Davide Celestino
Financial Crime Analyst
Birkirkara
Summary
- Financial Crime & AML: Investigate suspicious activity reports (SARs) and conduct enhanced due diligence (EDD) on high-risk customers, ensuring compliance with AML regulations.
- Customer Protection and Safer Gambling: Managed and implemented customer protection policies, demonstrating a deep commitment to regulatory compliance and ethical business practices.
- Training & Development: Delivered training programs on Customer Protection to educate internal teams and strengthen the company's compliance culture.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
2
2
Languages
Work History
Financial Crime Analyst
Pokerstars
08.2024 - Current
- Financial Crime secondment from the 1st of January 2024 until the 30th of June 2024.
- Financial Crime Agent since the 1st of August 2024 - Present.
- Compile and deliver Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) to authorities and escalations with clear reports and recommendations.
- Screening alert reviews and conducting understanding of different types of customers. Ability to analyse information and identify potential risks. Understanding of FinScan, how it works, and how to interpret the results by applying clear and concise information.
- Collate and respond to court orders and law enforcement requests for information. Work with senior managers in the team ensuring the efficiency of tasks and responsibilities.
- Case escalations analysing information, identifying potential risks and developing effective solutions, effective communication with relevant stakeholders. Conduct customer profiling and enhanced due diligence (EDD).
- PEP and Sanctions reviewer: understanding of PEP status, e.g. occupation, family connection, and political affiliation. Strong research skills to be able to locate relevant information. Analysing information and identifying potential risks. PEP review includes clear and concise information.
Safer Gambling Specialist
Pokerstars
07.2019 - 08.2024
- Handle player accounts based on internal alerts, alongside escalations from other departments.
- Handle incoming contacts from customer's looking to discuss their restrictions or remove self-exclusion, using our Safer Gambling framework for open and productive conversations.
- Proactive risk/affordability assessment in vulnerable customer cases, deposit level increase before receiving financial documentation. Review Source of Wealth and Source of Funds documents to apply affordable deposit limits.
- Point of Contact for internal team colleagues and other departments.
- Actively contributing to the continuous improvement of Responsible Gaming processes and systems.
- Completed a comprehensive Train the Trainer workshop to enhance training delivery and facilitation skills.
- Provided training and support about Customer Protection in the Malta office and conducted on-site training sessions for two weeks in the USA office, enhancing the skills and knowledge of local teams.
- Assigned to the Financial Crime Department for six months, from the 1st of January until the 30th of June 2024, to expand my knowledge and skills in financial crime prevention and compliance: Investigate suspicious reports across all our licenses, drafting and submitting suspicion reports SAR to the relevant authorities across all our licenses.
- From the 15th of January until the 26th of July 2019 Fraud, Risk and Payment Specialist in Pokerstars: investigating customer transactions to identify fraudulent activities such as account take-over, hacked account review, bonus abuse, MAA, fraud ring alerts, credit card fraud, underage account, verification of withdrawal request by checking where the initial funds/deposit come from, and if the player wagered all the amounts to prevent Money Laundering or Bonus abuse.
Fraud & Payment Analyst
Pokerstars
01.2018 - 07.2019
- Verifying KYC documentation, processing real-money transactions, and actioning internal system alerts generated by our customers' activities.
- Analyse and understand fraudulent customers behaviour and perform risk assessments on our customers' accounts to ensure that the players use our platform solely for its main purpose: entertainment.
- Analyse customer's transactions across a variety of payment methods, and provide accurate risk assessment to mitigate possible red flags.
- Work with senior managers in the team ensuring the efficiency of tasks and responsibilities.
Fraud Analyst
Join Games
05.2017 - 12.2017
- Investigate and resolve potential occurrences of collusion, multi-accounting, or prohibited software use.
- Verification of withdrawal requests to identify fraudulent activity such as chip dumping during cash games or tournaments.
- Monitoring player activity and reviewing the gameplay for signs of collusion, use of BOTs, or passing of funds and other prohibited acts.
- Review and analyze suspicious gaming activities.
Casino Inspector
Dragonara Casino
12.2011 - 12.2017
- Monitor game operations to ensure that house rules are followed.
- Observe gamblers' behavior for signs of cheating such as marking, switching, or counting cards.
- Resolve customer complaints.
- Check live payout.
- Occasionally dealing at different tables such Roulette, BlackJack, Poker.
Croupier/Cashier
Grosvenor Casino
11.2008 - 10.2011
- Welcome players and explain the rules of the game, if asked.
- Make sure players follow the rules.
- Be alert for any cheating, or for gamblers who may have a serious addiction.
- Deal with any complaints.
- Expected to work quickly, observed by an inspector, who ensures games are run under guidelines set out by the Gambling Commission.
- Create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at their tables.
- As a Cashier: Counting and handling cash, processing payments, and issuing receipts.
- Handle paperwork when summarizing daily transactions, or balancing books and cash drawers.
- Conduct prior working business dates by counting all the cash dropped in the different tables and close the financial day.
Croupier/Cashier
Costa Cruise ships
06.2007 - 09.2008
- Run the games in casinos and make sure that the games take place in a friendly and fair manner.
- Handling cash transactions.
- Maintain clean and tidy checkout areas.
Customer Service Specialist
Vodafone
07.2001 - 07.2006
- Handle and process inbound/Outbound calls.
- Handle and process Emails/Chats/SMS/Social Media inquiries.
- Promote offers and services to customer's.
Receptionist
European School of Economics
08.1998 - 06.2001
- Answering customer's inquiries about the company and its products or service.
- Handing out email.
- Answering incoming calls.
Education
Award in Management and Leadership -
Lead Training Services
08.2024
No Degree - ICA Certificate in ML Risk in Betting And Gaming
ICA International Compliance Association
04.2001 -
Skills
- Organisational Communication
- Assertive communication
- Team building
- Analytical Thinking
- Decision-Making
- Empathy
- Adaptability / Flexibility
- Strong Work Ethic
- Mentoring
Summary - Objective
As a dedicated and experienced professional in the responsible gaming, Customer Protection and lately Financial Crime AML agent, I bring over 7 years of expertise in implementing and managing responsible gaming programs that prioritize player safety and well-being. Additionally, my expertise lies even in addressing Customer Protection training and having a good knowledge of Fraud and Financial Crime anti-money laundering.
Personal Information
- Date of Birth: 1975-11-03
- Nationality: Italian
Timeline
Financial Crime Analyst
Pokerstars
08.2024 - Current
Safer Gambling Specialist
Pokerstars
07.2019 - 08.2024
Fraud & Payment Analyst
Pokerstars
01.2018 - 07.2019
Fraud Analyst
Join Games
05.2017 - 12.2017
Casino Inspector
Dragonara Casino
12.2011 - 12.2017
Croupier/Cashier
Grosvenor Casino
11.2008 - 10.2011
Croupier/Cashier
Costa Cruise ships
06.2007 - 09.2008
Customer Service Specialist
Vodafone
07.2001 - 07.2006
No Degree - ICA Certificate in ML Risk in Betting And Gaming
ICA International Compliance Association
04.2001 -
Receptionist
European School of Economics
08.1998 - 06.2001
Award in Management and Leadership -
Lead Training Services
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