At the Annual General Meeting of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), one theme overshadowed all others: dismantling the black market is the next generational test for Britain’s gambling sector. The bigger question lingering in the room, however, was whether the industry can maintain unity and credibility in a climate where it remains politically and publicly misunderstood.
This is not a challenge that can be approached gently. Shielding the regulated UK market from illegal operators will demand resources and cooperation far beyond traditional industry governance.
And yet, as several speakers made clear, the decisive factors may not be financial firepower alone. Goodwill, coordination and pragmatic policymaking could prove just as vital, particularly for a sector still navigating scepticism from consumers, media and Westminster.
The call for a “comprehensive and full stakeholder approach” resonated throughout 11 Cavendish Square. Whether that message reaches beyond the AGM stage remains uncertain.
The industry has often described each passing year as pivotal since the BGC’s formation in 2020. But 2026 carries unusual weight. The final measures of the Gambling Act Review White Paper are due for completion, while April will usher in the remote gambling duty adjustments of the so-called “40% era”.
If prior reforms set the tone, this year may represent ground zero in the escalating fight against illegal operators and their increasingly sophisticated tactics.
Addressing delegates, DCMS Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross delivered a confident assessment of the newly formed Illegal Gambling Taskforce. She said she was certain it would produce measurable impact “as early as later this year.”
The initiative aims to align major technology and payment companies, including Google, Meta and Visa, with enforcement authorities to interrupt illegal advertising, marketing and payment flows.
“As part of this work, we will increase financial penalties for those bodies that facilitate illegal gambling advertising, marketing, and content,” she said, “helping to reduce the pipeline of people being drawn into the illegal gambling market and gambling-related harm.”
The direction of travel was unmistakable: enforcement efforts will extend well beyond licensed operators.
In a follow-up interview, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst was asked whether the government had heeded industry concerns about mounting tax pressures, regulatory fees and the statutory levy.
“You could say that they listened as £26m has been allocated to the Gambling Commission to take on the black market,” she responded. “But that misses the point entirely, as we need a full solution to stop consumers engaging with the black market.”
She likened the cumulative financial strain on operators to a precarious game: “It’s as if we are building a Jenga tower; you build it up and up, but at some point it will topple. I am concerned that we are getting to that point now with the mix of regulatory burdens layered on top of tax.”
For Hurst, the issue is not merely structural but deeply personal: “It is personal for me. I genuinely love the industry I represent, and I can’t stand the negativity it gets,” she said and warned politics of the fallout of inertia: “The industry protects consumers. Illegal operators don’t and are a threat to everyone. They target the vulnerable, don’t pay taxes, threaten jobs, our health and our economy.”
Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddlestone defended the Conservative administration’s handling of the Gambling Act Review, describing it as an effort to “protect that balance between consumer safety and economic sustainability.”
Having previously overseen aspects of the Review as a minister between 2020 and 2022, he argued that Labour’s recent budget had unsettled that equilibrium through what he termed an “unprecedented tax hike.” Responsibility for the Review’s final implementation, he insisted, now rests squarely with the current government.
“If this government cares about protecting people, they should care about keeping them in the regulated market,” Huddlestone said, urging ministers to ensure implementation remains “targeted, workable and focused on positive outcomes,” rather than drifting into “blunt, sweeping measures that risk accelerating the very black-market growth we sought to prevent.”