Gambling Commission Acting Chief Executive Sarah Gardner delivered a comprehensive keynote address at the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) Conference in Lima, Peru, on October 20, 2026.
Speaking before international regulatory peers, Gardner shared key insights regarding Great Britain’s mature gambling market, the ongoing implementation of the Gambling Act Review, and intensified efforts to suppress the underground illegal market.
Providing an overview of the domestic market, Gardner noted that for the year ending March 2026, Great Britain’s total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) reached seventeen point five billion pounds, representing a 4.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Excluding lotteries, commercial GGY stood at thirteen point two billion pounds, up 4.7 per cent, with remote betting, casino, and bingo accounting for eight point three billion pounds. Participation rates remained stable at 47 per cent of adults aged 18 and over participating in gambling over a four-week period, or 27 per cent when excluding lottery-only players.
Scaling up action against illegal gambling
A core focus of Gardner’s address centered on the Commission’s escalated campaign against unauthorized operators. Backed by an upcoming twenty-six million pound government funding allocation spread over three years, the regulator has expanded its operational scope. Prior to receiving the first seven million pounds of this new funding in April 2026, the Commission relied on strategic partnerships with internet search giants, payment providers, and law enforcement agencies to deliver significant disruptive impact during the 2025–26 financial year.
Specifically, the regulator issued 741 cease and desist notices to advertisers and operators, reported 397,527 URLs to search engines resulting in 266,667 removals, referred 1,068 websites for delisting, and successfully disrupted 1,134 websites through takedowns or geo-blocking. Gardner emphasized that upcoming powers allowing the Commission to apply for court-ordered IP and domain name suspensions will further strengthen its enforcement toolkit.
New research into illegal market consumer motivations
Coinciding with the conference, the Commission published new research exploring the profiles and motivations of individuals who engage with the illegal market. Building on previous findings identifying four distinct consumer groups, self-excluders, social explorers, skilled advocates, and accidental tourists, the quantitative phase surveyed over 4,000 gamblers.
The findings indicated that while general experience-focused factors varied, deliberate access-related drivers, such as seeking sites bypassing self-exclusion tools like GamStop or avoiding personal data checks, increased notably among self-excluders and skilled advocates.
Gardner also addressed the ongoing rollout of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs), highlighting the successful pilot utilizing credit reference data to protect high-spending customers from severe default risks without adding friction for the vast majority of players. Despite facing tactical resistance and criticism from various commentators regarding consultation processes, Gardner reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to implementing measures that tackle documented consumer harms.
Concluding her address, Gardner praised the invaluable collaborative network provided by IAGR, stressing that global regulatory cooperation remains essential in maintaining safer, fairer, and crime-free gambling environments worldwide.
