Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross is confident that the newly-minted illegal gambling task force will garner results as early as later this year.
The taskforce aims to find synergy between companies like Google, Meta and Visa alongside law enforcement agencies to address payments and advertising in the illegal market.
Speaking at the UK Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) AGM, Twycross stated: “I’m determined that, however hard it is for us to achieve this, it will result in fast, effective action.”
Alongside the taskforce, the UK government also allocated a further £26m to fighting the black market as part of November’s budget and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a consultation on banning British sports teams partnering with unlicensed operators.
Twycross revealed resources will be largely focused on increasing resources to prosecute illegal platforms, enhancing early prevention activities and undertaking further research on the market.
On the sponsorship consultation, she added: “We cannot continue to allow unlicensed operators to take advantage of the global appeal of British sport to advertise, and we’ll launch the consultation in the spring.
“As part of this work, we will increase financial penalties for those bodies that facilitate illegal gambling advertising, marketing, and content, helping to reduce the pipeline of people being drawn into the illegal gambling market and gambling-related harm.”
A major talking point for the industry is tax, and Twycross reassured that the government is not anti-gambling but acknowledged the impact that the significant tax changes will have on businesses.
The minister labelled tax hikes on online gambling, headlined by an almost doubling of remote gambling duty, as a “necessary but difficult” decision to deliver the government’s priorities and raise an estimated £1bn each year.
However, Grainne Hurst, CEO of the BGC, warned that the £26m allocated to fighting the black market may not be enough if tax changes force more consumers towards the sector.
She labelled it ‘incredulous’ that the government’s own figures estimate that tax changes will drive £500m more into the black market.
Hurst warned: “That seems to be a price that’s worth paying. What world are we living in where that is a sensible and coherent position to take?
“[The government] have given the gambling commission £26m to tackle the black market, but actually that’s missing the point. We need to stop sending people into the black market for the gambling commission to then take action on. We need to make sure that the regulated sector is attractive, healthy and sustainable.”
