UK publishes Illegal Gambling Taskforce terms of reference
Table of contents
- DCMS has published formal terms of reference for the Illegal Gambling Taskforce, first launched in January 2026.
- The group will focus on three workstreams: disrupting payments to unlicensed operators, tackling illegal advertising, and improving cross-agency enforcement.
- Meetings will be held under the Chatham House rule, with individual member identities withheld from publication.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published the formal terms of reference for the UK’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce, setting out the group’s objectives, governance structure and 12-month timeline as the government intensifies its effort against unlicensed operators.
Three-track approach
The terms of reference set out three workstreams: preventing or reducing payments to and from illegal gambling operators; tackling the online advertising of illegal gambling; and improving cross-agency collaboration and enforcement relating to both illegal remote and land-based gambling.
A dedicated sub-group will be established for each area, responsible for reporting progress and recommendations back to the full taskforce. The document recommends sub-groups meet at least quarterly.
Google, Mastercard, TikTok and Visa are among the companies confirmed as participants when the taskforce was announced by DCMS in January 2026, alongside gambling industry representatives, law enforcement agencies and regulators.
Governance and limits
The terms of reference set a 12-month mandate for the taskforce, which will meet at least twice a year. After that period, its remit and membership will be reviewed and renewed if necessary. All meetings will be held under the Chatham House rule, and the names of specific organisations and individuals involved will not be published.
The taskforce’s remit is explicitly limited to identifying solutions relating to the facilitation and promotion of illegal gambling, particularly online. It will not direct or intervene in operational matters carried out by the Gambling Commission.
Tim Miller, executive director of the Gambling Commission, speaking at the Betting and Gaming Council AGM on 26 February 2026, said:
“I’m delighted with the good start made by the Government’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce, which I sit on and chair one of its subgroups. It includes representatives from finance and the world of social media and I know getting those sectors to actively help suppress illegal gambling is something the Minister is equally committed to.”
The Gambling Commission’s 2026–27 business plan confirms the regulator will receive £26m in Exchequer funding over three years to develop its strategic approach to unlicensed operators. Miller noted that tackling the illegal market is the only part of the Commission’s work to receive that Exchequer allocation.
Wider crackdown context
The terms of reference arrive at a moment of heightened regulatory activity. The Gambling Commission recently advertised for a head of illegal markets for the first time — a role that will lead enforcement strategy, intelligence gathering and disruption of unlicensed operators.
The BGC estimates 1.5 million people are staking up to £4.3bn on unlicensed platforms. Research published by harm prevention organisation Deal Me Out found that more than £10m had been deposited by UK adult consumers into black market sites, with 67% of respondents having previously self-excluded via GamStop from licensed operators.
Separately, WARC analysis commissioned by the BGC projects unlicensed operators will spend around £844.7m on UK advertising in 2025–26, a 32% year-on-year rise — reinforcing the case for urgent action on the taskforce’s advertising workstream.
The taskforce is running in parallel with a separate DCMS consultation, announced in February 2026, on banning unlicensed operators from sponsoring British sports clubs. That consultation is expected to open this spring.
The publication of formal terms of reference gives operators and platform partners greater clarity on how the group intends to operate. The Chatham House framework and the decision to withhold member identities may limit public visibility of progress as the taskforce moves towards issuing its first recommendations later in the year.
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