UKGC Secures £26M Boost for Illegal Gambling Enforcement

The UK Gambling Commission has secured an additional £26 million over three years from the Treasury to fight illegal gambling, representing what CEO Andrew Rhodes described as a "nine-fold increase" in enforcement funding during his speech at the Bacta Annual Convention.

Major Investment in Land-Based EnforcementSpeaking on 27 November 2025, Rhodes highlighted that the new funding will enable the Commission to significantly expand its land-based illegal gambling operations for the first time. "We have always been somewhat hamstrung by the size of our own resources, but this will give us a capability now to do a lot more in the land-based space than we've been able to do before," he said.

Industry Statistics ReleasedThe Commission also published its latest industry figures, revealing:

Total industry Gross Gambling Yield reached £16.8 billion for the year ending March 2025Land-based sectors (arcades, betting, bingo, casinos) generated £4.8 billion GGY8,234 total licensed premises operate across Great Britain1,415 Adult Gaming Centres (down 36 from previous year)5,825 betting shops2,179 licensed operators (slight decline year-on-year)Enforcement Actions ContinueRhodes warned operators about compliance failures, noting that seven AGC operators had their licences suspended this year for failing to participate in self-exclusion schemes. The Commission has undertaken 13 suspensions across the wider industry in recent months.

Gaming Machine Standards ConsultationThe regulator received over 1,000 responses to its Gaming Machine Technical Standards consultation. While there is general support for consolidating 12 existing standards into one, Rhodes acknowledged that proposals around staff alerts have proven "technically very difficult" due to multiple machine makers using different protocols.