THE UK Gambling Commission has successfully taken down 264 illegal gambling websites as part of its ongoing crackdown on unlawful online betting.

The figure, revealed by Executive Chairman Andrew Rhodes during his speech at the ICE World Regulatory Briefing, highlights the regulator’s intensified efforts to target the illegal gambling market.

Rhodes disclosed that over 102,000 suspicious domains had been reported to Google in the current financial year, with 64,000 of these removed by the search engine giant.

Among the reported domains, 264 illegal websites were completely taken offline, a significant increase compared to the previous fiscal year’s figures.

“Our aim is to stop the illegal market from operating at scale in Britain,” Rhodes stated.

In addition to the website takedowns, Rhodes highlighted the Gambling Commission’s issuance of over 770 cease and desist or discontinuance notices during the fiscal year so far.

These include 262 notices directed at illegal operators and 205 targeting advertisers who facilitated unregulated activities.

Rhodes said: “A significant part of our strategy for doing this is to target our efforts as far afield as possible – at the level of hosts, payment providers, software providers, search engines and others.

“We have spent the last two years in particular not only targeting illegal activities, but also building our own resources, skills and capabilities. There is more to do, of course, and this is also true for others in the sector.”

Rhodes also reiterated the importance of collaboration with licensed operators in combating illegal activity.

He urged businesses to ensure proper monitoring and due diligence in their partnerships to prevent inadvertently enabling illegal gambling.

“While it is not the role of licensed operators to take action against illegal operators, I strongly encourage everyone to ensure they have carried out due diligence in relation to their own activities and those of any suppliers they rely on,” he said.

“If the Gambling Commission detects illegal activity at any operator – B2C or B2B – we can immediately suspend their license.

“So, in any case, they face the very real prospect of having their license revoked. This means that anything they are supplying to anyone else in the UK will cease immediately.”

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk