UK Gambling Commission Tackles Black Market Gambling
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced the start of a study focused on the country’s black-market gambling sector.
UK flags in front of Big Ben. UKGC Takes on illegal gambling industry.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The study aims to gain insight into unlicensed gambling in order to help refine and improve regulations.
To mark the start of the study, Andrew Rhodes, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission’s chief executive, has outlined the progress the UKGC has made, as well as the ongoing challenges it faces. He wrote about the Commission’s continuous efforts to curb illegal gambling activities and prevent access to unregulated services. Over recent years, the GC has ramped up its resources dedicated to combating unlawful gambling.
Rhodes mentioned initiatives undertaken by the UKGGC since April, which include issuing over 750 cease-and-desist and disruption notices. This figure consisted of 189 notices to advertisers and 259 cease-and-desist letters to operators. To strengthen its efforts, the UKGC worked closely with licensed operators, other regulatory bodies, and partners like internet service providers and financial institutions.
Nearly 80,000 Illegal Gambling URLs Reported
One of the Commission’s notable achievements was referring more than 78,000 illegal gambling URLs to Google, leading to the removal of 50,000 of them. Additionally, 255 unlicensed gambling websites were taken down.
We are committed to making it difficult to provide illegal gambling at scale to consumers in Great Britain. Over the last couple of years at the Commission we have increased the resources we dedicate to tackling it.
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Avoiding Unintended Outcomes of Regulatory Changes
Rhodes also addressed potential challenges linked to changes in the country’s gambling regulations. He warned that while adjustments to the legal framework could impact channelization rates for licensed operators, this should not deter authorities from implementing necessary reforms. Effective solutions should focus on safeguarding consumers and tackling genuine problems. Rhodes added that it is essential to ensure these changes do not inadvertently drive more players towards unlicensed operators.
He went on to say that cracking down on illegal gambling is vital to minimizing harm, and he referenced research showing that some unlicensed operators specifically target self-excluded individuals in order to give them a way to return to gambling.
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