The Labour Party has asked the Gambling Commission to investigate alleged unlicensed gambling activity connected to donors and associates of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson wrote to the regulator following a Sunday Times investigation into a Montenegro-based cryptocurrency betting platform. The service closed on 12 August after reportedly accepting customers from Britain without appearing on the Gambling Commission’s public register.
The allegations involve Christopher Harborne and George Cottrell, two figures whose financial relationships with Farage have already attracted parliamentary and media scrutiny.
Harborne gave Farage £5m ($6.8m) before the 2024 general election. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is investigating whether Farage should have registered the gift after becoming an MP.
Parliamentary rules require new members to declare gifts worth more than £300 received during the preceding 12 months when they could reasonably be connected to political activity.
The Sunday Times linked Harborne to the betting platform’s payment arrangements through IFX, a payments business he owns. Another business, Fispay, allegedly handled customer deposits and returned winnings. Fispay is owned by Mowbray Jackson, Reform UK’s data protection officer.
Harborne and IFX representatives said he had no operational role in IFX and that the business complied with applicable regulations. Jackson said Fispay “exclusively” brokered private jet travel and had never provided gambling facilities.
Cottrell, a long-term Farage associate who has also provided him with financial support, was linked to the platform as a customer. His lawyers said he had “never invested in, owned or operated any betting company or casino”.
Phillipson has asked the Gambling Commission to establish whether unlicensed remote gambling was provided or advertised to British consumers. Her letter also requests an examination of whether Fispay or another UK business supported the provision of gambling services without the necessary approval.
Overseas businesses require a remote operating licence when offering gambling to consumers in Great Britain, regardless of where their corporate operations or gambling equipment are based.
The regulatory request adds another strand to the scrutiny surrounding Farage’s financial backers. The gambling allegations remain unproven and no enforcement action has been announced by the Gambling Commission.
The Gambling Commission has also examined consumer exposure to unlawful gambling through informal online channels, finding that off-platform payment journeys can obscure licensing status and weaken safeguards.
A business may require a Gambling Commission licence when it provides gambling facilities to British consumers, even if the business itself is registered and operated overseas
