CopyBet has joined the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) in the UK, the company and trade body said. BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst and CopyBet UK business development director Anton Ivanov welcomed the membership and described plans to work with other members on industry standards and safer betting.
The membership adds an operator to a UK industry body whose stated work includes safer gambling and industry standards.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
The Betting and Gaming Council has opposed the UK House of Lords Liaison Committee's call for a comprehensive gambling advertising ban. Chief executive Grainne Hurst said the proposal could weaken consumer protection and argued that advertising rules distinguish licensed operators from illegal sites. The BGC also cited restrictions in Italy and the Netherlands as evidence of mixed outcomes.
Entain said it has begun consulting on changes to its customer care operation that could remove up to 400 roles across multiple locations. The company said the roles represent part of its approximately 2,000-person customer care workforce and linked the changes to efforts to address higher UK gambling taxes.
Fincord Intelligence estimated that illegal online gambling generated about $50bn in gross revenue worldwide in 2025. The Betting and Gaming Council said illegal operators target UK users, including people who have self-excluded, and called for action against the services that support these networks. Fincord estimated that about 5,000 operator structures control more than 15,000 websites and apps.
The Betting and Gaming Council said more than 540 betting shops had closed in Britain since last year’s Budget, with about 4,500 jobs lost. It warned that further tax increases could bring more closures and job losses; the Treasury said gambling duty rates for high-street shops had not changed.
The Betting and Gaming Council said it wants to discuss sector taxation, regulation and illegal gambling with the UK Government. The trade body said financial-risk checks should rely on accurate data and warned that unresolved concerns could drive customers towards illegal platforms; it cited 109,000 jobs, £6.8bn in gross value added and about £4bn in annual tax contributions from the regulated sector.