The UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced a new, comprehensive objective list for its newly incepted Illegal Gambling Taskforce.
As specified by DCMS, the taskforce will endeavour to reduce the negative impacts of illegal gambling in the UK by taking a specific focus on reducing payments to and from unregulated operators, combating online gambling advertising from illegal companies and seeking to improve collaboration across gambling sectors, agencies and enforcement actors.
Further, DCMS will lead the Secretariat for the taskforce, which will be responsible for overseeing meeting logistics and scheduling. After 12 months of operation, the taskforce will face evaluation for a potential remit and review of the operation – which is set to meet twice annually.
The taskforce and its sub-groups will be taking an enhanced focus on the online landscape, particularly with combating the facilitation and promotion of illegal online gambling platforms.
Indeed, members of the taskforce will include a range of industry participants and experts across gambling, technology and payments – with the Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling set to Chair the organisation. Members will be required to contribute via meeting attendance, sub-group participation, agreement on objectives and recommendation development.
This latest development comes following the opening of a consultation on proposed Gambling Commission licence fees by DCMS in early Q1, following a fee increase proposal introduced by the government. More recently, the department launched a levy transition fund in March to assist at-risk organisations following the recent tax increase on the gambling industry in the UK.
Elsewhere in British gaming this week, the Betting and Gaming Council unveiled new data which revealed stakes placed via the illegal gambling market reached £16.6bn ($22.5bn) during 2025 – with this annual figure having tripled over the past three years. The data also revealed that regulated market share fell from 97% in 2019 to 92% in 2025.
The UK’s gambling market is at a significant point of change following significant tax rises that came into effect last month
