GC suspends BresBet and Bet St George licences after AML and social responsibility concerns

The Gambling Commission has suspended the operating licences of BresBet Ltd and Bet St George Ltd with immediate effect on 28 August 2026, after opening formal licence reviews under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005. For high-risk operators and their payment providers, the useful bit is not the headline sanction itself, but the Commission’s repeated focus on operator-side AML and social responsibility controls.

1. The GC said the suspensions followed initial enquiries that flagged potential regulatory shortcomings at bresbet.com and betstgeorge.com. The regulator cited suspected failures in social responsibility protocols and anti-money laundering (AML) controls.
2. The suspensions will stay in place until the operators address the compliance issues to the Commission’s satisfaction. In the meantime, both companies have been told to keep treating customers fairly and to keep consumers informed about any developments affecting them.
3. Customers will retain access to their accounts, including the ability to withdraw funds, and both sites remain contactable through their respective platforms. That matters operationally: a suspended licence does not automatically mean an immediate freeze on customer access.
4. BresBet has operated in the UK since 2021. Bet St George entered the UK market earlier this year, and the suspension landed six months after launch. Nic Brereton serves as director for both brands, which also share an office block.
5. Sarah Laycock, who had been managing director for BresBet since 2025, resigned earlier this month and also resigned from Bet St George on the same day. Brereton resigned from BresBet in 2021 but was reappointed in 2023.

The timing fits the GC’s own recent anti-money laundering and terrorist financing report, which said operator-side failings remained a major contributor to money laundering risks. The regulator pointed to deficient AML/CTF policies and controls, poorly trained personnel, improper or inadequate AML thresholds, and weak monitoring of linked or duplicate accounts. QuinnBet was ordered to pay £609,104 ($830,501) for AML failings a couple of weeks ago.