UKGC Lacks Data on Operator Payouts to Crime Victims
FOI reveals no central record is kept of divestments from regulatory settlements to victims of crime, raising transparency concerns.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed the UK Gambling Commission does not maintain a central list of payments made by operators to victims of crime. This lack of aggregated data makes it difficult for the public to track how often, or how much, operators are required to pay back as part of regulatory settlements.
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A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) does not maintain a central record of payments made by gambling operators to victims of crime as part of regulatory settlements.
The disclosure, made in response to a request dated 15 October 2025, highlights a significant gap in the public's ability to track the outcomes of the regulator's enforcement actions.
What the FOI Revealed
The request asked for a list of all divestments paid by operators to victims of crime since 1 January 2024. A divestment is a payment made from funds received as a result of wrongdoing, often directed to a charity or, in some cases, directly to those harmed.
In its response, the UKGC stated that it does not hold the information in the requested format. The Commission explained that it "does not maintain a separate list to specifically capture any divestments made to victims of crime."
The regulator invoked Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act, which exempts information if it is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The UKGC pointed the requester to its public register of all regulatory actions, stating that if a divestment to victims was required, it would be recorded within the individual decision document for that case.
Why This Matters for Consumers
When a gambling operator is found to have failed in its social responsibility or anti-money laundering duties, it may have accepted bets using stolen money. In these instances, a regulatory settlement can include a condition that the operator divests funds to the victims of that crime.
Without a centralised and easily accessible record, it is extremely difficult for consumers, researchers, and campaigners to determine:
- How frequently operators are required to compensate victims of crime.
- The total value of funds returned to victims through regulatory action.
- Which operators have been subject to such requirements.
This lack of aggregated data creates a significant barrier to transparency. To find this information, an individual would need to manually read through every single regulatory decision published by the Commission, a time-consuming and impractical task.
The Significance for Regulation
The absence of a specific log for these divestments raises questions about the regulator's ability to monitor and report on the effectiveness of this specific enforcement tool. While the information may exist on a case-by-case basis, the inability to provide an aggregated overview makes it challenging to assess industry-wide trends or the overall impact of settlements intended to make good the proceeds of crime.
For consumers seeking to understand an operator's history or the broader effectiveness of UK gambling regulation, this data gap means a key piece of the accountability puzzle remains hidden within disparate reports.