The UKGC has unveiled its black-market strategy with the immediate target being unregulated prize draws and competitions. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

UKGC on war footing

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fired a warning shot at unregulated gambling markets ahead of its announcement that it will publish its report on the black market sector in the spring of 2025. 

UKGC CEO Andrew Rhodes revealed the UK government’s gambling regulator is mustering multiple forces to tackle the black market with the immediate target being unregulated “prize draws and competitions.”

Ahead of its 2025 report, the UKGC has published a new “evidence-led” methodology paper outlining its strategy to identify and take down unlicensed online gambling operators.

introduction of a new cease-and-desist process”

According to reports, “a key development will be the introduction of a new cease-and-desist process” aimed at firms offering illegal prize draws and competitions. This is an area of prime concern for UK government agencies, including HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency.

Regulator on a roll

The UKGC CEO on Monday asserted the regulator will uphold its “corporate strategy to increase investment, resources, and capacity to tackle illegal gambling,” which the UK government views as an economic threat and a crime impacting society.

As such, the body has set out its priorities for 2025, which include improving its processes to combat illegal markets more effectively. 

“We are committed to making it difficult to provide illegal gambling at scale to consumers in Great Britain,” Rhodes stated. Central to the UKGC’s 2025 strategy is data-driven action and collaboration. 

“The partnerships we’ve built with international regulators, technology partners, and search engines are already delivering results, and we’re determined to keep up this momentum,” Rhodes emphasized. 

The results Rhodes is talking about is recent victories the regulator has enjoyed against unlicensed operators via blocking URLs, denying payments, and making illegal online sites inaccessible.

255 websites taken down

According to the Commission, collaboration with technology partners, international regulators, and other parties has seen it issue over 750 cease-and-desist notices. In addition, more than 78,000 URLs have been flagged up and removed by Google and Microsoft, with 255 websites taken down.

Tech giants on board

“By using data analytics to improve our enforcement efforts, we’re not just reacting to the problem, but proactively targeting illegal operators,” Rhodes said.

According to media reports, the UKGC has built on its successful collaboration with Google by developing a working relationship with Microsoft and its platforms, such as Yahoo Finance and Bing, to remove black market gambling content from search results.

The Commission added that it will up its engagement with enforcement bodies like the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and strengthen links with payment providers “to disrupt illegal transactions.”

The UKGC will also commission research into discovering why some bettors use unregulated operators and what motivates their choices.