The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed it is actively monitoring over 1,000 illegal gambling operators as part of an intensified crackdown on the unlicensed sector. The announcement came during a keynote address by UKGC CEO Andrew Rhodes at the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) Conference in Toronto last week.
Rhodes disclosed that the regulator has reported nearly 200,000 URLs to search engines, with approximately 100,000 successfully removed from search results. The tracking system allows the Commission to measure the impact of its enforcement efforts on illegal operators’ web traffic and assess how these businesses respond to having their URLs blocked.
“We can measure the impact we’ve had and we’re tracking over 1,000 illegal operators as we try to shut them down: what effect we’re having on their traffic,” Rhodes explained. “What we can see is if we can remove things from search results, we make it harder to find, so we slow them down.”
The UKGC’s strategy focuses on disrupting illegal gambling operations “upstream” by making black market sites harder to discover and more difficult to operate. The approach extends beyond simply removing individual websites, with the Commission targeting business-to-business game suppliers to restrict content flowing into the illegal market.
According to Rhodes, unlicensed Facebook lotteries represent the worst offenders, though Meta has been effective in removing their URLs when reported. A dedicated UKGC team has been working on unlicensed offshore operations for over three years with dual objectives: safeguarding children and vulnerable people, and ensuring penalties and disincentives exist for operating in the illegal market. The announcement comes amid growing concerns about the black market’s expansion in Britain.
Source of Andrew Rhodes’ Speech: Of course, our go-to place for all our gambling news is the official website or an official news source. In this case, it is the IAGR 2025 Conference keynote published on the UKGC website.
BGC Take Action Through Video Messages
The UKGC has previously surveyed British players who use black market casino sites to better understand the motivations and risks associated with unlicensed gambling. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which represents licensed operators in the UK, has also raised alarms about the threat posed by illegal gambling sites. In fact, the BGC released a Be Warned video highlighting the differences between black-market casinos, letting UK citizens know that unregulated platforms operate without player protections, age verification, or responsible gambling tools. BGC members have expressed particular concern that rising taxes and stricter regulations on licensed operators could inadvertently drive more British consumers toward illegal gambling sites.
BGC Says Restrictive Rules Hurt UK Casinos: The BGC continues to argue that overly restrictive measures make it harder for regulated operators to compete with black market alternatives that offer flashier bonuses and fewer restrictions, but no consumer protections.
UKGC Research – 99.3% of UK Gambling Site Withdrawals Clear within 48 Hours
Research by the BGC has shown that billions of pounds are staked on illegal gambling sites annually in the UK, with younger demographics particularly vulnerable to unlicensed operators that aggressively target them through social media platforms. Rhodes also addressed consumer expectations around withdrawal times during his conference speech, noting that:
- 96.3% of the 44.2 million withdrawals processed by licensed operators between June and September 2024 cleared automatically.
- A further 3.5% took 24 hours or more, with only 0.1% taking longer than 48 hours.
The UKGC views this efficiency as a competitive advantage for the regulated market over illegal sites, where withdrawals can be delayed, reduced, or fail entirely, due to obscure rules or shady casino activity.
As a result, the Gambling Commission’s enforcement strategy represents a shift toward proactive prevention rather than reactive.
How is the UKGC actively trying to Prevent Overseas Gambling?
The Commission’s enforcement strategy represents a shift toward proactive prevention rather than reactive policing. By collaborating with search engines, payment providers, and social media platforms, the UKGC aims to systematically reduce the illegal market’s visibility and operational capacity. While the removal of 100,000 URLs represents significant progress, Rhodes acknowledged that illegal operators often attempt to circumvent bans through mirror sites.
URL Removals Still Work: Rhodes still maintains that mass URL removals still substantially impact operators’ revenue streams and create ongoing operational pressure that makes illicit gambling less profitable and more challenging to sustain.
My Opinion
Just take a look at the research the UKGC performed itself – UKGC Surveys British Black Market Casino Players. There is one word in there that we believe would cut out at least half of the UK’s black-market casino scene. It’s ‘cryptocurrency’. Now, I personally love the fact that British gambling sites process withdrawals instantly, but as a British citizen, I still cannot gamble online using crypto.
The Truth From My Perspective: Until British casinos start to accept cryptocurrency, the tribe of UK players, and I know quite a few, will continue to gamble on overseas (black market sites. It’s simple. They just prefer to gamble using crypto, and most of these sites also offer instant withdrawals.
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