Blocking payment channels and freezing assets. The UK Gambling Commission is planning to take tougher action against illegal gambling.
Illegal gambling is flourishing online, with the black market generating billions in revenue. The UKGC wants to step up its efforts to combat unlicensed operators. According to an announcement on its official website, the Commission plans to block payment channels, restrict advertising and freeze the assets of suspected criminals.
The aim is to prevent access to illegal online casinos and sports betting services. To achieve this, the UKGC is working with search engine operators to remove illegal gambling websites from search results.
Around 150,000 URLs were reported in the first quarter of this year. By the second quarter, that figure had already risen to 7.7 million. So far, approximately 3 million pages have been removed from search results.
However, the UKGC is also taking action against illegal operators offline. The Commission is working with law enforcement agencies to seize cash linked to illegal gambling operations.
The regulator will continue to expand its cooperation with technology companies, financial institutions and licensed gambling operators. One of the UKGC’s partners is Germany’s Joint Gambling Authority (GGL). The two regulators have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their cooperation.