UK Gambling Commission suspends Targetlocal Ltd’s remote licence over AML failings

Targetlocal Ltd has had its combined remote operating licence suspended immediately by the UK Gambling Commission after regulatory enquiries found anti-money laundering failings. For high-risk PSPs, the important bit is simple: the action hits the company’s online gambling business, while its non-remote betting licence remains active.

1. The suspension was announced on 21 September 2026 and applies to operating licence number 000422-R-336567-002. The UK Gambling Commission has also opened a formal review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005, and the suspension took effect immediately while that review continues.
2. The licence in question is a combined remote operating licence covering online casino, general betting on real events and betting on virtual events. In other words, this is the online side of the house — gambling supplied remotely — not the land-based business.
3. The Commission’s public register separately shows Targetlocal Ltd’s non-remote general betting standard licence as active. The regulator also said the suspension does not affect that non-remote permission, so the practical impact is confined to the company’s remote operations.
4. The operator trades as Ken Howell’s Sports Betting and runs through kenhowells.com. The licence register also lists kenhowells.com among the registered domain names, which ties the trading name, company and online domain together without any guesswork.
5. The regulator’s statement says the review follows enquiries that revealed anti-money laundering failings. It does not say Targetlocal Ltd has been convicted of a criminal offence, and it does not announce a final regulatory penalty; the review is ongoing and the Commission has not given a final outcome.

For PSPs and acquirers, the usual lesson applies: a remote licence suspension in the UK is not just a compliance headline. It can mean an immediate stop on online gambling processing for the affected MID and a need to separate remote from non-remote permissions before anyone starts making assumptions about the merchant’s full business.