Must Read UKGC to Prioritise Supplier Enforcement Action in 2025

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Addressing the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA), the UKGC's Andrew Rhodes emphasised the Gambling Commission’s ongoing commitment to leveraging its enhanced tools, including covert test purchasing and other investigative methods, to identify businesses facilitating unlicensed operators.

His remarks follow renewed scrutiny of the Commission’s policy in this area, particularly after Evolution disclosed late last year that its license was under review due to its games being accessible through unlicensed operators.

Rhodes stated: “If the Commission deems it necessary to suspend or revoke the license of any operator or supplier, their operations cease immediately. Whatever they are providing to you will stop—immediately."

“So, I would advise anyone relying on a third party to ensure they are confident in that relationship and the associated risks. If you suspect you are vulnerable, I would strongly suggest taking action now.”


Rhodes underscored the Commission’s intensified focus on disrupting the supply chain and highlighted its significant investment in combating unlicensed football gambling.

This approach reflects a broader European regulatory trend, where authorities are increasingly targeting suppliers and payment providers to curb illegal activity, according to industry analysts.

When asked whether the Commission expects the industry itself to take responsibility for policing unlicensed gambling instead of relying solely on regulatory oversight, Rhodes expressed surprise at the notion.

“Frankly, I don’t understand why any licensed business would choose to associate with a company that supports illegal competition. It defies logic and suggests that the illegal market may not be as significant an issue as some claim, if this is seen as acceptable behaviour.”

Joining Rhodes at the event, Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) chief executive Grainne Hurst reaffirmed that the organisation’s supplier members are committed to refraining from supporting illegal gambling.

Rhodes also addressed the complex and contentious nature of gambling regulation in the UK, noting that the challenges are unlikely to ease in the near future.

“With the Statutory Levy, Ombudsman, and other changes approaching, I question whether the frequent ‘absolutism’ we see in commentary from various stakeholders will persist.

“This ties into debates about data, statistics, and the evidence base. There’s a real danger that entrenched and overly simplistic positions may obscure the core issues entirely.”
 
I expected this. Pressure on Crypto gambling via the suppliers. So if Mr. UKGC test purchaser gets to play a slot on a Crypto site, then the supplier is in hot water with their UKGC gambling license...

I imagine this will lead to enforced KYC on the offshore Casino side, very strict restrictions on VPN use at the supplier end, or both.

Either way it looks like the party could be about to end for UK gamblers.
 
you guys are having a go at it now though!

In 5 years maybe all of us brits will be jealous of the regulated gaming environment new zealand has fostered.
What regulation? They're laughably behind, and I wouldn't trust the current lot in power to organize a piss up in a brewery.

They did a public submission for gambling on credit cards around 6 years ago.. not a peep since.
 
What regulation? They're laughably behind, and I wouldn't trust the current lot in power to organize a piss up in a brewery.

They did a public submission for gambling on credit cards around 6 years ago.. not a peep since.
 
The minister for internal affairs is incompetent, and that's being kind. She has absolutely no idea what she's doing.

It's also basically during an election year so expect them to kick that down the road.
 
The minister for internal affairs is incompetent, and that's being kind. She has absolutely no idea what she's doing.

It's also basically during an election year so expect them to kick that down the road.
Interesting, well atleast that means that you'll maintain the status quo for a while longer. From what I've seen New Zealand has it pretty good. It's not as good as canada but maybe near Ireland (not sure if above or below!) in terms of casino availability.
 
Interesting, well atleast that means that you'll maintain the status quo for a while longer. From what I've seen New Zealand has it pretty good. It's not as good as canada but maybe near Ireland (not sure if above or below!) in terms of casino availability.
Not sure 100% no regulation is a good thing. I've lost out at a few rogue operators over the years with zero recourse (banks and regulators don't care and aren't obligated to).

We also can't get certain providers like Aristocrat and Konami which sucks (lobbying by the land based operators is my guess).

Hopefully that improves in the next few years but won't hold my breath.
 
No limit are now restricting players using a VPN when playing in GBP on crypto sites it seems.

When loading any game, it says your IP is restricted to play in this currency. If you reload in USD it works fine.
 
So the question will be for the affected developers: Do we gain sufficient revenue from the UKGC jurisdiction to comply and remove games from unlicensed sites taking UK players, or do we simply withdraw from the market altogether?

The financial implications, one way or the other, will become apparent over the coming months.
 
