UK Gambling Commission Targets Illegal Operators' Finances

The Gambling Commission is expanding its enforcement strategy against illegal gambling in Great Britain, placing greater emphasis on tracing financial flows and targeting the money, assets and commercial structures behind unlicensed operators. The regulator outlined the approach at the beginning of the first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, taking place from 9 to 13 November 2026.

As part of the expanded strategy, the Commission revealed that it has referred more than £40 million in suspected criminal funds to partner agencies since January, with the aim of supporting potential asset-freezing measures. The initiative moves enforcement beyond the removal of individual websites towards disrupting the wider operations of illegal gambling businesses.

The regulator presented its plans to UK industry representatives at its CEO Briefing in London last week and discussed the approach with international counterparts during last month's International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) Conference.

Sue Young, Executive Director of Operations at the Gambling Commission, said: “If you run an illegal gambling operation, we are coming after you, your business and your money. We’ve already shown we can take down and disrupt individual websites and now we’re going further.

“That means us interfering with illegal operators’ whole business models, disrupting their payments, hindering their advertising and stopping them from obtaining the games and sportsbooks they so heavily rely on.”

Young also highlighted the financial enforcement measures already undertaken by the regulator.

“Since January we have already referred over £40 million of suspected criminal funds to partner agencies for potential asset freezing as well as continuing to work with law enforcement agencies to seize cash at illegal land-based gambling operations. By widening the net and focusing beyond removing websites our mission is to hit illegal operators on all sides.”

The Commission said its broader enforcement programme is intended to strengthen consumer protection, support businesses operating under licences and address criminal activity associated with unlicensed gambling.

Its enforcement figures for the 2026/27 period to date include more than 1,000 cease-and-desist notices issued to illegal operators, 7.8 million URLs submitted to search engines and over three million URLs removed from search results. The regulator has also referred more than 2,200 websites for disruption measures.

The volume of URL referrals increased sharply between the first two quarters, rising from 147,721 in Q1 to 7.7 million in Q2, representing growth of more than 5,000%.

The enforcement announcement coincides with the launch of Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, an international initiative organised by IAGR. Running from 9 to 13 November, the campaign aims to increase understanding of the dangers associated with illegal gambling and encourage closer cooperation between regulators, industry stakeholders and law enforcement agencies.

The Gambling Commission is supporting the initiative by drawing attention to the potential harm illegal gambling can cause to consumers and the wider industry, particularly through operators targeting people in Great Britain. Further information is available through the official Illegal Gambling Awareness Week campaign page.

The regulator also confirmed that its cooperation with law enforcement, gambling businesses, technology providers and financial institutions will continue. Areas of focus include intelligence exchange, early notification of suspicious activity, sharing data and evidence, strategic cooperation and consumer protection.

The campaign follows the Commission's publication of new Gambling Survey for Great Britain findings and an updated illegal gambling dashboard last week. The regulator said both resources provide additional evidence to inform its enforcement work.