Leeds’ Victoria Gate Casino reopens after rigorous AML adjustments

The licence suspension of the Leeds Victoria Gate Casino (VGC) has been lifted by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

In a new update to the previous development that saw the doors of VGC temporarily closed due to an ongoing investigation into concerns that the casino is not eligible to conduct its anti-money laundering (AML) responsibilities, the UKGC has now decided to revert its decision.

According to the 25 November update, the operator’s close collaboration with the regulator during the review has led to VGC taking rigorous measures to strengthen its social responsibility and AML safeguards in place.

Not falling into too much detail, the UKGC stated that Victoria Gate Casino has made “widespread changes” to its casino leadership and compliance supervision. Additionally, the operator was also confirmed to have adopted improved safer gambling policies and more efficient AML employee training – on top of agreeing to an independent audit within six weeks.

“During the course of the ongoing review, the Commission will continue to monitor the operator closely to ensure full and sustained compliance with the Licensing requirements is achieved.,” the UKGC further said.

The casino’s licence was first suspended at the end of October, with no further details provided by the Commission except that the decision was taken on the grounds of a “significant and a serious threat to the licensing objectives, in particular keeping crime out of gambling”.

At the time of the suspension, SBC News reached out to Leeds City Council in an attempt to understand more about the matter.

A spokesperson for the Council did respond, saying that they’ve been made aware of the licence suspension, adding that answering any further queries do not fall under their remit but under the UKGC’s instead.

It marked the continued efforts of the Commission when it comes to enforcing compliance in recent years, having issued record penalties to Entain in 2022 (£17m) and William Hill in 2023 (£19m). A more recent occurrence saw Unibet penalised £10m for similar licensing breaches.