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UK Reveals Inner Workings of Illegal Gambling Taskforce as Black Market Hits £16.6bn

DCMS publishes terms of reference for the 12-month unit chaired by Baroness Twycross, targeting payments, offshore marketing and cross-agency enforcement to defend a regulated UK sector facing record unlicensed competition.

Category: iGaming News - UK · By Growl Games Editorial Team · Thu May 21 2026 · Updated Thu Jul 23 2026

UK Reveals Inner Workings of Illegal Gambling Taskforce as Black Market Hits £16.6bn

Table of Contents

1. The Announcement

The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on 13 May 2026 published the long-awaited terms of reference for its Illegal Gambling Taskforce, first announced in January. The unit will run for a 12-month initial term and meet twice a year, with a stated objective of "identifying solutions to, and providing recommendations on, reducing the negative impacts of specific challenges relating to illegal gambling."

2. Leadership and Membership

The taskforce is chaired by Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross, with Ben Dean, DCMS's Director of Sport and Gambling, as co-chair. Its membership combines the gambling industry, the Gambling Commission, other regulators, government departments, trade bodies, law enforcement, and major tech and payments platforms. Confirmed corporate participants include Google, Meta, TikTok, Visa and Mastercard. DCMS has said member names will not be published in full.

3. Three Priority Areas

The taskforce will operate through subgroups targeting three priorities: preventing payments to and from black market operators, taking down offshore online marketing, and enhancing cross-agency enforcement across both remote and land-based illegal gambling. Industry members are expected to deliver non-legislative solutions on advertising and payment services through their own platforms.

4. Black Market Scale and Funding

The intervention follows research from H2 Gambling Capital, shared by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), showing illegal operators took roughly £16.6 billion in stakes from UK consumers in 2025 — nearly triple the £5 billion recorded in 2019. Offshore stakes and operator margins have doubled in the past two years. In November's Budget, the Treasury allocated an additional £26 million over three years to the Gambling Commission for illegal market enforcement, alongside the headline near-doubling of remote gambling duty.

5. Industry Reaction

Licensed operators have broadly welcomed the focus on the black market, but critics argue that a schedule of only two meetings per year is insufficient given the pace of growth. BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst attended the launch and said it was "good to see the Government bring people together" and acknowledge "the sheer scale of the problems we now face." Industry voices have repeatedly warned that the recent tax hikes on regulated operators risk pushing more consumers toward unlicensed sites — the very behaviour the taskforce is designed to reverse.

6. What Comes Next

The Gambling Commission is currently recruiting a Head of Illegal Markets to lead its expanded enforcement work. A parallel DCMS consultation on banning sponsorship of British sports teams — including Premier League clubs — by unlicensed gambling firms remains open. The taskforce's terms of reference may be amended as priorities evolve, with the first formal recommendations expected before the unit's 12-month review.

"Our Taskforce will work together over the next year to ensure that people who wish to gamble can do so safely, with the right protections in place."
— Baroness Twycross, UK Gambling Minister

Sources

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