UKGC secures £26m to step up crackdown on illegal gambling across Great Britain

The UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) strengthened enforcement agenda took clearer shape on 27 November 2025, when CEO Andrew Rhodes used his speech at the BACTA Annual Convention to outline how newly approved government funding will markedly expand the regulator’s capacity to act against illegal gambling across Great Britain.

Rhodes described the Budget settlement as “the first time in many years” that a fiscal decision has materially changed the Commission’s operational possibilities. The additional £26 million over three years—a nine-fold increase specifically designated to tackle illegal gambling—was presented by Rhodes as unprecedented in his 20 years of public-sector experience. He stressed that this investment signals a direct governmental commitment to strengthening oversight of the land-based sector, which he argued continues to face risks from illicit operators.

In his address, Rhodes offered updated figures from the Commission’s latest reporting period. For the year ending 31 March 2025, the regulated market produced £16.8 billion in Gross Gambling Yield (GGY), with £4.8 billion generated by physical venues such as casinos, bingo halls, arcades and betting shops. Across Great Britain, 8,234 licensed premises were recorded. Rhodes noted that while betting shops (5,825 locations) remain dominant, the land-based sector shows slight contraction, including a drop of 36 Adult Gaming Centres and a small decline in the number of licensed operators.

According to Rhodes, these figures reinforce the sector’s continued significance while underscoring why illegal venues pose a threat to consumer protection and to compliant businesses. Throughout the speech, he emphasised that the Commission had been “somewhat limited by its own resources”, particularly in conducting inspections and intervening against unlawful activity. The new funding, he said, will allow the UKGC to “do much more in the land-based space” through expanded monitoring, increased disruption efforts and more decisive actions where licensing breaches occur.

Rhodes also referenced several recent enforcement cases involving failures in self-exclusion protocols and other mandatory controls, positioning them as evidence of the regulator’s ongoing focus. He insisted that enhanced capacity is not about dramatically increasing sanctions but about ensuring that licensed operators can compete fairly while maintaining safety and compliance standards expected by the public.

With the reinforced budget, the UKGC plans to adopt a more proactive enforcement model—one Rhodes said will deliver clearer expectations and stronger deterrence against illegal activity. He concluded that the Commission’s overarching aim is to secure a “level and safe marketplace” where legitimate operators can function with confidence and illegal venues face meaningful, consistent disruption.