The UK Gambling Commission has posted a new senior 'Head of Illegal Markets' position with a base salary of £65,000 – a figure widely criticized by industry observers as inadequate given the scope of the challenge: a black market that has surged to £16.6 billion in 2025. Speaking at the Bingo Association AGM on May 7, acting chief executive Sarah Gardner welcomed £26 million in new government funding over three years, saying it would allow the regulator to tackle land-based illegal gambling 'arguably for the first time in a serious way.'
Black Market Explodes to £16.6B
Research from H2 Gambling Capital, cited by the Betting and Gaming Council, shows the unlicensed UK gambling market reached £16.6 billion in 2025, up from around £5 billion in 2019 – more than tripling in six years. Separate analysis by WARC indicates that unlicensed operators will exceed £1 billion in UK advertising spend by 2028, with illegal sites already accounting for roughly 42 percent of the country's £1.9 billion gambling ad spend in 2026.
Enforcement Ramps Up
Even before the new role and funding, the Commission has been active. Executive director Tim Miller reported at the Ethical Gambling Forum on April 28 that during 2025-26 the regulator issued 741 cease-and-desist notices, reported almost 400,000 URLs to search engines, referred over 1,000 websites for delisting, and disrupted 1,134 additional sites through takedown or geo-blocking. Miller called on Meta, Google, and Visa for a coordinated response.
The hire comes during a leadership transition: Andrew Rhodes stepped down as CEO on April 30; Gardner became acting CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement. In January, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport launched a dedicated illegal gambling task force led by gambling minister Baroness Twycross to coordinate enforcement across agencies, law enforcement, and major platforms.
Crypto Regulation on the Horizon
The Commission is also exploring bringing cryptocurrencies into the regulated gambling framework. At the BGC Annual General Meeting in February, Miller said the Industry Forum has been tasked with examining how crypto assets could fund legal gambling under the FCA's incoming regulatory regime, expected to take effect on October 25, 2027. Operators offering crypto-funded gambling would need FCA authorization.
The £65,000 salary has been widely flagged in trade press and on LinkedIn as out of step with the problem size. Whether the Commission can attract a senior candidate capable of working alongside Gardner and utilizing the £26 million funding will be an early test of its commitment to tackling illegal gambling at scale.