The UK Playing Fee (UKGC) has outlined its evolving technique for a digital-first period, with Chief Government Andrew Rhodes utilizing his keynote on the 2025 Worldwide Affiliation of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) Convention to focus on the convergence of information, expertise, and shopper conduct shaping the way forward for playing regulation in Nice Britain.
Rhodes’ handle—and the UKGC’s subsequent publications—draw a unified image: data-led enforcement is increasing, crypto and unlicensed playing are urgent priorities, and collaboration amongst regulators is extra vital than ever.
A Market in Transition: Digital Habits, AI, and Rising Pressures
Talking in Melbourne, Rhodes famous that the British playing panorama has matured right into a steady but dynamic sector. Participation “is steady at round 48 per cent of the grownup inhabitants,” he mentioned, with the whole market valued at roughly £15.6 billion, excluding lotteries. Distant playing accounts for “£6.9 billion… 60 per cent of the entire form of our market,” with on-line on line casino video games—particularly slots—“dominating the distant sector with £4.4 billion in 23/24.”
These traits, he defined, mirror wider digital patterns, with “95 per cent of adults [having]
the Web at residence,” averaging “over 4 hours on-line a day, 75 per cent of which is on smartphones.” This technological ubiquity, coupled with synthetic intelligence, has remodeled the trade’s interplay fashions. Operators now make use of generative AI to boost consistency in safer playing communications, a notable shift from the inconsistent practices noticed just some years in the past.
Rhodes cautioned in opposition to extreme “hyper personalisation,” which might heighten playing depth, urging corporations to search out steadiness. The Fee, he added, is dealing with way more enforcement circumstances than earlier than, citing a “300 per cent improve within the variety of legal circumstances we had been taking as a regulator.”
Crypto’s Close to-Time period Problem and the Increasing Unlawful Market
Rhodes recognized cryptocurrency as one of many UKGC’s most imminent regulatory challenges. Whereas licensed British operators don’t at present supply crypto playing, he acknowledged that “within the unlawful market it’s widespread,” particularly amongst youthful adults whose monetary exercise more and more entails digital belongings. A query that when appeared distant “possibly 12 months, 24 months away” is now firmly on the horizon.
He underscored the complexity of regulating crypto transactions resulting from traceability and anti-money laundering (AML) dangers, explaining that such questions “are going to be governmental stage questions… not… questions for particular person playing regulators,” although the stress “is certainly not going to go away.”
To counter the unlawful sector’s progress, the UKGC’s specialised group has reported almost 200,000 URLs to search engines like google this yr and continues to watch over 1,000 unlicensed operators. “There may be nothing extra exploitative than the unlawful market,” Rhodes acknowledged, emphasizing partnerships with B2B suppliers to forestall unlicensed websites from accessing recreation content material.
Shopper Equity, Knowledge Perception, and Monetary Danger
Equity in shopper expertise stays a focus of the Fee’s oversight. Rhodes mentioned that of 44.2 million withdrawals made between June and September 2024, “96.3 per cent is cleared robotically,” whereas solely “0.1 per cent took greater than 48 hours.” The regulator is inspecting that small share to find out if delays come up from legit AML checks or pointless friction.
Equally, knowledge present that 4.31% of energetic accounts had been restricted for business causes inside a yr, usually amongst worthwhile prospects. Many confronted stake limitations as little as 0.1% of most bets, which, Rhodes advised, would possibly push some towards unlicensed operators and create a “hybrid association” of play throughout authorized and unlawful markets.
Via the Common feed of Operator Core Knowledge (ROCD), the UKGC is now gathering near-real-time behavioral knowledge. Early insights reveal that gamers below 25 are least prone to set deposit limits but almost certainly to hit monetary threat triggers—an imbalance prompting operators to set limits on their behalf.
The UKGC’s pilot for monetary threat assessments, utilizing credit score reference knowledge, confirmed hyperlinks between heavy spending and monetary misery. Customers spending essentially the most had been “between two and 4 occasions as prone to have a debt administration plan” and “between two and 5 occasions extra prone to have a debt default within the final 12 months.” Rhodes mentioned these findings reinforce the necessity to concentrate on the areas “the place threat concentrates,” with out undermining shopper freedom.
Proof Roadmaps and Cross-Border Cooperation
Complementing Rhodes’ speech, the UKGC has launched new Proof Roadmaps that outline analysis priorities for the upcoming statutory levy. Developed with policymakers, researchers, and people with lived expertise, these paperwork intention to align long-term research with the Fee’s strategic targets.
Rhodes concluded his handle by encouraging sensible collaboration amongst regulators worldwide: “Discover one thing this week, with one other regulator which you can work on collectively… since you received’t remorse it.” His closing message underscored a shared accountability: guaranteeing playing stays “protected and truthful and crime free” by means of mutual perception, knowledge sharing, and coordinated disruption of unlawful channels.
Supply:
IAGR 2025 Convention keynote – Andrew Rhodes speech, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, October 22, 2025.
