British Gambling Commission seeks Head of Illegal Markets
The new position will be responsible for coordinating resources across Enforcement and Intelligence as the regulator steps up efforts to tackle unlicensed gambling.
UK.- The British Gambling Commission has posted a job opening for the newly created senior position of Head of Illegal Markets. This new role will include the responsibility of spearheading investigations and enforcement actions against unlicensed operators, which has been cited as a growing concern for the regulated sector.
The appointee will work within the Operations Directorate and report directly to John Pierce, the regulator’s Director of Enforcement and Intelligence. Their remit will include coordinating resources across Enforcement and Intelligence, while collaborating with the Illegal Markets team, Sports Betting Integrity Unit, and departments covering Legal, Policy, Strategy, and Communications.
The job description says the position will be “critical” in advancing the Gambling Commission’s wider strategy to tackle unlawful gambling and ensure “a safer and more transparent gambling environment across Great Britain.” The regulator seeks candidates with leadership backgrounds and experience in criminal investigations, particularly those skilled in investigative techniques, enforcement planning, and complex legal cooperation.
The creation of this new position comes after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the creation of an illegal gambling task force in January, led by gambling minister Baroness Twycross. Speaking at the Bingo Association AGM yesterday (May 7) Gambling Commission acting chief executive Sarah Gardner welcomed the government’s designation of £26m in new funding over the next three years for work in this area, which she said would allow the regulator to addressland-based illegal gambling “arguably for the first time in a serious way“.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned that, according to H2 Gambling Capital research, the unlicensed gambling market was worth £16.6bn in 2025, up from around £5bn in 2019. Some argue that the Gambling Commission has disproportionately focused on tightening rules for licensed operators rather than curbing black market activity.
Recent measures, such as the rise in Remote Gaming Duty to 40 per cent, have added to frustration in the industry, which continues to face the prospect of financial risk checks and calls for further advertising restrictions. Entain CEO Stella David this week called on the new Independent Football Regulator to prohibit unlicensed gambling sponsorships in the Premier League.