So the question will be for the affected developers: Do we gain sufficient revenue from the UKGC jurisdiction to comply and remove games from unlicensed sites taking UK players, or do we simply withdraw from the market altogether?

The financial implications, one way or the other, will become apparent over the coming months.
UK is a huge market for gambling, second to Australia I reckon.
 
So the question will be for the affected developers: Do we gain sufficient revenue from the UKGC jurisdiction to comply and remove games from unlicensed sites taking UK players, or do we simply withdraw from the market altogether?

The financial implications, one way or the other, will become apparent over the coming months.
I was thinking the same thing re the options to developers. I agree with @Avernite that the UK market is huge, but if a developer has to choose between UK only or rest of the world, I can't see many (if any) saying they will stick just to the UK
 
About time, but of limited use considering the crooks' capability of reverse ngineering and faking games.
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.webp
 
UK is a huge market for gambling, second to Australia I reckon.
They are much bigger markets than the UK. Asia, India for two. Evolution, for example, the UK represents 3% of their income, which is tiny compared to other areas across all their brands.
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They are much bigger markets than the UK. Asia, India for two. Evolution, for example, the UK represents 3% of their income, which is tiny compared to other areas across all their brands.
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And companies like Bet365 effectively subsidize their domestic market from huge overseas operations.
 
They are much bigger markets than the UK. Asia, India for two. Evolution, for example, the UK represents 3% of their income, which is tiny compared to other areas across all their brands.
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A bunch of areas in Asia ban their citizens from playing to be fair, and I'd argue that a majority of indians aren't anywhere close to the average UK wage. I always figured EU/CAD (and more recently US) made up the bulk of Evolutions profits.

In any case counting players playing illegally is the whole point of beginning to make providers bear responsibility no?
 
A bunch of areas in Asia ban their citizens from playing to be fair, and I'd argue that a majority of indians aren't anywhere close to the average UK wage. I always figured EU/CAD (and more recently US) made up the bulk of Evolutions profits.

In any case counting players playing illegally is the whole point of beginning to make providers bear responsibility no?
Judging from the fact that Evolution has specific dealers assigned for Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, and German, I always assumed that these were the biggest markets. And if you play their tables, the chatters are actually many Indian, Turkish.

I'm sure you are right about wage but I think volume is Evolution game here.
 
Judging from the fact that Evolution has specific dealers assigned for Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, and German, I always assumed that these were the biggest markets. And if you play their tables, the chatters are actually many Indian, Turkish.

I'm sure you are right about wage but I think volume is Evolution game here.
This lines up with what I've seen while cataloguing a LOT of sites, thousands.

Massive number of indian, turkish and brasilian sites. I saw plenty of japan only casinos and prior to this had no idea they had a decent sized market. Tons of sites for various east asian countries which I can only assume are where many chinese players play.
 
This lines up with what I've seen while cataloguing a LOT of sites, thousands.

Massive number of indian, turkish and brasilian sites. I saw plenty of japan only casinos and prior to this had no idea they had a decent sized market. Tons of sites for various east asian countries which I can only assume are where many chinese players play.
Isn't gambling illegal in Japan?
 
Isn't gambling illegal in Japan?
most forms of gambling are illegal in Japan, save for horse racing and lottery. Gacha is a result of the loophole in the legislation.

Similar to a post i just made in another thread about canadian provinces, these laws do little to affect offshore offerings.

I believe the japanese government is looking into offshore crackdowns but as of right now these sites are not affected. I believe some sites actively reassure players that "yes you can actually gamble here its okay".
 
most forms of gambling are illegal in Japan, save for horse racing and lottery. Gacha is a result of the loophole in the legislation.

Similar to a post i just made in another thread about canadian provinces, these laws do little to affect offshore offerings.

I believe the japanese government is looking into offshore crackdowns but as of right now these sites are not affected. I believe some sites actively reassure players that "yes you can actually gamble here its okay".
Which circles back to why providers should be held more responsible as to who they offer their services too. It's illegal for many jurisdictions to gamble to begin with, we shouldn't really be condoning the practice.
 
Which circles back to why providers should be held more responsible as to who they offer their services too. It's illegal for many jurisdictions to gamble to begin with, we shouldn't really be condoning the practice.
Unlike illegal operations for the UK, the situation and japan is different. It's not illegal or legal. It's a grey area.

The entire canadian market (well, most provinces) hinges on this grey area. Most provinces like Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan etc only have one "legal" licenced site. Due to there being no legislation banning offshore casinos, they are able to offer their games and players are allowed to play their with neither side being penalised for doing so.
 

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