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market. Now doesn't mean that it can't be made to be acceptable. I do think the experience here in Britain shows that there are certain types of bets, for example, that just shouldn't be made available. And I think in the United States, you're starting to see some of these concerns, particularly in relation to prediction markets, that just because you can offer a market on a particular eventuality doesn't necessarily mean that you should. When people are betting/trading on whether Nicholas Maduro is overthrown, frankly, I don't think something like that has a legitimate place in the market. Over the years in Britain, we have taken action on so called novelty markets that we felt didn't have that place, where you can't ensure their integrity. So, I do think there are limits, but a well-regulated, highly competitive and diverse market absolutely should be able to exist. SP: There has been an increased focus recently on the black market, on the unlicensed market. Do you feel you have all the tools you need to tackle the black market? TM: I think we're getting there. We're in a stronger position than we were even 12 months ago, and we will be getting more powers. The Crime and Policing Act is going through Parliament at the moment and that will give us the power to require internet service providers to take down illegal websites. So that is an important addition. But it’s not just about a wider range of tools. We need also to ensure we've got the resources to be able to secure a prosecution. You don't want to start a prosecution and then find that you're not resourced to be able to see it through. But alongside the tools and resources, the partnerships that we have formed and are forming are going to be key. Whilst, I think, as a regulator, we've done a really good job we’ve got to be realistic. We are relatively small public body based in England, often trying to tackle networks that might be based in Russia or similar places that are often associated with organized crime, with international terrorism. Realistically the UKGC is not going to be able to take those networks down by ourselves. So having partnerships with other regulators, with law enforcement, with government and tech providers is going to be essential. One of the really positive developments that we've had here in the UK in the last few weeks is the government-launched Illegal Gambling
Taskforce. This is a collection of major companies including Google, Mastercard, TikTok and Visa alongside law enforcement and gambling bodies set up to tackle illegal gambling. What’s really positive is that it’s bringing all these players together to ensure that we're all working towards some shared objectives. If you are trying to dismantle and break up criminal networks, then those of us that are on the right side need to be equally well networked and partnerships like the Taskforce will be really important to ensuring that success. SP: We often hear from regulators that they feel somewhat caught in the middle between the industry that sometimes does dumb things, and politicians who are under pressure from media or public opinion and the regulator is trying to steer a path between two competing interests. Is there a role, do you think, for the regulator to bring those together, an education role perhaps? TM: As a regulator, you do often feel caught in the middle of a battlefield. Now, whether that's between industry and government, industry and campaigners, there's a whole range of players who have all got very strong views about gambling and its regulation. But I do think we have a role to try and bring those different parties together where we can and find areas where there can be collaboration and consensus. Within our legislation, we have a statutory role as the advisor to government on all things gambling related. So that gives us a vehicle to draw together the breadth of evidence. In the Gambling Act Review, for example, our advice to government, which was made public, sought to take a very expansive view of the entirety of the evidence base, whether that was evidence generated by industry or by campaigners. The other area where regulators can play a really important part, is where you've got the space to be a bit of a thought leader. The speeches that that I give, what I say in them, is intentional. I don't just want to show up and trot out the same old messages. I want to try and have an impact with what I'm saying, to get people thinking. There is a theme in a lot of my speeches, about where different parties can collaborate, where we can work with industry and where a whole range of people can work
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IMGL MAGAZINE | MARCH 2026
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