Steve Hoare

Gambling Commission concludes four-part study on black market

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published the last out of a part-four series on its approach towards the black market.

While comprehensive, the Yonder Consulting-conducted report did recognise some of the caveats that obstruct the exact estimate of the prominence of the online black market in the UK.

Consumer awareness, drivers, and motivations
To understand the current trends better, the UKGC attempted to first build a profile of the typical black market player with part one of its study, published on 18 September.

With the agreement that it shouldn’t be treated as representative of all those who gamble online, the study outlined four typical characteristics of the users that engage with illegal gambling.

These are generally men, between the age of 18 and 24, who are active gamblers, and who usually rank eight or above on the PGSI problem gambling scale. They typically go to the black market to bet on football, for online bingo, or to play online fruit or slot games.

The motivation behind going out of their way to find illegal sites are most often better odds and offers, games unavailable elsewhere, access to alternative payments like crypto, no stake limits, and a low entry barrier – meaning weak ID or financial checks.

Still, the majority of responses painted illegal gambling as “supplementary rather than exclusive”, meaning people favoured more time and money spent on licensed websites.

Interestingly, however, this seemed to contradict another key highlight – the Commission established that players generally had low levels of awareness of the illegal iGaming market, with responses denying illegal play but indicating differently elsewhere, and vice versa.

Furthermore, only a minority of people was able to name specific black market operators – “numerous” responses named licensed providers as such. Almost all, however, responded that having a licence in the UK is important.

In conclusion, the first part of the Commission’s report found a “disconnect between perceived license importance, understanding if an operator is licensed, and knowledge of how to verify that”.

For the second part of its report, the regulator measured consumers’ rates of engagement with the online black market. Between May 2024 and July 2025, a total of 1,000 unique black market websites were identified, but “no overall increase in engagement in Great Britain”, the Commission stated.

Disruption strategies
Part three highlighted the three tactics that the gambling authority is utilising to hit the black market where it hurts the most. These are Regulation and Investigation (RI), Technological Advances (TA), and Marketing Strategy (MS).

RI includes legal and enforcement measures, such as cross-border collaboration with other institutions, tracking of illegal websites, blocking of such websites, and blocking payments to them, among others.

TA, meanwhile, focuses on eradicating the tools that black market operators are utilising to avoid scrutiny, such as indexing manipulation, VPN use, AI to evade detection, and URL concealment.

Lastly, MS deals with disrupting advertisers and affiliates based in the UK, enforcing advertising standards through the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), as well as in-depth analysis of SEO marketing.

Estimating the size of the online black market
The latest and final chapter in this four-part study uncovers the three approaches that the UKGC is taking to estimate just how prominent the black market is.

Through the dwell-time approach, the regulator estimates average engagement and time-spent-on-site data – but it largely relies on assumptions, and each additional assumption adds additional margins for error, the UKGC recognised.

The channelisation approach involves comparing engagement rates with the legal and illegal market, but the caveat here is also the need for multiple assumptions.

With the third approach, the UKGC bets on survey-based data. However, this can also often lead to misrepresented assumptions.

All in all, the conclusion was that illegal online gambling is “clandestine” and its exact size often changes and almost always remains in the shadows, with participation rates diluted by a wide range of consumer behaviours.

Reflecting on the latest findings and painting the way forward, Ben Haden, UKGC Director of Research and Statistics, commented: “We have set out areas of work to focus upon. By breaking down the challenge into its constituent parts, it is possible to see a pathway to making an estimate that is fit for purpose.

“Getting there will also need input from operators – data on the legal market will help us strengthen assumptions and update our evidence base. We are looking forward to further conversations to clarify what we need and how operators can help.

“While the exercise of trying to understand the macro-metric of the size of the illegal market is important, the generation of trend data – and insight into specific websites to target disruption activity, is arguably even more vital. We are pleased we are now able to better understand these trends and supply key operational data to our Enforcement Team.”

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Argentina to begin roll-out of new advertising rules for online gambling

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Argentina is introducing new federal legislation on gambling advertising, setting out rules designed to protect young audiences and vulnerable consumers.

Following months of debate in the Chamber of Deputies, the Ministry of Economy confirmed through the Official Gazette that the first stage of the framework has been approved. The new rules define how gambling and betting products may be advertised across the country’s 23 provinces and 1,170 municipalities.

This morning the official gazette of the Ministry of the Economy, confirmed that initial measures have been agreed to govern the advertising of gambling products/services on Argentine media platforms, TV, radio, and social media influencers.

Under the new regulation, gambling advertisements must be concise, factual and limited to essential information, avoiding any exaggerated or misleading claims.

