Ten People Arrested as Illegal Gambling Venues Raided in Bristol and Doncaster

The clampdown on illegal gambling in the UK has extended to land-based venues, with three unlicensed operations raided in Bristol and Doncaster respectively.

Ten people were arrested and accused of running an illegal casino, with game tables, poker chips and even business accounts seized in the pair of operations.

It comes just a matter of weeks after the UK government announced the formation of their Illegal Gambling Taskforce, a ‘cross agency collaboration’ designed to tackle unlicensed operators from taking bets in physical venues and/or online.

Operation Snaresbrook

The first of the raids, codenamed Operation Snaresbrook, took place in Doncaster earlier this month.

Eight people were arrested across two different venues in the city, which the evidence gathered suggests were used for gambling.

One of the people arrested is suspected of offences under the Gambling Act 2005, while the other seven have been detained on suspicions of illegal immigration.

After the operation had been completed, officers retrieved nearly £9,000 in bank notes, as well as further evidence of illegal casino activity – which included slot machines, poker tables and books of accounts.

Coordinated by Yorkshire Police and the City of Doncaster Council, the raids were assisted by the Gambling Commission and Immigration Enforcement in a collaborative move by the various agencies.

However, a spokesperson refused to comment further when quizzed on the nature of Operation Snaresbrook and the precise location of the venues raided.

But the local councillor for regulation and enforcement, Gemma Cobby, said: “Illicit gambling dens are often linked to organised crime gangs and can be used to launder money.

“Their fraudulent practices also undermine trust in legitimate businesses that are licensed and regulated. Illegal gambling has no place in our city.”

Suspicious Activity

The Gambling Commission also revealed earlier this week that a separate operation, carried out in Bristol earlier this month, also cracked an illegitimate gambling venue in the city.

After reports of an illegal casino housed on Lower College Street, law enforcement officers executed a warrant to search the premises.

The local policing team, assisted by officials from the Gambling Commission and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, found evidence to suggest that unlicensed gambling may have taken place at the venue.

Two people, a 36-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman, were arrested and assisted officers in their inquiries. They have since been released on bail.

Local sergeant Michael Friis commented: “We encourage anyone who has concerns about suspicious or illegal activity in their area to continue reporting it to the police.”

Fighting Back

These two raids, allied to a separate bust in Manchester in June which saw a man and a woman arrested, are confirmation that the Illegal Gambling Taskforce is getting down to work.

The group was established back in May using funds diverted from the government’s illegal gambling kitty, which will see the Gambling Commission armed with a war chest of £26 million in a bid to drive down black market betting in the UK.

They have identified offline casinos and bookmakers, alongside online operators, as the highest risk sources of money laundering and terrorist financing.

The taskforce has been set up with the key objectives of stopping the flow of money into illegal operators while improving the cross-agency efforts in a bid to get a handle on the black market, which is now said to take £4 billion in bets each year.

The group aims to ‘unite key players across the industry and beyond, including tech companies and payment providers.’