The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has requested that licensed operators take greater responsibility in tackling the illegal market. The regulator wants industry stakeholders to ensure that third-party suppliers do not support unlicensed gambling operators. It has also raised concerns about the scale of illicit gambling advertisements and warned that the Commission cannot tackle this problem on its own.
UKGC Implores Licensed Gambling Operators to Target Suppliers and Affiliates Aiding the Unregulated Sector: Key Insights
- The UK Gambling Commission has asked stakeholders in the regulated sector to play a stronger role in eliminating black market activities by cutting ties with suppliers, facilitators and partners linked to unlicensed gambling.
- The regulator has stepped up disruption efforts in 2025. It has issued 592 Cease and Desists and reported 327,964 URLs to search engines, with 203,571 removed so far. It has also referred 839 websites for delisting and disrupted 627 sites through domain bans or geo-blocking.
- The UKGC criticised Meta over ads promoting illegal online casinos. It proposed new powers in the Crime and Policing Bill and emphasised that tackling illegal gambling will require joint action from the government, regulators and stakeholders in the regulated industry.
UKGC Calls for “Clear Blue Water” Between Legal and Illegal Markets
The UK Gambling Commission has implored that stakeholders in the regulated gambling market proactively counter the influence of black-market operators. In a press briefing at ICE Barcelona 2026 on Monday, January 19, Tim Miller, the Executive Director of the Gambling Commission, implored that the legal industry must step in to make it “commercially toxic” for suppliers, affiliates, and tech companies serving unregulated operators.
Miller told stakeholders that licensed operators in the UK cannot “have their cake and eat it” when it comes to black market risks. He said the UKGC has seen “increasing alignment between regulators and the legitimate industry” on the importance of tackling illegal gambling. Miller added that the regulator is taking proactive measures to disrupt unlicensed operations targeting customers in the United Kingdom.
Following the upcoming tax reforms in the UK, an operator exodus from the legal market was identified earlier this month. This could exacerbate the UK’s black-market problem, which is already on the rise. However, Miller is hopeful that the market will stabilise once the new tax rates take effect from April 1, 2026.
Between April and December 2025, the UKGC issued 592 Cease and Desists to advertisers and operators. The regulator also reported 327,964 URLs to search engines, with 203,571 URLs removed so far. It also referred 839 websites for delisting and disrupted 627 websites through domain bans or geo-blocking.
Miller warned that industry decisions can unintentionally increase the threat posed by illegal gambling services. He emphasised the need for clear distinctions between the regulated and unlicensed markets.
Miller stated:
If we want consumers to make well-informed choices and, if not experiencing harm, remain in the licensed market, then there needs to be clear blue water between that and the unlicensed space.
Miller argued the dividing line is being blurred by firms that work with regulated operators while also serving illegal competitors. He explained that suppliers should be deterred from supporting unlicensed operators even if this increases costs in the short term.
Milled continued:
But at the moment, the dividing line is being muddied by those who want to be a part of supplying legitimate, regulated operators, yet are either indifferent to whether they also facilitate the illegal market or are actively seeking to play both sides. Gambling regulators across the world are increasingly identifying suppliers, affiliates, advertisers, tech companies and others that work with licensed operators but who are also providing the same services to the illegal market.
UKGC Criticises Meta, Outlines Funding Boost and New Legal Powers Against Illegal Gambling
Miller also addressed concerns about illegal gambling advertisements appearing on Meta-owned platforms. He said campaigns promoting unlicensed online casinos with the message ‘not on GamStop’ are rampant throughout Facebook and Instagram. This signage targets consumers who have self-excluded through GamStop.
Meta introduced several ad restrictions last year to comply with evolving online casino regulations globally. The UKGC has been in contact with Meta regarding the issue, but Miller said that progress has been limited and further action is needed. He emphasised that the current approach risks the impression that the company is willing to profit from harmful advertising until forced to act.
Miller stated:
Their suggestion was that we should deploy AI tools ourselves to monitor and find these ads and then report them. I would be very surprised if Meta, as one of the world’s largest tech companies, is incapable of proactively using their own keyword facility to prevent the advertising of illegal gambling.
Miller said the UKGC’s recent additional £26 million (approximately €30 million) in government funding, announced in November’s budget, “recognises the success” the regulator is starting to have in combating illegal gambling. He also highlighted the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords.
Miller said the bill would allow the UKGC “to obtain orders to suspend internet protocol – or IP – addresses and internet domain names linked to illegal gambling” when enacted. Miller revealed that a wider initiative to address black market gambling is also under development.
He noted that success in the long run will require cooperation among the government, regulators, international partners and the industry to address illegal gambling through regulation, technology, enforcement and commercial pressure. The UKGC has already taken proactive measures, including signing a follow-up Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dutch gambling regulator, to improve cross-border cooperation.
Miller said the industry must work to stop suppliers and other firms benefiting from legal markets while supporting illegal operators.
The Director explained:
It’s also worth remembering that the Commission alone won’t be able to solve the challenge of illegal gambling. No one actor in this space can win this battle alone – we need to work together. The government, regulators and industry should no longer tolerate anyone having a foot in both camps. It’s time to work together. It’s time to force them to pick a side.