All advertisements are now required to include two mandatory warnings:

“Compulsive gambling is harmful to your health”

“For +18 customers”

These warnings must appear in the lower section of the advertisement, using a minimum font size of four millimeters and accounting for at least 5% of the total height of the ad. The media must ensure that changes have been applied to advertising content by 30 November.

In audio-visual formats, they must remain visible for no less than five seconds, while in radio adverts they must be read clearly, without background music, and at a natural speaking pace.

The Secretariat of Industry and Commerce, which drafted the regulation, explained that the objective is to ensure clarity and transparency rather than overwhelm consumers with unreadable text or excessive fine print:

“By drowning consumers in too much information, advertisers risk leading them to make irrational or incorrect decisions. Presenting too many details in an unreadable format, or too briefly, can result in essential information being ignored.”

For the first time, the new advertising code extends to influencers and digital content creators who promote gambling or betting platforms — a decision prompted by growing concern over the spread of gambling-related content online.

As reported by SBC Noticias, concerns about gambling addiction were first raised by the Buenos Aires Executive, after public health and education authorities found that 34% of minors had gambled despite existing age-verification checks.

In response, Jorge Macri, Chief of Government of Buenos Aires, suspended the issuance of new gambling licences, insisting that stricter rules were needed to protect minors and regulate advertising.

The Buenos Aires measures increased pressure on national lawmakers to act at a federal level, but the Chamber of Deputies missed its legislative target due to the provincial election calendar across Argentina in 2025.

Resolution 446/2025 now stands as the most tangible step in Argentina’s long-awaited reform process, paving the way for wider federal oversight through five civic committees responsible for public health, communications, criminal legislation, social action and youth welfare.

The new framework has been welcomed as a step forward for consumer protection and responsible gambling in some corners. However, skeptics feel that the measures remain too light-touch, focusing primarily on disclosure and presentation rules rather than robust enforcement or support programmes for at-risk groups.

For now, Argentina’s gambling sector enters a period of transition — one in which federal advertising rules will become mandatory, though their effectiveness in reducing youth exposure and gambling-related harm remains uncertain.

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Iceland calls for new gambling supervision against unlicensed websites 

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The Althing of Iceland has been urged to consider drastic reforms on how gambling is supervised and governed, as concerns mount over public health, online exposure, and the lack of state oversight on illegal gambling.

Calls for change follow the Ministry of Health’s new agreement with SÁÁ, the national addiction-treatment association, which for the first time provides state-funded therapy for gambling addiction – a condition that is recognised as a growing public concern.

The move has reignited debate over Iceland’s legal inconsistencies on gambling, that have been overlooked for more than two decades without reform.

No oversight of harms
Health Minister Alma D. Möller described gambling addiction as a “major social and public health problem”, warning that Icelanders are reported to be spending around ISK 36bn (€250m) per-year on unlicensed online gambling websites.

The figure highlights the limited market reach of Iceland’s two licensed operators — Íslensk Getspá /Getraunir and the University of Iceland Lottery, and confirms that most Icelandic players wager through unlicensed, foreign-based websites with no interaction with the state-owned enterprises.

The liabilities are well known, yet enforcement remains minimal. There are no penalties for media outlets that promote unlicensed websites or payment providers or banks who process transactions for offshore gambling companies.

Observers note that advertising for international betting brands is routinely displayed to Icelandic citizens via international media, with no consequence.

New regulator needed
Lawmakers and civil-society groups, including Samtök áhugafólks um spilafíkn (SÁS), are now calling for the creation of a single national supervisory authority to oversee gambling activity, enforce advertising rules and fund harm-reduction programmes.

Critics argue that Iceland’s current framework, chiefly the Lotteries Act No. 38/2005, is outdated and unable to address the realities of digital gambling and cross-border payments.

Push for control
Minister Möller said the government must “look at how neighbouring countries regulate this activity” and ensure that public health and consumer protection remain central to any legislative review.

“To take money from an industry that exploits addiction and can have such severe consequences is simply not morally acceptable,” Möller said.

Parliamentary discussions are expected before the end of the year, with MPs weighing whether Iceland should introduce a unified gambling regulator, tighter advertising controls, and stronger inter-ministerial cooperation on financial monitoring, media accountability and addiction support.

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UKGC slaps NetBet with £650k penalty over AML breaches

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UK licence holder NetBet Enterprises Ltd has paid £650,000 to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) after an investigation into anti-money laundering (AML) failures.

