New Cross‑Industry Illegal Gambling Taskforce Aims to Protect Players

_{Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross announced the launch of the Taskforce. (Image: Roger Harris via Wikimedia Commons)}

The UK government has launched a new Illegal Gambling Taskforce aimed at tackling unlicensed betting and protecting consumers in an increasingly digital market, Gambling Minister Baroness Fiona Twycross said this week.

The move is part of a broader effort to enforce existing laws, cut down on unregulated operators and ensure people who choose to gamble do so within a safe and legally licensed framework, officials said. The taskforce brings together technology firms, advertising platforms, payment providers and regulators to share information and expertise on illegal activities online.

Baroness Twycross, who represents the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as Minister for Gambling, described the initiative as a collaborative effort over the coming year. Her remarks highlight growing concern in government and industry circles about the reach of unlicensed gambling operators and the risks they pose to consumers and legitimate businesses. 

“By uniting key players across the industry, from tech companies and advertisers, to social media and payment platforms, and sharing expertise, we can make a real impact,” Twycross said, outlining the taskforce’s mission.

She added that the collective work will focus on reinforcing player protections and ensuring that “people who wish to gamble can do so safely, with the right protections in place.”

Ilegal Operators Targeting UK Consumers

The UK gambling market is one of the largest in Europe and, while regulated by the Gambling Commission, illegal operators continue to attract customers with unlicensed services that fall outside consumer protections. The Gambling Commission is the statutory authority responsible for keeping crime out of gambling and protecting vulnerable individuals.

Illegal gambling can undermine the regulated market, siphon revenue away from legitimate businesses, and expose consumers to fraud, money laundering and exploitation. Recent government efforts to strengthen enforcement include proposed powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to allow the Gambling Commission to swiftly shut down illegal websites by targeting domain names and IP addresses.

A Collaborative Enforcement Strategy

The taskforce initiative follows other regulatory steps announced by Twycross at industry events, including the implementation of a statutory gambling levy to fund research, treatment and prevention of gambling harms and new online slots stake limits aimed at safer play. 

The government and industry backers argue that coordinated action across sectors will help protect consumers, support legitimate economic activity in the gambling sector and ensure that enforcement keeps pace with technological change.

Comments on the Linkedin platform include: Danny Meijer who said: 

“If this taskforce also addresses unresolved historic harm, we can build a safer present and future with confidence, not on a rotten foundation, but on real accountability.”

Paul Buck, CEO & Founder, EPIC Global Solutions said: 

"It would be interesting to see who is on this taskforce Department for Culture, Media and Sport. A positive move."