UK Gambling Commission Boosts Enforcement Tech to Combat Illegal Online Operators

The UK Gambling Commission is retooling its enforcement teams and technology to confront increasingly sophisticated unlicensed gambling activity.

UKGC targets illegal gambling.
Listen to this news articleLISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:

In a recent briefing, the regulator said its Illegal Markets Team and Financial Intelligence Team have shifted priorities and invested in new capabilities in response to a rise in domain rotation, crypto-based gambling, AI-driven branding and decentralised distribution channels aimed at evading UK rules. The Commission described these tactics as evidence that enforcement is having an effect, forcing illegal operators to adopt more elaborate methods to reach British players.

John Pierce, the Commission’s director of enforcement and intelligence, said the authority is seeing measurable impacts from targeted interventions.

Illegal operators are rapidly adapting their tactics, using domain rotation, cloaking, and embedding gambling content in unrelated websites," Pierce said. "Some sites change their display depending on the device used, while others employ unusual advertising methods such as Google Maps to draw in users. These behaviours, while presenting new challenges, indicate that illegal operators are having to adapt their approach in response to our work and our interventions are having some impact.

John PierceUKGC director of enforcement and intelligence

Related: UKGC Concludes Consultation on Consumer Protection Rules

Expanding Data Science and Payment Intelligence Capabilities

Pierce pointed to traffic data on 160 websites the regulator had prioritised for action; after three months of reassessment, British user engagement on those sites fell by about 32%. The Commission cautioned, however, that disruption can displace demand rather than eliminate it, creating a constant need for active monitoring across the online ecosystem.

To keep pace, the regulator has invested in data science and automation to extract and analyse consumer ‘footprint’ data more rapidly. Those capabilities support secure site reviews conducted by the Illegal Markets Team, anonymized access and targeted test purchasing where legally and technically feasible. The Commission uses evidence from these reviews, particularly banking and payment details, to engage card networks such as Visa and Mastercard and to pursue transaction-level disruption.

"Test purchasing remains challenging due to identification and payment verification requirements, but it provides critical evidence; especially banking details that can be referred to Visa and Mastercard", Pierce said. He added that work is underway to extend similar lines of inquiry with payment providers including PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

More Regulation News

New Alliances with Payment and Platform Providers

The regulator has established referral pathways with major search engines that account for the vast majority of queries in Great Britain, enabling faster delisting of illegal content and early intelligence sharing. It is also broadening engagement to social media platforms including Meta, TikTok, X and YouTube to target unlawful advertising streams and influencer-led promotion.

Industry experts said the Commission’s dual focus on technical detection and financial disruption reflects a maturing enforcement model. "Strengthening analytics and cutting off the money flows are the two levers regulators can pull to make the low-cost, offshore model less attractive", said a senior analyst at a UK gambling consultancy. "If payments, app distribution and search visibility are restricted in a coordinated way, operators have to bear greater operational risk and cost, which reduces supply to consumers in this market."

The UK Gambling Commission also emphasised international cooperation. Pierce said officials are exploring joint initiatives with other regulators and financial intelligence units to address the cross-border nature of illegal gambling, noting investigative complexity when accounts and hosting are located overseas.

Implications for Players and Legal Operators

For consumers, the regulator’s approach aims to reduce exposure to unlicensed sites that operate without player protections or consumer redress. For licensed operators, the move should reinforce the commercial advantage of compliance as enforcement increasingly targets the payment rails and ad channels that sustain the illegal market.

Regulatory observers expect the Commission to continue refining its technical toolkit and deepening partnerships with card networks, payment providers and platform operators through 2025, prioritising initiatives that can be scaled quickly and sustained across jurisdictions to deliver lasting disruption.

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation

Leave a Comment

user avatar
My Name United States of America
Rating:
0.0
Your Comment

User Comments

Comments for UK Regulator Targets Crypto and AI-Driven Illegal Gambling