The Gambling Commission’s (GC) illegal gambling enforcement activity has led to the geo-blocking of 108 websites run by illegal operators during between April and June 2025.
The figure is almost triple the 37 websites blocked during the period between July and September 2024.
This data was outlined in the regulator’s latest report into its work against the black market, published today (21 October) and titled ‘Illegal online gambling: Disruption of illegal online gambling’. This is the third in a series of chapters released by the GC.
The second chapter of the report was released in last month, which revealed that over 1,000 illegal gambling websites were accessed by customers between May 2024 and July 2025.
During the period April to June 2025, the GC issued 222 cease and desist orders to illegal operators, affiliates and other advertisers, sent 147 referrals to domain registrars or hosts, and referred 321 websites to search engines for further examination.
That work led to 214 websites being removed from search engines, 42 websites or ads removed by affiliates and other advertisers, and 22 websites removed or suspended by the registrar or host.
Since July 2024, the GC actioned 288 websites from offshore operators being geo-blocked, 175 websites or ads being removed by affiliates and other advertisers, 59 websites removed or suspended by its domain host, and 616 websites removed by search engines.
The regulator noted that illegal websites are increasingly using licenced websites unethically to try and increase the visibility of their black market platforms.
Part of the report read: “Aggressive marketing campaigns using unethical tactics are often used by unlicenced sites to maximise their visibility to internet users, and methods used expose users who are often not online for the purpose of visiting any gambling website, licensed or not.
“The high visibility of illegal sites is achieved through campaigns using highly trusted sites and linking via other resources as a tool to reach a wider audience base through unethical search engine manipulation tactics.
“The intricate linking strategies, combined with other web architecture manipulation practices has led to an additional cease and desist notice now starting to be developed to specifically focus on the targeting of digital marketing associated with illegal gambling websites.”
The GC’s Illegal Markets division is also using Python coding to develop more sophisticated analysis on illegal platforms, utilising several referral routes to flag suspicious activity to search engines, as well as improving its communication with international regulators in order to combat the black market threat.
John Pierce, enforcement director at the GC, outlined in a corresponding blog on the regulator’s site how illegal operators are adapting their strategies to maximise their reach in the UK market.
He said: “Illegal operators are rapidly adapting their tactics, using domain rotation, cloaking and embedding gambling content in unrelated websites. Some sites change their display depending on the device used, while others employ unusual advertising methods such as Google Maps to draw in users.
“These behaviours, while presenting new challenges, indicates that illegal operators are having to adapt their approach in response to our work and our interventions are having some impact.”
Pierce explained that the chances of completely eliminating illegal gambling practices are slim, despite the GC’s best efforts.
He added: “Dismantling any illegal market is notoriously difficult. It requires joint effort, creative thinking and an acceptance that no single solution will be sufficient. Given the scale of revenue involved, it’s unlikely we will ever fully dismantle the ecosystem surrounding illegal gambling, which is increasingly sophisticated, digitally driven and global in scale.
“Illegal gambling is not a static threat – it is adaptive, opportunistic and increasingly embedded in digital ecosystems on the international stage.
“Through targeted disruption, strategic partnerships and continued investment in capability, we are building a resilient and effective framework to protect consumers and uphold the integrity of the regulated sector. We are making progress – and we are committed to going further.
“Addressing illegal gambling will take time, coordinated support and sustained effort. The threat will remain with us, and we must continue to find new ways to disrupt and adapt as online illegal markets continue to evolve and present new technological challenges.”
The post GC ramps up black market crackdown as website blockings nearly triple between April and June 2025 first appeared on EGR Intel.
Regulator geo-blocks 108 websites from offshore operators, with 214 websites removed from search engines during timeframe
The post GC ramps up black market crackdown as website blockings nearly triple between April and June 2025 first appeared on EGR Intel.