UK Launches One-Year Taskforce to Address Illegal Online Gambling Activities
The United Kingdom has announced the formation of a new 12-month Illegal Gambling Taskforce aimed at curbing payments to unlicensed operators, reducing illegal online advertising, and enhancing enforcement cooperation across relevant agencies. UK Illegal Gambling
According to the published terms of reference, the UK government has set up a dedicated taskforce focused on addressing the harms associated with illegal gambling, especially in the online space. The group will comprise representatives from the gambling industry, technology platforms, payment providers, regulatory bodies, trade associations, and government departments.
The primary objectives of the taskforce include three key focus areas: halting payments to and from illegal operators, tackling online advertising related to illegal gambling activities, and fostering stronger collaboration between enforcement agencies. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) emphasized that the taskforce would be responsible for developing recommendations and non-legislative solutions, while operational enforcement will remain under the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission.
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The taskforce will operate through three dedicated workstreams, each addressing specific challenges outlined in its terms of reference. These are: preventing or reducing consumer payments to illegal gambling operators, managing online advertising of illegal gambling, and enhancing cooperation among agencies involved in regulating both remote and land-based illegal gambling. Each workstream will be overseen by a dedicated sub-group, which will regularly report progress to the main taskforce. These sub-groups will also be responsible for proposing recommendations relevant to their respective areas.
The scope of the taskforce is centered on implementing practical, non-legislative strategies aimed at minimizing consumer harm and restricting revenue streams to unlicensed operators. Its outputs will include recommendations, voluntary standards, and operational guidance directed at the industry, digital platforms, and payment providers. The taskforce will not possess regulatory or criminal enforcement powers; those responsibilities remain with the Gambling Commission and law enforcement agencies.
The initiative will be chaired by the Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling, with the DCMS’s Director of Sport and Gambling serving as co-chair. Membership is expected to include representatives from gambling operators, technology platforms, payment providers, the Gambling Commission, other regulators, government departments, and trade associations.
