UK government shifts money laundering risk to medium

The UK Treasury and Home Office have conducted their 2025 National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. In the 163-page report, it’s found some things were found regarding how legal practices seem to be a hot spot for money laundering, as well as raising the risk level from low to medium in the casino and gambling sector.

The gambling industry has multiple entry points for money laundering in particular. Whether through machines’ cash out options being taken advantage of or backroom poker games, it’s become prevalent enough that the UK government has seen fit to raise some alarms about it.

There is also illegal offshore gambling, which, as of September 2024, was reported to be earning well over £4 billion ($5.4 billion). On top of this, remote platforms licensed by the UK Gambling Commission have also been highlighted as potential entry points for money laundering activity.

As various platforms begin to integrate options like cryptocurrency and new methods of payment, the complex nature of the technology can leave some operators vulnerable.