U.K. Gambling Commission To Crack Down On Gaming's $5.1B-A-Year Gambling Industry

The betting industry's chief regulator "pledged a crackdown on illegal gambling sites linked to popular computer games after a surge in black-market activity," according to Daniel Dunkley of the SUNDAY TIMES. U.K. Gambling Commission Head Sarah Harrison revealed that "skins" betting -- using computer-game currencies and upgrades to gamble for real money -- is a "priority" for the regulator. An illegal betting market estimated to be worth $5.1B a year globally has "emerged from the in-game credits, which are popular with underage punters." Harrison said that one-in-five of the illicit operations shut down by the watchdog since '14 facilitated "skins" betting. She added, "They are parasites off the back of well-established gaming platforms. Adopting a Whac-A-Mole strategy may not be the most effective way of tackling the problem. Our strategy is to attack these businesses from every angle, to isolate and starve them" (SUNDAY TIMES, 8/27).