Illegal Gambling: UK Gambling Commission Now Targets Profits and Suppliers

Short answer: on 9 November 2026, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced that it is widening its fight against illegal gambling. It will go beyond taking down websites and target the money, assets and business models behind illegal operators. That means disrupting their payments and advertising and cutting off their access to the games and sportsbooks they rely on. For licensed operators, B2B suppliers, payment providers and affiliates, the message is that who you do business with is now part of the regulator’s focus.

What the Gambling Commission announced

The announcement marked the start of the first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week (9 to 13 November 2026), a campaign led by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). The Commission had already briefed UK industry leaders at its CEO Briefing and international partners at the IAGR conference.

Sue Young, the Commission’s Executive Director of Operations, summed up the new approach: “we are coming after you, your business and your money.” The Commission plans to:

• disrupt illegal operators’ payment routes;
• hinder their advertising;
• stop them obtaining the games and sportsbooks they depend on;
• keep seizing cash at illegal land-based gambling operations with law enforcement.

Illegal gambling enforcement in numbers

The Commission published figures showing how its activity has grown:

• more than 1,000 cease-and-desist notices issued so far in 2026/27;
• 7.8 million URLs referred to search engines, with 3 million removed from search results;
• 2,200 websites referred for disruption action;
• URL referrals up from 147,721 in the first quarter to 7.7 million in the second, an increase of more than 5,000%;
• more than £40 million in suspected criminal funds referred to partner agencies for potential asset freezing since January.

The Commission also released new findings from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain and an updated illegal gambling dashboard.

Why the focus on illegal gambling money matters for the licensed sector

Illegal operators do not build everything themselves. They depend on game content, sportsbook feeds, platforms, payment services and marketing, much of it supplied by companies that also serve licensed markets. By targeting these supply lines, the Commission is effectively asking every part of the industry to check its customers and partners.

• B2B suppliers should know who their clients are and where their content ends up. Content appearing on an unlicensed site serving British players is a serious reputational and regulatory risk, including for suppliers licensed in Malta or elsewhere in Europe.
• Payment providers and fintechs will be asked to help identify and disrupt illegal flows. Weak merchant onboarding is an AML risk in its own right.
• Affiliates and media partners that promote unlicensed brands may find themselves part of disruption action.
• Licensed operators benefit from a cleaner market but must make sure their own brands, white labels and partners stay within the rules.

Practical steps to keep your business away from illegal gambling

1. Run B2B know-your-customer checks. Verify the licences, ownership and target markets of every operator you supply, and repeat the checks periodically.
2. Use contract controls. Prohibit supply into markets where the client is not licensed, and keep the right to suspend content immediately.
3. Monitor where your content appears. Use technical monitoring to detect your games or feeds on unlicensed domains.
4. Strengthen AML and sanctions screening. Treat partners and payment flows linked to unlicensed gambling as high risk. 
5. Govern affiliates. Approve, monitor and audit affiliate marketing, with clear consequences for breaches.
6. Assign ownership. Make a named compliance officer responsible for partner due diligence and market access. If you hold a Malta licence, this sits naturally within your compliance and AML key functions; see our guide to the MGA licence.

Limits and uncertainty

The Commission’s announcement describes priorities and partnerships rather than new legal duties for licensed businesses, and it does not detail the legal powers behind each measure. The UK regime differs from EU rules, so EU-licensed businesses must check how it applies to their activities. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Conclusion

The UK Gambling Commission has moved from chasing illegal gambling websites to following the money and the supply chain. For legitimate businesses, the best protection is knowing exactly who you supply, who pays you and who markets for you, and being able to prove it.

Related reading

Sources

• UK Gambling Commission: Commission ramps up action against illegal gambling profits and assets (9 November 2026)
• UK Gambling Commission