BGC Tells Tech Giants: Do More to Stop Illegal Gambling Ads
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has gone public with its frustration at major technology companies, accusing them of failing to protect British consumers from a wave of illegal gambling advertising. According to Casino.org, the trade body — which represents around 90% of the UK’s regulated gambling market, including Flutter, Entain, bet365 and Rank Group — published an open letter directed at tech platforms demanding urgent action.
The letter, written by BGC CEO Grainne Hurst and first reported by City AM, argues that social media networks, search engines, messaging apps and affiliate websites are being used by unlicensed offshore operators to reach people in the UK — including those who have already self-excluded from gambling.
“The issue is no longer whether this problem can be addressed. The issue is whether enough is being done,” Hurst wrote, pointing to the artificial intelligence and detection tools already available to tech firms.
The scale of the problem is significant. Research from WARC estimates that illegal operators currently account for around half of all gambling advertising spend in the UK and are on track to overtake the regulated sector within two years. Meanwhile, H2 Gambling Capital projects that money staked on unlicensed sites could rise from £17 billion in 2025 to more than £33 billion by 2028 — meaning roughly one in every five pounds bet online would go to sites operating outside regulatory oversight.
The BGC is calling on tech companies to remove unlawful content before it reaches users, strengthen detection capabilities, share intelligence across platforms, and be more transparent about their enforcement efforts. Hurst also stressed the need for closer collaboration between technology firms, regulators, law enforcement and the gambling industry.
On the government side, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced plans earlier this year for a new Illegal Gambling Taskforce, bringing together stakeholders from gambling, payments, technology and law enforcement to focus initially on payment systems and online advertising.
For UK players, the concern is straightforward: unlicensed sites operate without the consumer protections required of regulated operators — no self-exclusion tools, no affordability checks, no recourse if something goes wrong. Staying with licensed, regulated platforms is always the safer choice.
Keep up with the latest developments in our casino news section, and if you want to understand how UK licensing works, our guides have you covered.
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