Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has arrested four men and seized more than £20,000 during a coordinated operation targeting suspected illegal gambling and unlicensed business activity in Manchester city centre.
Officers executed four warrants on the evening of 21 September 2026, conducting enforcement activity in Deansgate and other central Manchester locations. The operation involved the UK Gambling Commission and Manchester City Council’s Licensing Team.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences, while a third was detained on suspicion of money laundering and providing gambling facilities without authorisation, contrary to the Gambling Act. A fourth man was arrested on suspicion of operating a late-night takeaway without the required licence.
All four remained in police custody when the arrests were announced on 22 September.
Investigators recovered more than £20,000 in cash suspected to be linked to money laundering, which was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Officers also confiscated mobile phones, gambling tables, financial records, account books and other gambling-related equipment.
The latest raids followed intelligence gathered during an earlier investigation in May, including information extracted from previously seized mobile phones.
Investigation Builds on Earlier Manchester Gambling Raid
The September operation follows a joint enforcement action conducted on 28 May at a property on Chester Road in Manchester city centre.
During that raid, police, Gambling Commission officials and council licensing officers discovered gambling tables, chips, financial records, alcohol and other materials. Cash and mobile phones were also confiscated.
A 33-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Gambling Act 2005 and Licensing Act 2003.
The two individuals arrested in May, Wing Suet Mak and Tsz To Kwok, are scheduled to appear before Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court in late September.
PC Nial Vivian of GMP’s Manchester City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team said the latest operation demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led investigations and cooperation between local police, gambling regulators and licensing authorities.
He confirmed that the four simultaneous warrants had produced additional evidence and investigative leads, with further enforcement action possible as officers continue examining suspected illegal gambling and associated criminal activity.
Gambling Commission Reinforces Action Against Unlicensed Operators
The Manchester investigation forms part of wider efforts by UK authorities to disrupt gambling businesses operating outside the regulated market.
In 2025, a comparable investigation in Birmingham resulted in four arrests linked to suspected illegal gambling premises. West Midlands Police subsequently warned that some unlicensed venues used deceptive practices to extract money from customers, with international students among those targeted.
Similar enforcement operations have also taken place internationally. Earlier in September 2026, German authorities raided 11 suspected illegal gambling premises following a three-year investigation into an operation involving nearly €6 billion (£5.1 billion) in reported stakes.
Authorities in Cambodia and Vietnam have also conducted operations against suspected illegal gambling networks.
Sue Young, Executive Director of Operations at the UK Gambling Commission, reiterated the regulator’s commitment to working with police forces to dismantle unlicensed gambling businesses.
Young warned that illegal operators can expose vulnerable individuals to exploitation, maintain connections with wider criminal networks and undermine businesses operating within the regulated gambling market.
The Commission intends to continue supporting joint enforcement operations with police and local authorities as investigations into suspected illegal gambling activity proceed.