A statement from the regulator stated that the company, operator of online gambling provider NetBet UK, agreed to a settlement with the Commission after an investigation revealed social responsibility breaches as well as AML shortcomings as well.

List of AML failures
As listed in the statements, the AML failures included a lack of adequate customer financial controls, which led to a number of customers wagering “disproportionally to their net income”.

This then led to examples where a customer’s significant gambling activity would constitute harmful behaviour, but where the operator also failed to intervene – essentially marking these players as “low-risk”.

NetBet’s AML and anti-terrorist financing assessments also failed to recognise key factors when assessing gambling spend, such as “the management of third-party business relationships” and “controls of third-country nationals living in the UK”, the UKGC added.

List of social responsibility failures
On the social responsibility side, the investigation found that NetBet failed to recognise general markers of harm, such as overnight play and escalating deposits, in a timely manner – but only after a manual review was conducted.

Following on from the earlier point about cascading gambling activity, the UKGC assessed that the operator lacked “effective customer interaction systems” that minimise the risk for customers.

Lastly, it was also found that NetBet had submitted “inaccurate information” when filing its regulatory return forms. SBC News has reached out to NetBet for a comment.

UKGC extra vigilant as 2025 nears end
As per the settlement, the UKGC reported that the £650,000 paid by NetBet will be used to fund social responsibility causes.

John Pierce, UKGC Director of Enforcement, said: “This case highlights the serious consequences of failing to meet anti-money laundering and social responsibility obligations.

“We expect all operators to take note and ensure their systems are not only well-designed but are working effectively to protect consumers and to keep crime out of gambling.

“The operator was instructed to take immediate action and make significant improvements to its systems and controls. This included strengthening their risk assessments, improving how they identify and respond to indicators of harm, and ensuring the accuracy of the data they report to us.

“Alongside the £650,000 financial penalty, the operator is also required to commission an independent audit of its policies, procedures, and controls to ensure the necessary improvements they have implemented are properly embedded and remain effective in practice.

“Our focus is on ensuring operators meet the standards we expect, and where they fall short, we will intervene.”

In recent weeks, the UKGC has been ramping up its enforcement of AML regulations, already leading up to several high-profile cases.

Earlier in October, Platinum Gaming, which operates FDJ United-owned Unibet in the UK, was issued a whopping £10m penalty over similar social responsibility and AML failures.

The AML clampdown is not limited to just iGaming, however, with the Victoria Gate Casino in Leeds getting its licence suspended whilst the regulator undertakes a review of its AML standards.

All of the above goes to show that the UKGC is not messing around when it comes to financial compliance and regulatory penalties – something that both iGaming and land-based operators should take at heart given the expected tax increases in next year’s Budget.

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Luxembourg favours state monopoly as gambling reform debate awaits settlement 

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Luxembourg appears to be at a crossroads as to how its gambling market will be regulated, with ministers divided between market liberalisation or the reintroduction of a full state-controlled monopoly under its 48-year-old gambling law.

Political concerns over gambling addiction in the Grand Duchy have grown in 2025, due to the ease of online gambling being promoted to citizens of Luxembourg via foreign media networks and internet service providers (ISPs).

Deliberations in October saw Dan Biancalana of the Luxembourg Socialist Party call on the government to curb the spread of interactive gaming machines in cafés and update restrictions on online betting and casino platforms..

In response, Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue confirmed that reform is underway to grant exclusive rights to the National Lottery and the country’s sole casino, Casino 2000, in Mondorf-les-Bains.

Under the proposal, cafés would be limited to National Lottery-operated terminals, with all other gaming devices including skill-based machines prohibited. On online gambling, the government is considering whether to allow the casino to operate a licensed platform, while assessing technical implications under European law on geo-blocking and player protection.

“According to European case law, you can create such a monopoly, but then you must protect your citizens,” Margue told parliament, adding that “complex discussions are ongoing with all concerned parties” to determine the scope of reform.

National media outlets report that the Justice Ministry has begun consultations with the National Lottery, Casino 2000, and other ministries on the structure of a potential state-run monopoly to control both retail and online gambling channels.

Currently, Luxembourg’s gambling activity remains limited to the Loterie Nationale and Casino 2000, with proceeds from lottery and sports betting supporting social and cultural projects through the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte.

While European law allows for a monopoly system in gambling, Luxembourg must demonstrate that it can engineer such a model to serve in the “public-interest objectives of harm prevention and consumer protection” — rather than state revenue generation.

The monopoly debate continues reforms initiated earlier this year, when the Justice Ministry initiated discussions to overhaul the 1977 Gambling Law,, to combat illegal and unlicensed betting. The new framework aims to address unregulated machines in restaurants and adapt to the “realities and challenges of the 21st century.”

