UKGC Confirms No Use of Private Investigators

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Regulator Relies on Internal Teams for Enforcement

A Freedom of Information (FOI) disclosure has confirmed that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) did not use private investigators for its regulatory work between 2022 and 2025.

The response, published following a request dated 15 May 2025, provides a clear insight into the operational methods of the UK's gambling regulator, confirming it relies on its own internal teams for enquiries and evidence gathering.

Context: Understanding Regulatory Methods

For consumers, understanding how the UKGC ensures operators comply with their licence conditions is crucial for building trust in the regulatory framework. The use of external agencies, particularly private investigators, by public bodies can be a point of public interest regarding transparency, cost, and methodology.

This FOI request sought to clarify whether the UKGC engaged in such practices as part of its enforcement and compliance activities. The answer reveals that the Commission's approach is to handle investigations in-house, using the powers granted to it under UK legislation.

Details of the Disclosure

The FOI request asked the Commission four specific questions for the period between 2022 and 2025:

• Has your organisation used Private investigators?
• If so, how many investigations took place?
• Which private investigation agencies or firms were used?
• How much money was used on private investigators?

In its official response, the UKGC provided an unambiguous answer.

"The Gambling Commission have understood your request to cover private investigators to undertake enquiries and collect evidence to prove or disprove an allegation. As such, we can confirm that the Commission has not used any Private Investigators."

Because the Commission did not use any such services, the subsequent questions regarding the number of investigations, firms used, and costs were not applicable.

Significance: What This Means for Consumers and the Industry

The disclosure is significant as it confirms that the UKGC's investigative framework is built around its own compliance and enforcement officials. Rather than hiring external agents to gather evidence, the regulator uses its legal powers to compel information from licensees, conduct site visits, and analyse the vast amounts of data that operators are required to submit.

For consumers, this indicates that regulatory actions are based on official assessments and data-driven analysis by the Commission's staff, not on information gathered by third-party covert surveillance. It reinforces that the primary tools for holding operators to account are the stringent conditions of their operating licences and the legal requirement for them to be open and cooperative with the regulator.

For the industry, this underscores the importance of the information-sharing and reporting obligations embedded in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The Commission's reliance on this data for enforcement means that accuracy, timeliness, and transparency in operator reporting are paramount.