UKGC: no spike in complaints about illegal gambling websites during lockdown

New data released Tuesday by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) shows there has been no increase in the number of complaints about illegal gambling websites during UK Covid-19 lockdown. 

The data shows that since 23 March there has been no spike in reports to the Gambling Commission – with a total of 12 complaints about nine sites in March, and 11 complaints surrounding 11 sites during April. The number of reports has been stable over the past 12 months.

New data released today shows that there has been no increase in the number of complaints about illegal gambling websites during Britain’s Covid-19 lockdown. Read more: https://t.co/Fgykq3Iiny pic.twitter.com/kewOjXarOn

— Gambling Commission (@GamRegGB) May 19, 2020

The UKGC has a team of specialists who monitor reports of illegal gambling and who then use a variety of tools to combat illegal websites and ensure that they are not offering services to British consumers. The regulator also works with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to educate the industry and the public about the risks of illegal activity.

Richard Watson, Gambling Commission Executive Director, said: “Our data does not indicate there has been an increase in any illegal gambling in Britain during the Covid-19 crisis. It is an area we monitor carefully and where we find problems we use our broad range of investigatory powers, alongside stakeholders such as software providers, payment businesses and hosting companies.”

“Tackling illegal websites and unlicensed operators is challenging and it is also resource intensive, but we are committed to continuing our work in this area to protect consumers here in Britain,” Watson concluded.