UK betting operators urge payment blocks and tougher penalties in five-point push against the black market

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has laid out a five-point plan aimed at illegal gambling operators targeting British consumers. For regulated PSPs and acquirers, the interesting part is not the slogans: it is the explicit call for payment blocks, stronger enforcement against enablers, and faster disruption of the networks that keep the black market moving.

1. The BGC says social media companies should be made responsible for removing illegal gambling content and advertisements. It argues that illegal operators increasingly rely on social media, search engines and online advertising to reach customers, and says WARC analysis found illegal operators now account for almost half of all UK gambling advertising spend, with a projection that they will overtake licensed operators by 2028.
2. The trade body also wants the Gambling Commission to get stronger powers to block illegal gambling websites, remove unlicensed gambling apps and disrupt criminal operators. It cites H2 Gambling Capital analysis suggesting that the amount staked with illegal operators in the UK has risen to £16.6bn, more than tripling since 2019.
3. On payments, the BGC does not spell out the exact mechanism, but it says payment providers should be prevented from facilitating transactions linked to illegal gambling operators. In practice, that means pressure on the financial layer of the black market, not just on the websites and ads customers see.
4. The fourth point is to “hold enablers accountable” by introducing “meaningful penalties” for companies that knowingly provide advertising, payment processing, hosting or other services to illegal gambling businesses. The BGC’s argument is that these services form the infrastructure that lets criminal operators reach British consumers.
5. The fifth measure is criminal sanctions for operators. The BGC is calling on lawmakers, regulators, technology companies and financial institutions to work together to shut down illegal gambling operations and says failure to act would leave consumers exposed to fraud, criminality and gambling-related harm.

The BGC says it represents around 90 per cent of the regulated UK betting and gaming industry, so this is not a fringe complaint. For PSPs serving high-risk verticals, the message is straightforward: the UK industry wants a tighter enforcement stack, and payments are now explicitly part of it.