Two arrested following raid on Manchester gambling den

(AsiaGameHub) –   One man and one woman were arrested after police carried out a raid on a suspected illegal gambling den in Manchester.

Greater Manchester police confirmed they found gambling tables, betting chips, account books and alcohol at the venue situated on Chester Road.

The probe was conducted in partnership with the Gambling Commission (GC) and the Manchester City Council Licensing Team. 

PC Nial Vivian said: “Illegal gambling can lead to a wide range of problems – from disputes over cash to money laundering – and it is essential that we shut these operations down whenever we encounter them.

“It is vital that all businesses follow the laws that have been put in place, which is why we took this enforcement action in the city centre.”

During similar raids conducted in Birmingham last year, officials arrested four men and found weapons and drugs, in addition to gambling-related paraphernalia.

At that time, police warned the public about the exploitative nature of these unlicensed establishments, and released a video showing how infrared cameras were used to spot specially marked cards.

GC launches taskforce to target illegal gambling

The UK gambling industry has grown increasingly focused on the expanding presence of the illegal black market, as stakeholders raise concerns that regulatory changes, such as the hotly debated potential rollout of affordability checks, will drive gamblers away from the regulated legal sector.

While most concerns are primarily focused on illegal online gambling platforms, the GC’s Executive Director of Operations, Sue Young, said that ‘tackling all forms of illegal gambling is a core focus for the Commission’, and praised the cooperation with Greater Manchester Police.

At the start of this year, the GC unveiled the Illegal Gambling Taskforce in an effort to bring relevant stakeholders together to combat the influence of the black market.

Specifically, the taskforce aims to boost cross-agency enforcement by partnering with companies including Google, Meta and Visa to target advertising and payment flows in the illegal gambling market.

The group is chaired by Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross, who, speaking at the Betting and Gaming Council’s AGM, promised ‘fast, effective action’ from the taskforce.

The GC was also given an extra £26m to fight the illegal gambling black market as part of the Labour Party’s Autumn Budget.