Two arrested in raid on suspected illegal gambling den in Manchester
The Gambling Commission worked with police and Manchester City Council’s licensing team.
UK.- The British Gambling Commission and Greater Manchester Police have announced that two people have been arrested following a raid on a suspected illegal gambling den in Manchester city centre. Police officers and enforcement officials from the gambling regulator were joined licensing team members from Manchester City Council to conduct a joint operation at a premises in Chester Road.
The raid was carried out on May 28. The Gambling Commission said the venue was found to contain gambling tables, gambling chips, records, account books, alcohol and other material. Cash and mobile phones were also seized. The operation followed reports of illegal gambling and a premises operating without the appropriate licences from the Gambling Commission.
A 33-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Gambling Act 2005 and the Licensing Act 2003 and remained in custody for questioning at the time of the report. Greater Manchester Police said that specialist teams from its Financial Crime Unit and Money Laundering teams were supporting an ongoing investigation.
Sue Young, the Gambling Commission’s Executive Director of Operations, said: “Tackling all forms of illegal gambling is a focus for the Commission so we were keen to work in partnership with Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council on this operation.”
PC Nial Vivian said: “It is important that all businesses adhere to the laws put in place, which is why we took action in the city centre yesterday. Illegal gambling can cause many issues – from disputes about cash to money laundering – and it is important that we shut them down whenever we come across them.
“We have worked closely with our partners in both the Gambling Commission and Manchester City Council.”
The Gambling Commission recently said that it was increasing its enforcement capabilities for tackling illegal land-based gambling after it was granted £26m in additional government funding over the next three years. Speaking at the Bingo Association’s annual general meeting last month, the regulator’s acting chief executive Sarah Gardner said the new focus would include more collaboration with law enforcement.
The regulator has also warned that it intends to clamp down on illegal lotteries in Britain. It intends to map out the dynamics of the black market in general, and establish Britain’s first national risk assessment for the illegal market in collaboration with the government’s new Illegal Gambling Taskforce.
The Gambling Commission recently advertised a job opening for a Head of Illegal Markets, a new position that will be responsible for spearheading investigations and enforcement actions against unlicensed operators. The appointee will work within the Operations Directorate with a remit to coordinate resources across Enforcement and Intelligence, while collaborating with the Illegal Markets team, Sports Betting Integrity Unit and departments covering Legal, Policy, Strategy and Communications.