However, PM Luc Frieden has so stood on the sidelines of the debate, emphasising awareness and player responsibility over restrictive legislation. He highlighted the National Lottery’s responsible-gambling measures, including transparent odds, betting limits, and educational campaigns about the social and psychological consequences of gambling.

Sports betting has been legal only since 2009 and is offered exclusively via LoterieSport.lu, a subsidiary of Loterie Nationale launched in 2024 — at the time promoted by the government as “the safest and most secure environment for Luxembourg nationals to gamble on”

The ongoing parliamentary debate has outlined a potential hybrid framework, preserving state control through the National Lottery while granting a single, regulated online concession to Casino 2000.

Another scenario under review would see Luxembourg ring-fence its licensing system, issuing a limited number of permits for specific gambling activities. However, such an approach could conflict with EU competition and single-market principles, particularly around free movement of services and market access.

2026 will reveal whether policymakers favour state stewardship as the most effective path to curb addiction and illegal play — or whether a more open, competitive licensing model aligned with wider European trends ultimately prevails.

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Spribe suspension shows Commission is turning attention to B2B firms

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has suspended the licence of Aviator-developer Spribe OÜ. The Poland-based company held a software licence with the Commission, but the regulator states it has come across cases of ‘serious non-compliance’ with its hosting requirements. In short, it appears that Spribe has been carrying out casino game hosting without holding the appropriate licence from the UKGC. The company…

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iGaming Daily: From Courts to Casinos: NBA Scandal and Canadian Ad Bill

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In today’s episode of iGaming Daily, SBC Media Manager Charlie Horner is joined by Tom Nightingale, Senior Business Journalist at Canadian Gaming Business/SBC Americas, and Justin Byers, Business Journalist at SBC Americas, as they discuss the recent arrests of several NBA figures following an FBI gambling investigation, and explore industry reaction alongside a proposed federal…

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Romania child gambling rates put strain on national support network

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Romania is lacking experts to deal with higher-than-EU average rates of gambling among minors, politicians have cautioned.

Comments were made by Daniel David, Minister of Education and Research, who based his concerns on the European ESPAD 2024 report, which showed that Romanian youth were among the most prolific users of tobacco, alcohol and gambling in Europe.

David highlighted that the country is not equipped with enough mental health experts to effectively deal with the nationwide compulsive behaviours among children.

“We are above the average in terms of alcohol consumption, smoking, gambling and online addiction,” he said, cited by Romania’s national news agency Agerpres.

“We do not have enough specialists or enough centers. When I say that we do not have specialists, I mean those specifically trained in this field, based on scientifically validated protocols. These are the levels that we need to develop.”

Despite a plethora of awareness campaigns conducted in schools over the last few years, David stressed that compulsive behaviours are most effectively tackled within the family environment, with parents having to take on a proactive role in the prevention and support process.

The Minister raised the topic during a roundtable discussion in the city of Sibiu, where he was joined by a number of healthcare professionals and representatives of child care bodies.

In attendance was also Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of the Romanian branch of international NGO Save the Children, who provided an in-depth look at the exact rate of gambling among under-18s.

She claimed that 14% of children have participated in gambling for money at least once in their lifetime, while 40% know of a peer who gambles.

The numbers are based on the organisation’s recent study on gambling behaviours among minors, which Save the Children has used as a base to call for a blanket ban on all advertisements in the country.

Furthermore, Alexandrescu added that one in 10 children have a family member who is addicted to gambling, which circles back to David’s comment on family support – showing that the adult is often the one who needs help and the impact of their gambling can be felt by other family members.

On that note, the local gambling sector has been continuously advocating for better problem gambling education and stronger self-exclusion policies to better protect the local population.

With a newly-restructured gambling regulator in the face of the ONJN, it remains to be seen whether policymakers will answer these calls.

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KSA Chairman: Gambling needs collective accountability to kill black market hydra

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Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Gambling Authority of the Netherlands has declared that illegal gambling is now the principal threat to every regulated jurisdiction.

Speaking at the IAGR 2025 Conference in Toronto, Groothuizen urged regulators to “take ownership” of illegal gambling threats and called for the creation of an Interpol-style international network to coordinate global enforcement and information sharing.
“Illegal gambling is no longer a peripheral problem — it is the principal threat to every regulated market in the world,” he said. “We must act together as if we are the issue owner here.”

A 21st-century battle
Groothuizen described the challenge facing regulators as a technological mismatch between agile criminal networks and slow-moving authorities.

