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Britain's gambling and advertising sectors are increasing pressure on major technology platforms to take stronger action against illegal gambling advertisements targeting UK users.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which represents licensed betting and gaming operators, has raised concerns that unlicensed gambling providers are now widely visible across search engines, social media platforms, messaging services, and digital advertising networks.
The industry body argues that illicit operators are no longer confined to obscure online spaces. Instead, they are actively using mainstream digital channels to reach consumers, often bypassing safeguards intended to protect users such as age checks, GamStop, a self-exclusion tool, and regulator complaint systems.
Government and regulator response intensifies
The UK government has responded with an Illegal Gambling Taskforce focused on payment flows and advertising practices.
Meanwhile, the Gambling Commission, the statutory body responsible for regulating gambling in Great Britain, has previously expressed criticism of the prevalence of promotions that explicitly state "not on GamStop," a reference to a self-exclusion scheme designed to help individuals control their gambling.
Research underscores the scale of the problem. WARC, a global marketing intelligence company that publishes advertising spend data and industry analysis, estimates illegal operators account for nearly half of gambling ad spending.
H2 Gambling Capital, a market research and forecasting company, projects black-market stakes could rise from £17 billion today to £33 billion by 2028.
The BGC is urging platforms to move beyond reactive measures, calling for faster removal of illegal ads, stronger detection, closer cooperation with authorities, intelligence sharing, and transparent enforcement outcomes.
PPC and Google Ads gambling advertising under scrutiny
The pressure on tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising may lead to tighter oversight of paid search channels such as Google Ads. As regulators and industry bodies continue to push for stronger enforcement, gambling-related advertising could face increased scrutiny within platform compliance systems.
Licensed operators run PPC casino, PPC betting, Google Ads casino, and Google Ads betting campaigns under established verification and content policies.
Heightened attention on unlicensed operators may also result in closer monitoring of keyword targeting, advertiser approval processes, and landing page compliance within Google Ads gambling advertising frameworks.
In this environment, PPC casino and PPC betting, together with Google Ads casino and Google Ads betting, are likely to face stricter compliance checks.
