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UK Gambling Commission publishes final report on illegal online gambling

Regulation

The UK Gambling Commission published the fourth and final report in its series on illegal online gambling, examining the difficulties of measuring the market. It did not provide a single market-size estimate, citing limited reliable data and methodological uncertainty; the Commission said its research had strengthened its evidence base and identified no consistent rise in illegal-site engagement where data were available.

The findings inform how regulators and industry participants assess illegal-market activity and coordinate enforcement.

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Gambling Commission reports 266,667 illegal gambling URLs removed in 2025/2026

The Gambling Commission said 266,667 URLs were removed in the 2025/2026 financial year after 397,527 were reported to search engines, according to a speech by chief executive ad interim Sarah Gardner given on 20 October and published on 21 October. The regulator sent 741 formal cessation notices and reported 1,068 sites to search engines for deindexing. The UK government has allocated £26m over three years to the illegal-market effort, with a first £7m tranche available from April 2026.

The Gambling Commission said 266,667 URLs were removed in the 2025/2026 financial year after 397,527 were reported to search engines, according to a speech by chief executive ad interim Sarah Gardner given on 20 October 2026 at the International Association of Gaming Regulators conference in Lima, Peru, and published on 21 October. The figures cover the period before additional government funding became available.

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