The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is set to laser in on the illegal land-based sector as it is boosted by a significant capacity uplift following this week’s UK budget.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the UKGC, revealed the industry has always been hamstrung by its resources, as he addressed the additional £26m the commission has been awarded by the treasury.
He emphasised his optimism amidst sweeping changes across the UK gambling industry, the new funds provided by the government’s budget will allow the organisation to expand the fight against illegal gambling.
Speaking at the BACTA Annual Convention on 27 November, Rhodes said: “Yesterday’s budget is actually for me personally, the first time in many years that a budget has had such significant meaning and that there has been so much build-up for the area that I have been working in.
“Certainly, yesterday we saw some very significant changes in taxation levels in several areas and we will start to see what impacts that may or may not have.
“As that starts to take shape, I am pleased that the effectiveness of the commission on illegal gambling has been recognised by the treasury with an additional £26m over the next three years.
“Put that in context, that’s something like a nine-fold increase in the money we have to fight illegal gambling. In my 20 years on executive boards of public bodies, I’ve never known that kind of multiple from the treasury ever before.”
Specifically, Rhodes stated that the UKGC will use some of the extra resources from the government to take on illegal land-based gambling.
“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. I’m sure we won’t get universal coverage of that, but I think there’s a lot more we will now be able to do.”
The UK’s land-based operators avoided significant tax changes, besides a freeze in casino gaming duty bands in 2026-27, with usual RPI (retail price index – inflation) uprating thereafter, while bingo duty will be abolished from April 2026.
Illegal land-based sector increasing
The rise of the illegal land-based sector, whilst not anywhere near as vast as the illegal online sector, has been evident this year.
Police in Birmingham recently issued a major warning over the exploitative tactics of illegal gambling dens in the city.
The authorities stated that a myriad of strategies are being utilised at the unregulated venues to ensure that players are cheated out of their money.
“Unfortunately we know that overseas students are often targeted by organised criminals who gain influence over them through illegal gambling nights, sometimes coercing them into other criminal activities,” an official police press release stated.
Investigations have led to officers from the Birmingham Serious Organised Crime and Exploitation Team (SOCEX) and Operation Fearless closing several illegal gambling venues.
