Illegal gambling taskforce to convene twice yearly as DCMS reveals priorities

(AsiaGameHub) –   In an online update, the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has outlined the priorities and membership of the long-awaited Illegal Gambling Taskforce. The department noted that the group would not disclose its members publicly.

The taskforce, which will convene twice a year, will be chaired by the minister responsible for gambling and co-chaired by DCMS’s director of sport and gambling.

The remaining members will consist of “a mix of experts and industry participants from the gambling industry, tech platforms and payment providers, the Gambling Commission and other regulators, government departments, and trade bodies”.

The initiative places special focus on online operators and the payment and advertising channels that support their operations.

Taskforce’s main three objectives

The DCMS detailed three primary objectives for the one-year taskforce:

• Preventing or reducing payments to and from illegal gambling operators.
• Tackling online advertising of illegal gambling activities.
• Improving cross-agency collaboration and enforcement efforts against both remote and land-based illegal gambling.

Each objective will be overseen by a dedicated sub-group responsible for developing detailed workplans. These sub-groups are expected to meet at least quarterly, while the full taskforce will hold meetings a minimum of twice a year.

All meetings will follow Chatham House rules to promote open dialogue.

Members are expected to actively engage, participate in sub-groups, and support non-legislative solutions—especially regarding advertising and payments—within their respective organisations.

The taskforce is not intended to interfere with the operational activities of the Gambling Commission.

The UK illegal market

The taskforce was established amid growing concerns about the extent of illegal gambling activity in the UK, particularly as stricter regulations risk driving players toward the black market.

The initiative also comes after increased scrutiny from the commission over how consumers access unlicensed gambling sites. An analysis revealed rising use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and mirror websites to bypass restrictions and reach offshore operators, especially during major sporting events.

The regulator has repeatedly warned that illegal sites often lack essential player protections.