The UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has strongly denied allegations that some of its member companies have been supplying content to illegal gambling operators, pushing back against claims raised during a House of Lords committee hearing.
The accusations emerged as the debate over unlicensed gambling continues to intensify across the UK. Authorities have increased efforts to tackle the black market through dedicated funding and enforcement initiatives, while licensed operators have repeatedly warned about the growing threat posed by illegal competitors.
At the hearing on 17 June, a campaign group alleged that several game suppliers affiliated with the BGC were connected to unlicensed gambling websites, including Donbet and MyStake. However, attempts to verify the claims proved difficult. Testing carried out on the sites failed to provide access to the games mentioned in the report, leaving the allegations unconfirmed.
Responding to the accusations, BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst said the suggestion that members ignore black market activity was entirely inaccurate. She stated that the companies named had categorically denied supplying content to illegal operators and argued that the issue instead highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by criminal gambling networks.
According to Hurst, illegal operators are often able to clone legitimate games and misuse intellectual property, creating the impression that licensed suppliers are involved when they are not. She described this practice as a key challenge in the fight against unregulated gambling.
The BGC also stressed that any member found to be knowingly supplying the black market would face severe consequences. Such a company would lose eligibility for BGC membership and could also risk losing its licence from the UK Gambling Commission.
The report behind the allegations additionally criticised the Gambling Commission for not blocking access to the websites in question. However, the regulator currently lacks the authority to order domain blocks, unlike some of its European counterparts. That situation is expected to change soon, with new powers set to allow the Commission to seek court orders targeting specific domains connected to illegal gambling activity.
The dispute comes at a time when concerns about the scale and sophistication of the UK’s illegal gambling market are growing, placing additional pressure on regulators, operators and technology providers to strengthen enforcement efforts.