Key Points
- Sarah Gardner highlighted a lack of resources tackling illegal gambling
- The Gambling Commission has to choose which cases to pursue
- Gardner also made a case for financial risk assessments
The Gambling Commission’s Acting Chief Executive Sarah Gardner has admitted the British regulator has not had as many resources as it would have liked to tackle illegal gambling in Great Britain.
The size of the illegal gambling market has been in focus in the UK in recent times. Industry trade body the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has often warned of players being pushed to the black market as a result of increased taxation, which could impact operators’ budgets for marketing and bonuses.
According to a report from Fincord Intelligence, which was flagged by the BGC, the global illegal online gambling market is estimated to have generated approximately $50 billion (£36.89 billion) in 2025, with British players who have self-excluded being targeted. In May, the BGC referenced an H2 Gambling Capital study, which found black market stakes in the UK are set to increase from £16.6 billion for 2025 to £33 billion by 2028.
Gardner, who has held the position of Acting Chief Executive since Andrew Rhodes stepped down as Chief Executive in April, referenced how the Commission at times has had to make choices as to which cases of illegal gambling it can crack down on, due to a lack of resources.
Smaller resources than ambition
Speaking at the International Association of Gaming Regulators conference in Lima, Peru, Gardner said:
“Despite having always had powers and a commitment to tackle illegal gambling, in truth, the resources we’ve often been able to make available to tackle illegal gambling have been much smaller in size than our ambition.
“That has meant we have had to take tough choices to prioritise cases which would tackle the most serious risks and have the greatest impact. Cases like FutGalaxy some years ago now, in which the Commission secured convictions for the provision of unlicensed gambling to children.
“But in truth, taking prosecutions like that has not been something the Commission can do in numbers at any one time and a case like FutGalaxy would have consumed a very significant proportion of our resources over the period of time it took to secure those convictions. That means that we have not been able to take forward all of the illegal gambling cases we would have wished.”
In last year’s Autumn Budget, the UK government announced £26 million of funding across three years which the Commission could use to tackle illegal gambling. This year’s Autumn Budget will be announced by Chancellor John Healey on Wednesday.
Gardner defends FRAs
Gardner also spoke about financial risk assessments (FRAs). The Commission confirmed the introduction of FRAs in July, which will aim to identify players experiencing financial difficulties, in one of the most significant alterations in the history of online gambling in the UK.
FRAs will be introduced in stages. The first stage of implementation will be carried out by the largest operators, where a high spend of multiple thousands of pounds across a 24-hour period is identified. Once fully implemented, FRAs will be applied to players aged 25 or older with net deposits exceeding £1,000 in a rolling 24-hour period or £3,000 over a rolling 90-day period.
According to Gardner, “high-spending gambling customers are between two and four times more likely to have a debt management plan and between two and five times more likely to have a default in the previous 12 months than consumers in the wider population”.
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