UK Gambling Commission outlines details about its Illegal Gambling Taskforce

• The UK gambling watchdog has announced a new taskforce focusing on fighting back against the black market
• The fittingly called Illegal Gambling Taskforce will seek cross-agency collaboration to strengthen its enforcement resources
• The taskforce will now itself to direct or intervene in operational matters performed by the regulator, but rather look for solutions to existing issues

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is stepping up its efforts against illegal gambling across the board, with the regulator now paying closer attention to black market operators, which have continued to gain ground in the country, as per a recent report by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

Gambling Commission serious about tackling illegal gambling - the story so far

The BGC has highlighted that the black market has grown several-fold over the past years, reaching nearly £17bn in value at a time when regulated operators face an ever-increasing litany of rules and restrictions.

To this end, the UKGC is now responding. Earlier this month, the regulator announced the creation of a Head of Illegal Gambling position, and it has now created a new and dedicated taskforce that will run over the next 12 months.

This is a full-time or part-time job within the watchdog, which will be tasked with obtaining further insight into the inner workings of illegal gambling markets, as well as seeking and establishing mechanisms to counteract operators that continue to offer their products and services without a license.

The new position has already come under fire by some industry observers, who argued that the £65,000 annual salary hardly corresponded to the seriousness of the endeavor.

A new Illegal Gambling Taskforce is detailed by the regulator

The UK’s latest efforts focus on the creation of an Illegal Gambling Taskforce, which will reunite a range of stakeholders, such as law enforcement and various gambling bodies, in a bid to crack down on the black market.

Among the key tasks ahead of the taskforce are the prevention or reduction of payments from and to illegal gambling operators, taking down online advertising of illegal gambling, and creating better coordination between different agencies, leading to better enforcement work against the illegal gambling sector.

Such cross-agency efforts may be the key to unlocking effective enforcement at a time when regulators have limited measures to actually obligate offenders to meet penalty payments.

The taskforce does not seek to direct or intervene in operational matters that the regulator itself performs, the UKGC specified in the official statement.

As it involves multiple sub-groups, these sub-groups will be allowed to determine the frequency of their meetings, but biannual taskforce meetings will be held with the regulator to update on progress.

Who is joining the taskforce, and what should they be doing?

The task force will be chaired by the Minister for Museums, Heritage, and Gambling, and will draw from a large pool of experts, including tech platform and payment providers insiders, and gambling industry figureheads, consultants, and specialists.

Participation will come with specific expectations from members, including taking a proactive role in the taskforce and contributing by participating in meetings and sub-groups as necessary.

Members will have to agree on objectives and roles in the sub-groups and may add more contributors, as well as support and deliver non-legislative solutions regarding advertising and payment services.

"Ultimately, members should come up with recommendations on how to best deliver the objectives of the taskforce," the UKGC specified.

In a recent speech, UKGC acting chief executive Sarah Gardner brought up the issue of illegal gambling, citing recent funding:

"And investment in our work to tackle illegal gambling is another important area of work. As part of that, we welcome the £26 million in new funding from the Government for our work in this space."

"That money covers the next three years, and one area it will allow us to invest in, arguably for the first time in a serious way, is addressing land-based illegal gambling," she added.

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