm to customers. However the GSC ruled that the failings necessitated a financial penalty. It was originally set at £5.6 million but got reduced by 30% because Celton manx admitted fault and cooperated with the investigation.
The commission emphasised that operators must proactively assess weaknesses and vulnerabilities. They ask operators to: “not merely be reactive to such issues following inspections”.
13 companies have surrendered their online gaming licenses this year, including Celton Manx, on the island. This has contributed to a £778,000 shortfall for the GSC, which relies on licence fees to fund operations. They noted that police raids on King Gambling may have deterred new applications.
