New data published today indicates that during the British Covid-19 lock-down there was no rise in concerns about illegal gambling sites.
The statistics indicate that there have been no increase in the Gambling Commission records since 23 March – with 12 complaints over 9 sites in the month of March and 11 complaints over 11 sites over the during April.
In the last 12 months, the number of reports has been constant.
The Commission has a team of experts tracking illegal gambling data and then use a variety of techniques for countering illegal websites and ensuring they do not offer British customers services. The regulator also works to educate the industry and the public about the risks of criminal activity, in coordination with the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSC).
Richard Watson, Executive Director in Gambling Commission said:
“Our statistics do not indicate that there was an rise in illegal gambling in Britain in the Covid-19 crisis.
”It is an area we monitor carefully and where we find problems we use our broad range of investigatory powers, alongside stakeholders such as software providers, payment businesses and hosting companies.
“Tackling illegal websites and unlicensed operators is challenging and it is also resource intensive, but we are committed to continuing our work in this area to protect consumers here in Britain.”