“It feels like we’re fighting a 21st-century war with medieval tech,” IAGR delegates were told. “Bigger and bolder ideas are needed to fight the black market, and that requires a deeper pool of stakeholders with technical expertise.”

He explained that current enforcement tools were designed in an earlier era of gambling regulation, long before the rise of smartphones, crypto transactions and AI-driven marketing — innovations that have transformed how unlicensed operators reach consumers.

“The incredible worldwide rise of smartphones and the incredibly fast growth of technology have made it harder to reach our goals, instead of easier,” he added.

Black Market is never stationary
The KSA Chair said the illegal sector has evolved into a fast-moving global ecosystem that consistently outpaces national law enforcement while threatening consumer safety.

“Illegal operators are innovative and agile. They are our most difficult opponent,” he warned. “We are battling a 21st-century opponent with outdated technology, and that puts us at a natural disadvantage.”

In the Netherlands, the issue has reached critical levels. While over 90% of players still use legal sites, the GGR-based channelisation rate has dropped below 50%, meaning half of all gambling spend now flows to unlicensed operators.

“We warned the government for a tsunami of advertising—and were proved right,” he said. “But if the market gives way to illegal actors, the situation will only worsen.”

He explained that advertising restrictions, while politically popular, have inadvertently pushed consumers towards the very black market the Dutch regime was designed to contain.

Thinking beyond political sensitivities

Groothuizen acknowledged that Dutch policymakers now view gambling as a “high-risk product”, shifting away from the liberalisation agenda that defined the 2021 market opening.

Since 2023, the government has banned celebrity endorsements, outlawed untargeted advertising, and imposed a €700 monthly deposit limit per operator.

“This change of direction is driven by the idea that existing policies do not protect people adequately,” he stated but warned of “ the risk is that overregulation pushes consumers towards unsafe, unaccountable environments—precisely the outcome our laws were designed to prevent.”

He cautioned that the growing compliance burden, combined with declining GGR, has made it harder for licensed firms to compete with unlicensed operators which face none of these constraints.

Though political sensitivities have changed towards gambling since regulation, a complete fallout could be witnessed to the black market.

Big Tech must be engaged
The KSA Chairman stressed that defeating the black market will be impossible without confronting its digital and financial enablers.

“There’s no escaping Big Tech’s involvement,” Groothuizen said. “Social media platforms are the frontline where many consumers encounter illegal gambling for the first time.”

He described how rogue operators buy up expired Dutch web domains — from restaurants and schools to coaches and small businesses — to boost their SEO rankings and funnel users to illegal sites. Influencers, he warned, are being used to promote offshore casinos to young audiences through livestreams.

“Those who do not know that an illegal website exists are not likely to visit it. And those who cannot make a deposit will quickly leave,” he said. “The solution must therefore include the actors who make the market possible in the first place.”

He urged regulators to engage directly with technology platforms and payment providers, or, failing that, push for EU-mandated minimum standards modelled on anti-money-laundering rules.

“We must engage with these parties, but we must also not be afraid to stir things up and act against them ourselves,” he said. “If we do not encounter enough cooperation, then European institutions must step in.”

Towards a Gambling Interpol
Groothuizen’s most ambitious proposal is the formation of a “gambling Interpol” — an international framework through which regulators can share intelligence, coordinate enforcement and apply collective pressure on enablers of the illegal trade.
“Let us put our efforts mainly into a sort of gambling Interpol — first Europe-wide, then perhaps worldwide,” he proposed. “The illegal market knows no borders. Our cooperation should be no different.”

He explained that existing bilateral efforts have proved insufficient. Illegal operators reappear under new domains within hours, nullifying traditional enforcement tactics.

“It’s like battling a Hydra — cut off one head, and two more appear,” he warned.

Groothuizen closed his speech by reframing the fight against illegal gambling as a matter of shared global responsibility rather than national jurisdiction.

“One might wonder who ultimately bears responsibility: the regulators, the politicians, or the big companies in tech and finance that help keep the market running,” he said. “But the fact that there is no clear answer does not absolve us.”

He called on regulators, governments, and industry partners to treat the protection of consumers as a collective moral duty… “Let us all act as if we are the issue owner here,” he concluded.

“Only by taking ownership together can we create an ecosystem capable of protecting players and striking a real blow to the illegal market.”

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EGBA launches standards for responsible influencer marketing

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has teamed up with the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) to launch a new set of standards for responsible influencer marketing across Europe’s gambling sector.The Pledge on Responsible Influencer Marketing in Online Gambling  is the first industry-wide set of influencer marketing standards in Europe’s gambling sector. EGBA Secretary…

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