As part of wider measures to tackle illegal gambling in the UK, an Illegal Gambling Taskforce (the “Taskforce”) was established by Government in January 2026, with its inaugural meeting held on 27 January 2026. The Taskforce, chaired by the Gambling Minister, brings together major companies including Google, Mastercard, TikTok and Visa alongside law enforcement and gambling bodies. It has met twice this year, with its sub-groups meeting more frequently and a further Taskforce meeting planned before the end of the year.

The context

The importance of the Taskforce continues to be heightened following tax increases and the growing pressures on the regulated market.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed in July 2026 that the Taskforce’s specific focus on illegal gambling, and illegal gambling advertising, was taking place alongside a range of additional work to tackle the illegal market. This has included Government’s consultation on banning unlicensed sponsorship within sports (see our previous blog DCMS Launches Consultation on Unlicensed Gambling Advertising and Sponsorship Ban), as well as Government’s allocation of an additional £26 million over the next three years to the Gambling Commission. Gambling Commission Acting CEO, Sarah Gardner stated at the International Association of Gaming Regulators Conference on 20 October 2026:

“…with the first £7 million of funding from Government, we are now ramping up our resources and our activity…We know we will never shut down every illegal website or close down every unlicensed gambling premises but our ability to attack this problem with vigour is growing… Our strategy remains to prevent illegal gambling at scale. And that strategy is in service of our aim to protect consumers and the legitimate, licensed industry as well. Every consumer who gambles on an illegal site is a consumer at greater risk of harm, at risk of their data being stolen and at risk of losing their money even when they win. And it is unfair to licensed gambling businesses that uphold the standards consumers deserve.”

Ms Gardner also confirmed that the Gambling Commission’s statutory powers to seek court orders in order to suspend IP addresses and domain names in connection with unlicensed gambling, were “coming soon” (these were granted under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, with Royal Assent received on 29 April 2026 but have not yet been implemented).

The Gambling Commission published new survey data today recognising that although engagement with the illegal market from an overall population perspective appeared low and stable, “…there is a cohort of online gamblers who use these sites and research suggests those consumers who use illegal operators are more likely to experience harm…This new data will help make sure activity to protect consumers is informed by the best available evidence which is why we will continue to work across government, industry, technology and financial services to disrupt crime and protect consumers.”

Key aims of the Taskforce

The Taskforce has three key aims:

1. preventing or reducing payments from and to illegal gambling operators;
2. tackling online advertising of illegal gambling; and
3. improving cross-agency collaboration and enforcement work regarding illegal remote and land-based gambling.

Terms of reference for the Taskforce were published on 13 May 2026 and confirmed that a sub-group would be established to address each issue and inform the Taskforce of progress and of any recommendations. The terms also confirmed that the Taskforce would not take on an enforcement role and would therefore not direct or intervene in operational matters performed by the Gambling Commission.

What’s happened so far?

Government has provided various updates throughout the year on the Taskforce’s progress, confirming that “Group members are focused on addressing a range of issues which arise online in an ever changing digital landscape, with work to date including tackling the issue of paid-for illegal adverts on social media platforms, such as Meta.” We set out below a timeline of updates on the Taskforce.

Timeline

27 January 2026 – Illegal Gambling Taskforce becomes operational.

13 May 2026 – Terms of reference published.

1 July 2026 – DCMS confirms the Taskforce has met two times since inception and worked on a range of issues, including paid-for illegal adverts on social media platforms, such as Meta.

25 September 2026 – Gambling Minister confirms the Taskforce has made ‘good progress’ since launch.

14 October 2026 – DCMS confirms that the sub-groups meet more frequently and the Taskforce itself is intending to meet again before the end of the year.

What’s next?

DCMS stated in its supplementary written evidence on 1 July 2026 that after the Taskforce’s initial 12-month period and its conclusion in January 2027, Government will communicate findings and recommendations for future action.