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BetterGambling, the UK’s independent gambling industry think tank, released its comprehensive Market Intelligence Report, indicating over 800 casino operators will be forced out of the UK market by 2027, the largest industry slump in British gambling history.

The study, authored by BetterGambling’s stable of former casino bosses and regulatory experts, projects a precipitous 30-40% drop in authorised operators as the 2026 regulatory landscape renders continued operation economically non-viable for the low-to-midsized players.

“We are witnessing the greatest scale of change since the Gambling Act 2005. Our analysis proves that this is not just market consolidation – it’s a structural realignment of an industry that today supports 2,262 licensed operators as of March 2024,” said Diana Tunsu, Reviewer at BetterGambling.

Key findings from the BetterGambling report include:

• 680-900 operators anticipated to exit the market by the end of 2027 (30-40% of the current market)

• New casino launches will drop by 60-70% relative to 2024 levels

• White-label operations will see a 45-55% closure rate as a result of shifts in platform economics

• Stand-alone casinos will see 40-50% market consolidation as a result of compliance barriers

• Total first-year compliance investment of £800,000-2.8 million per operator.

The Compliance Investment Reality

BetterGambling’s in-depth analysis of operators reveals the true cash investment required for 2026 compliance. The regulatory fee alone will remove £100 million from the industry annually, and technology infrastructure upgrades will cost individual operators between £500,000 and £2 million.

“The economics are straightforward. Operators with GGY below £3 million per year are faced with a stark choice: spend significantly on compliance or consider strategic options including withdrawing from the market,” explained Diana Tunsu.

For more detailed analysis of the impact on different forms of casinos, see our in-depth UK Casino Reviews section.

White-Label Market Transformation

White-label casino businesses are recognized as being severely tested in this report, with 45-55% predicted to merge or close down. Of the estimated 350-450 current white-label businesses, BetterGambling predicts 200-300 will survive past 2027.

“White-label operators have a complex equation,” said the BetterGambling research team.

“They must navigate through the same compliance for independent operators when handling revenue-sharing arrangements with platform providers.”

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is going to implement new deposit limit rules to help customers manage their spending.

Operators are currently required to offer tools so customers can easily set personal budgets for gambling at registration or when they first deposit money into their gambling account. To increase consumer empowerment the Commission is amending the rules to provide further consistency and clarity for customers when setting financial limits. These changes focus on how these limits are defined and communicated to customers.

From 30 June 2026 all online operators must provide customers with the opportunity to set a “deposit limit” which is based solely on the amount a customer pays into their account over a set duration. To avoid confusion, only this form of limit may be called a “deposit limit”.

In addition, gambling businesses will also be able to offer different limits, such as loss limits or limits where withdrawals are also taken into account.

The improvements to the rules are coming into effect in stages, and a key milestone is the set of previously announced changes which will come into effect on 31 October 2025 and require all gambling businesses to:

• prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit and make it easy for them to review and alter their limit

• remind consumers every six months to review their account and transaction information to help customers maintain control of their gambling spend

• offer financial limits using free text at an account level to help customers set meaningful limits

• provide financial limit setting facilities via a link on the homepage and deposit pages which are clearly visible and accessible, with the number of clicks to reach these facilities minimalised

• action all customer requests to decrease a financial limit immediately.

Helen Rhodes, Commission Director of Major Policy Projects, said: “Our work will help empower consumers to have greater awareness and control over their gambling. These further changes will also bring consistency and clarity for those consumers choosing to set deposit limits, while still supporting gambling businesses to offer customer choice for different forms of limits.”

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Online gambling continues to thrive in Poland, despite the country’s strict regulatory framework. Virtual casinos and betting platforms still attract players with the promise of easy access and quick winnings. Yet, their operations would not be possible without the involvement of payment institutions that process transactions for entities operating outside the boundaries of the law. Behind the scenes lie not only questions about compliance with Poland’s Gambling Act, but also serious concerns about money laundering and the potential financing of criminal activity.

PSPs Legal Responsibility

The key question remains the legality of actions taken by payment institutions that handle transactions linked to illegal online gambling. Do they, even unintentionally, help such operations thrive? Under Polish law, payment service providers are required to monitor and limit high-risk transactions. In practice, this means that every deposit or withdrawal connected to unlicensed gambling activity should be treated as a red flag. Special attention is also given to transactions made through popular mobile payment systems such as BLIK. While BLIK itself is not a payment institution under Polish law, the banks and financial operators using it are and it is they who bear responsibility for preventing the flow of funds that may support illegal gambling activities.

Clear Legal Framework, Limited Excuses

Polish law leaves little room for speculation here. The register of domains used to offer illegal gambling, the ban on processing payments for unlicensed operators, and the penalties outlined in the Fiscal Penal Code and Criminal Code set clear boundaries of responsibility.

The Anti-Money Laundering Act (AML) and the EU Regulation 2023/1113 require payment institutions to actively monitor transactions, block suspicious transfers, and cut off risky relationships. Guidance issued by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF/UKNF) and the National Risk Assessment, along with its sectoral annex, describes typical abuse schemes and makes it clear that payments directed toward online gambling should be treated as a major warning signal. In practice, this means that financial channels supporting illegal gambling must be identified and shut down before the funds return to players as so-called “winnings.”

And this principle is now being actively enforced. Recently, the Financial Supervision Authority (UKNF) went a step further, issuing a sector-wide warning urging payment service providers to block financial flows to unlicensed operators. In response, Polish payment providers have begun withdrawing support for illegal gambling sites and removing payment options such as BLIK from unlicensed platforms.

The Hardest to Detect: The Intermediary Role

The flow of funds into illegal online gambling can take many forms, depending on the relationships between the parties involved in the transaction. The most difficult to detect, however, is the scenario in which a payment institution acts only as an intermediary within a larger payment chain transferring money between other financial service providers without directly serving the payer or the recipient. Even in such cases, the institution is not exempt from its obligation to continuously monitor and analyse all transactions.

Depending on the type of payment, it should apply different verification methods, all aimed at determining whether executing a transfer on behalf of another provider could, in practice, end up funding entities that organize illegal online gambling. The institution must obtain information from the ordering provider about the recipient, determine whether it is engaged in gambling related activity, and verify its legal status. If red flags arise during the analysis such as missing data in the payment chain, a domain listed in the official register, or the absence of the website from the list of legal operators the transaction should be paused or rejected and properly escalated. This includes raising the risk level, notifying the relevant authorities, or even terminating cooperation. When dealing with correspondent relationships involving other institutions, including those based within the European Union, heightened caution is essential.

Grey Market Fuelled by Inaction

Illegal online gambling would not exist without the support of the payment system. Although the law clearly defines the obligations of financial institutions, in practice it is often these very institutions that knowingly or not enable the flow of money into illegal online gambling. This is why effective identification and blocking of such transactions is crucial, especially within complex payment chains where tracing the connections can be most difficult. Every transfer made in support of illegal online gambling represents not only a legal risk but also real support for the shadow economy that thrives on the lack of vigilance within the financial sector.

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