UKGC Tightens Oversight of Adult Gaming Centres as Funding Boost Targets Illegal Gambling
The UK Gambling Commission has stepped up enforcement of Adult Gaming Centres and welcomed new Treasury funding to bolster its fight against illegal gambling.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Speaking at the Bacta Annual Convention in Leeds, UK Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes confirmed that the regulator intensified scrutiny of Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) during 2025 after finding repeated failures to respect self-exclusion requirements. "We wrote to all adult gaming centre licence holders earlier this year to remind them of their responsibilities on self-exclusion", Rhodes said. "Where operators have not acted, we have taken firm and immediate action."
Rhodes revealed that seven AGC operators had their operating licences suspended this year for failing to operate self-exclusion schemes effectively. Most licences were reinstated once the firms demonstrated remedial steps, but all seven remain under active investigation and could face further sanctions. The Commission’s intervention follows media coverage, including an undercover BBC probe in June, which suggested a self-excluded person was able to enter multiple venues in the south of England – an outcome Rhodes said risked portraying the whole sector unfairly.
br>"It is important to recognise that a single case can sometimes dominate public perception. That is why clear regulatory standards and enforcement are essential – not only to protect vulnerable customers but to sustain confidence in the licensed sector.
The Commission has signalled that inspections and compliance monitoring of land-based venues will continue to be a priority through 2025.
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Funding Increase to Support Crackdown on Illegal Activity
Rhodes also outlined how additional Treasury funding will be used to enhance enforcement. Following the 25 November Budget, the Commission received an extra GBP 26 million over three years, a sum Rhodes described as unprecedented in his two decades on public-sector boards. "In my 20 years on executive boards of public bodies, I have never encountered this level of support from the Treasury", he said.
<The regulator plans to deploy the money to intensify efforts against illegal land-based gambling and to strengthen its broader enforcement architecture. Rhodes said the UK Gambling Commission has already been expanding its activity against unlicensed services online and was monitoring more than 1,000 illegal gambling sites, a figure the Commission disclosed at the International Association of Gaming Regulators conference in Toronto last month.
Despite heightened enforcement activity, the Commission’s own analysis indicates there is no clear, sustained growth in the illegal gambling market, even though the second half of 2024 saw increased detection and complaints. The new funding will be used to convert that detection into enforcement outcomes on the ground: more targeted investigations, larger-scale venue inspections and closer co-operation with local authorities and law enforcement.
Industry reaction has been measured. Operators represented at the Leeds event welcomed clarity on enforcement expectations but warned that smaller AGC businesses need time and resources to meet tighter compliance regimes. Rhodes said the Commission would continue engagement with trade bodies to ensure guidance is practical and enforceable.
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Operator Compliance Expectations
For AGC operators, the message is straightforward: self-exclusion systems must work reliably, and staff must be trained to enforce them. The Commission is signalling a move from advisory letters to tangible regulatory consequences where failings persist.
For consumers and local authorities, the additional funding and stepped-up scrutiny are intended to provide greater protection and to reduce the space in which unlicensed operators can operate. The UKGC’s next public update on its enforcement activity is expected in its annual report and will be watched closely by operators, trade bodies and campaigners for evidence that the new resources are producing concrete results.
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