No Uplift in Illegal Gambling Complaints According to UKGC’s New Data

The UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) research department has published new data regarding the number of illegal gambling complaints. New data shows that there has been no increase in the number of complaints about illegal gambling websites during Britain’s Covid-19 lockdown.

The data shows that since 23 March there has been no spike in reports to the Gambling Commission – with a total of 12 complaints about nine sites in March, and 11 complaints surrounding 11 sites during April. The number of reports has been stable over the past 12 months.

Richard Watson, Executive Director of UKGC, said: “Our data does not indicate there has been an increase in any illegal gambling in Britain during the Covid-19 crisis.

“It is an area we monitor carefully and where we find problems we use our broad range of investigatory powers, alongside stakeholders such as software providers, payment businesses and hosting companies.

“Tackling illegal websites and unlicensed operators is challenging and it is also resource intensive, but we are committed to continuing our work in this area to protect consumers here in Britain.”