UK Gambling Commission Vows to Go After Illegal Operators' Money

The regulator says it has referred more than £40 million in suspected criminal funds for possible freezing since January, and will now target payments, advertising and game supply.

Francis Gable

10/11/26 · 2 minNovember 10, 2026 · 2 min read

The UK Gambling Commission said on Nov. 9 that it will go after the money, assets and suppliers behind illegal gambling sites, not only the sites themselves.

Since January, the regulator says it has referred more than £40 million ($54 million) in suspected criminal funds to partner agencies that can freeze assets. It is also working with police to seize cash at illegal land-based gambling operations.

The move builds on a sharp rise in site takedowns. The Commission reported 7.8 million illegal gambling web addresses to search engines in the six months to the end of September, against 397,527 in the whole previous financial year, acting Chief Executive Sarah Gardner said in a Nov. 5 speech.

Commission Targets Payments, Ads and Game Supply

"If you run an illegal gambling operation, we are coming after you, your business and your money."

That warning came from Sue Young, who runs the Commission's operations. She said the regulator would disrupt illegal operators' payments, hinder their advertising and stop them obtaining "the games and sportsbooks they so heavily rely on."

The Commission also issued 1,005 cease-and-desist notices between April and September, against 741 in the whole previous year, according to Gardner. More than 3 million web addresses have been removed from search results.

The announcement opened the first Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, which runs Nov. 9 to 13. The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) leads the campaign and launched a free tool where players can enter a site's address to check whether it is licensed where they live.

Funding Drives the Crackdown

Gardner tied the jump in enforcement to £26 million ($35 million) over three years from the government, with the first £7 million arriving in spring 2026.

The Commission's own research puts black-market use low: 4% of online gamblers said they used an illegal site in the previous 12 months. Its bank-data study found problem gambling in 45% of illegal-site users.

The release did not say how much of the £40 million partner agencies have actually frozen. The awareness week runs through Nov. 13.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.