Key points:
- Over 78,000 illegal gambling URLs have been flagged, with 255 websites taken down since April 2024
- Data-driven strategies and international collaboration are key components of the Commission’s efforts
- Future plans include expanding partnerships with search engines and introducing new processes to address emerging trends in illegal gambling activities
The Gambling Commission of Great Britain has outlined its approach to tackling unlicensed gambling, emphasising the importance of this initiative in preventing gambling-related crime.
Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes has detailed the Commission's strategy, which focuses on disrupting illegal operators through a combination of regulatory enforcement, collaboration with key industry partners, and increased use of data analytics.
The Commission's efforts have yielded significant results, with over 750 Cease and Desist and disruption notices issued since April, including 259 to operators and 189 to advertisers.
Additionally, the Commission has successfully referred over 78,000 URLs to Google, resulting in the removal of 50,000 search results and the takedown of 255 websites.
Collaboration plays a crucial role in the Commission's ongoing strategy. Partnerships with other regulators, operators, payment providers and internet search companies have been established to disrupt illegal operators.
The Commission is also leveraging data analytics to enhance its ability to identify and target unlicensed operators more effectively.
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Beyond this, research initiatives are underway to try and better understand consumer behaviour in the unlicensed market. This includes exploring pathways into illegal gambling and the motivations behind using unlicensed websites. These findings will inform future strategies and be incorporated into the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) for long-term monitoring.
Looking ahead, the Commission additionally plans to introduce new processes to address closed group illegal offerings and target the growing trend of prize draws and competitions.
Finally, expanded partnerships with search engines, including a new collaboration with Microsoft, hope to further enhance the Commission's ability to combat illegal gambling online going forward.
