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  3. The 2026 money laundering and terrorist financing risks within the British gambling industry

Guidance

The 2026 money laundering and terrorist financing risks within the British gambling industry

The Gambling Commission's money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment of the British gambling industry for 2026.

Published
30 July 2026

Last updated
30 July 2026 - Changes

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  1. Contents
  2. 3 - The threat of money laundering and terrorist financing in the gambling industry

3 - The threat of money laundering and terrorist financing in the gambling industry

The money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) threats that the gambling industry faces are diverse, complex and rapidly evolving. There is a need to respond to rapid changes in the use of technology, as well as managing the risks of innovative payment methods. These include advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and the evolution of high-velocity digital payment systems (such as those involving cryptoassets), fake identities generated using AI, and altered identification documents. This makes it difficult to detect sophisticated transaction structuring and advanced automation. The Gambling Commission has set out its approach to AI on its website.

The National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (the NRA)(opens in new tab)(PDF) notes that the most common occurrences of ML through licensed casinos are in the form of recreational spending of criminal property, however there are also instances of attempts by criminals to ‘clean’ illicit funds through casinos.

Money launderers and terrorist financers use similar methods to store, move and obtain funds, although their motives may differ.

It is important that the Commission and gambling operators remain on guard to the financial crime risks inherent in gambling, and work to mitigate ML and TF risks.

If left unimpeded, there is the potential for:

  • the exploitation of the gambling sector for the purposes of ML and TF
  • the facilitation of criminal activity and detriment to society
  • resulting penalties, fines or sanctions for gambling operators with punitive outcomes for serious breaches.
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2026 money laundering and risks - Introduction Next section
2026 money laundering and risks - Regulatory framework
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