UKGC Says It Cannot Tackle Big Corporations and Criminal Gangs Alone

The UKGC has commented on the growing threat of the gaming black market, expressing concerns about its capability to tackle some of the most dangerous black market actors. The regulatory body emphasized that its regulatory efforts have their limits and it cannot realistically tackle huge corporations and criminal gangs all by itself.

Miller Praised the Government’s Extra Funding

Tim Miller, executive director of the UKGC, just held a speech at the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) Annual General Meeting on February 26. In addition to discussing the potential of legalizing crypto payments, he also addressed the growing threat of the black market.

While Miller was pleased with the extra GBP 26 million the Treasury committed to the UKGC per the new budget, he added that the commission is a fairly small organization that cannot do things on its own.

As a result, the UKGC must collaborate with social media firms, big tech, and affiliates in order to tackle the black market. He added that he was pleased with the creation of the government’s illegal gambling task force, which includes representatives from finance and social media.

In a Q&A after the speech, Miller elaborated further on the limits of what the UKGC can do.

The UKGC Should Be Realistic When Tackling Big Corporations and Mobsters

While Miller was pleased with the progress in creating a united front, he also emphasized that the biggest threats to the regulated UK gaming market include huge international corporations and Russian criminal gangs – entities that are too large for the UKGC to deal with by itself.

Miller emphasized that the UKGC is taking a “robust approach” in collaboration with other regulatory bodies but noted that it is important to remain “realistic” as to what the commission can achieve.

We are a fairly small public body based in Birmingham in the West Midlands, often trying to take on either big multinational corporations or criminal gangs based in places like Russia. So, we’ve got to be realistic about what we can achieve.

Tim Miller

In the meantime, the UKGC just parted ways with its chief executive officer, Andrew Rhodes, marking a major internal shift. According to the announcement, Rhodes was set to take up a new role, which was not disclosed as of the time of the announcement’s publication.