The UK Gambling Commission has announced its plan to tackle unlicensed gambling, especially related to online casinos. In a statement delivered by Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes, the Commission emphasised that addressing illegal gambling is essential for consumer protection and providing fair competition for licensed operators.

Illegal Operators Lure Vulnerable Individuals 

Rhodes highlighted the risks posed by the illegal gambling market, particularly to vulnerable individuals. 

"Illegal operators often target those who have been self-excluded or have had their customer relationships terminated," he said, adding that these operators frequently lure consumers back into gambling with enticing offers of products unavailable in the licensed market. 

Over the past year, the Commission has taken decisive action, issuing more than 750 cease-and-desist notices and referring over 78,000 URLs to Google.

The strategy includes collaboration with various stakeholders, spanning other regulatory bodies, reputable operators, payment service providers, and internet search engines to close down illegal operations effectively. 

"Our partnerships have yielded significant results," said Rhodes. "We are seeing a tenfold increase in URL takedowns compared to the previous year." 

Commission Aims to Target Closed Group Illegal Offerings 

The Commission also plans to establish new workflows aimed at combating closed prize draws and competitions and is enhancing its collaboration with Microsoft to extend its successful Google referral process to other Microsoft-powered search engines. 

Ongoing consumer research through the Commission’s Consumer Voice programme aims to understand the motivations and experiences of users engaging with unlicensed sites, particularly those unaware of sites’ illegitimacy. Findings from this research, expected to be published in 2025, will help inform further regulatory measures.  

The Commission continues to call on operators and stakeholders to collaborate in sharing valuable data that could assist in tackling illegal gambling operations.