UK Market Maturity, AI, Crypto and Cross-Border Cooperation Top Regulator Agenda

The gambling sector in Great Britain remains robust — but regulators are already preparing for a new wave of change, according to CEO Andrew Rhodes’s keynote at the IAGR 2025 Conference on 20 October.

Rhodes noted that adult participation in GB gambling has stabilised at approximately 48 %, and that the non-lottery market stands at about £11.5 billion, with online (remote) gambling accounting for £6.9 billion, or 60 % of that market slice. 

He outlined three major themes that are set to shape the market:

Artificial intelligence & personalisation: Operators are increasingly using AI tools to deliver more consistent safer-gambling interactions and richer player experiences. Rhodes said this is critical as the industry shifts from “not having policies” to “following policies with high-quality implementation.” 
Cryptocurrencies and younger demographics: Although no licensed UK operator currently offers crypto gambling, Rhodes warned that “a generational cohort who currently use crypto assets do not have a space in the legitimate market” — and that the timeline for change is “12 months, 24 months away.” 
Illegal-market disruption and global cooperation: He cited a 300 % increase in criminal enforcement actions year-on-year and described efforts to remove nearly 200,000 illegal gambling-related URLs from search engines — emphasising that “we all regulate many of the same organisations… so it is critically important we work together.” 
Rhodes also stressed the industry’s growing interest in tax and regulatory change, noting:

“Different groups claim the impact of something is the sole cause of a particular movement… that’s why in GB we’ve got an evaluation programme.” 

For the UK amusement and coin-op sector, the message is clear. As payment systems, data-driven UX and player tracking become more advanced, operators should expect closer regulatory scrutiny across payment flows, age or identity verification and risk profiling. The technical integrations that many suppliers and operators are now implementing will need to be designed with both innovation and compliance in mind.

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23 October 2025

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