The UK Gambling Commission is set to enhance its focus on tackling illegal football betting activities, according to Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes. Speaking at the IAGA webinar titled Setting the Gambling Agenda for 2025: A Less Political Year?, Rhodes discussed the regulator’s ongoing efforts to disrupt illicit gambling operations while acknowledging the need for a deeper understanding of the factors driving their existence.  

Rhodes noted that illegal gambling markets have always been present and the importance of identifying how bettors are drawn into them. He highlighted the Commission’s approach to addressing these challenges by focusing on upstream disruption, pointing to the recent case involving a gaming supplier, which is under regulatory review for allegedly providing services to unlicensed operators.  

The Commission will continue its strategy of covert test purchasing to identify businesses collaborating with unlicensed gambling operators. 

“I have said before that everyone in the legitimate industry should undertake their own due diligence that their suppliers and partners are not engaged in unlicensed activity facing into the UK,” said Rhodes.

“Some have interpreted my remarks here as meaning I think the industry should be policing this rather than the regulator. Actually, I do not understand why anyone in the licensed industry would want to be in business with a company that is supporting illegal competition – it makes no sense to me at all.”  

He further warned operators and suppliers about the risks associated with unlicensed partnerships, stressing that if the Commission finds it necessary to suspend or revoke an operator’s license, their operations would cease immediately.  

In addition to enforcement measures, Rhodes addressed the economic challenges facing the gambling industry. He noted that while British gross gambling yield (GGY) has reached record levels, inflation poses a significant challenge.

“If you did adjust for inflation then the relative value of gambling has fallen in recent years,” he said. Rhodes pointed out that despite rising costs, betting patterns are unlikely to increase proportionally, creating potential financial hurdles for operators.  

One notable area of growth highlighted by Rhodes was the rise of large society lotteries, which have surpassed £1 billion ($1.23 billion) in sales for the first time. He suggested that this growth could have implications for the National Lottery, which has experienced some decline in participation. He also noted an increase in prize draw participation, which now ranks just behind betting in popularity.  

The sector is also preparing for a regulatory shift with the implementation of the long-anticipated gambling levy set to take effect in April. The levy, designed to fund research, education, and treatment programs, will require online operators and suppliers to contribute 1.1 percent of their GGY, while betting shops, land-based casinos, and suppliers will pay 0.4 percent. Lower rates of 0.1 percent will apply to land-based arcades, bingo operations, and society lotteries.  

The UK government aims to generate £100 million ($123 million) through the mandatory levy, doubling the £50 million ($61.67 million) raised through voluntary donations to GambleAware during the 2023/2024 period. However, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has raised concerns, calling for greater transparency on how the levy rates will be applied and advocating for an independent advisory board to oversee the fund’s distribution.