Report
Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023
The Gambling Commission's 2022 to 2023 Annual Report and Accounts. For the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Keeping crime out of gambling
Gambling is a legitimate activity, but it also presents opportunities for criminal activity.
Great Britain’s regulatory framework is considered to be world-leading, particularly in relation to working with partner agencies to deter and detect criminality. This work has continued over the past year and is contributing to a reduction in crime associated with gambling, whilst holding gambling licence holders to account to ensure they are fully meeting their responsibilities. Where they are not meeting our rules, our regulatory action has continued through our targeted compliance activity and enforcement powers.
Gambling operators operate in a global and digital market which can see manipulation of betting events from serious organised crime networks operating at national and international levels. Our ability to collect, analyse and share intelligence with other regulators and agencies, and work collaboratively with other jurisdictions, continues to be key to safeguarding British consumers’ interests.
Our highlights in this area
The following sets out our highlights over the past year for the deliverable of keeping crime out of gambling.
More than ever, we continued to build relationships domestically and internationally to share experiences, good practice and expert knowledge. This included at the 2022 International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) Conference in Melbourne where we delivered keynote speeches and took part in a variety of specialist sessions. The next conference will take place in Botswana in October 2023.
We continued to apply national and international best practice through the effective implementation of the Money Laundering Regulations and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (opens in new tab).
Our enforcement activity continued against gambling operators and personal licence holders who failed to meet standards around anti-money laundering, social responsibility controls and customer interaction issues. During the reporting year we suspended 5 operating licences and one personal management licence. In total £60.1 million (£20.9 million in fines and £39.2 million in regulatory settlements) was paid by a total of 24 gambling operators.
We continued to work closely with sports associations, tournament organisers and law-enforcement partners to achieve regulatory and criminal justice outcomes relating to betting integrity issues. Our work in this area also supports the Sport and Sports Betting Integrity Plan, the UK Anti-Corruption Strategy and UK His Majesty's (HM) Government's commitment to the Macolin Convention (also known as The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions).
In 2022, our support included working closely with partners leading up to several major competitions that took place in the United Kingdom (UK), including the UEFA Women's Euros, the Birmingham-hosted Commonwealth Games, and the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
Our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit received over 511 reports which included issues such as suspicious betting activity, sports rules breaches, misuse of inside information and Gambling Act offences. Football and tennis account for the largest proportions of these reports, as was the case in 2021 to 2022.
Our intelligence team generated 2,733 intelligence reports, relating to a number of issues including sports-related issues, social media lotteries, unlicensed remote gambling operators and money laundering.
A total of 223 Incident Referral Forms (IRFs) were escalated for consideration this year. These are cases which are progressed to the Gambling Commission's Internal Management Group to review key issues, including any risks or breaches of licencing objectives or Social Responsibility Code and a reference to any alleged offences under the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab) (or other legislation).
We conducted a total of 69 assessments of online and land-based gambling operators and also carried out 28 website reviews and 266 security audits. Additionally, we commenced 25 personal licence reviews and closed 34, with some overlapping from the 2021 to 2022 financial year.
Additionally, we processed 150 operator licence applications, with 1,900 individuals applying for a personal licence, supported by our online platform.
Carried out the preparatory work ahead of the implementation of the Economic Crime Levy (ECL). The ECL is an annual charge on licensed casino operators who are supervised under the Money Laundering Regulations (MLR) and whose (UK) revenue exceeds £10.2 million per year, and will be collected by the Commission, from the 1 April 2023. The Commission effectively acts as an agent for collecting the levy, which will be paid to HM Treasury, less the cost of administration. More information is shown within Note 5(d), Economic Crime Levy Income.
Last updated: 18 October 2023
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