Greater Manchester Police arrested four people and seized more than £20,000 during raids on suspected illegal gambling premises in Manchester city centre on 21 September 2026.

The operation involved Greater Manchester Police, the Gambling Commission and Manchester City Council’s Licensing Team. Officers executed four warrants in Deansgate and other parts of the city centre.

The Gambling Commission announced the action on 23 September 2026. No conviction has been reported. An arrest is not a finding of guilt.

The raids highlight the gap between licensed gambling, which operates under regulatory controls, and businesses operating outside the Gambling Commission’s framework.

What officers found

Police seized cash suspected to be linked to money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act. They also recovered gambling tables, records, account books and mobile phones.

  • Four people were arrested.
  • One man was held on suspicion of money laundering and providing gambling facilities without authority.
  • Two men were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.
  • A fourth man was arrested on suspicion of licensing offences linked to a late-night takeaway.

Greater Manchester Police said the investigation remains active. The force has not reported charges against the four people arrested in the September operation.

Why the raids matter

Unlicensed gambling businesses do not operate under the Gambling Commission’s licensing framework. They are not required to meet the same rules on customer protection, money laundering controls, identity checks or safer gambling as licensed operators in Great Britain.

The Commission’s 2026 money laundering risk assessment says illegal gambling can generate criminal proceeds and provide a route for laundering money. It also says illegal casinos targeting the United Kingdom have increased.

That assessment does not establish that the Manchester premises were part of a wider network.

Sue Young, the Commission’s executive director of operations, said unlicensed operators can be linked to wider criminal activity, exploit vulnerable people and undermine legitimate regulated businesses.

Different rules for licensed operators

Licensed online casino and betting companies serving customers in Great Britain must comply with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice. They must also follow money laundering and terrorist financing requirements where those rules apply.

A licensed operator can face regulatory action, licence suspension or financial penalties for failing to meet its obligations. An illegal operator sits outside that system unless law enforcement or regulators disrupt its activity.

The Commission has previously warned that consumers may not realise they are using illegal gambling websites. Its research programme has examined how customers find illegal operators, why they use them and how authorities can disrupt the market.

Investigation followed earlier intelligence

Greater Manchester Police said the September operation used intelligence gathered after an earlier gambling investigation in May 2026. Officers recovered additional phones and gambling-related material during the latest searches.

The case remains at an investigative stage. Police have not announced prosecutions, convictions or any final finding against the people arrested.

The operation concerns England and the Great Britain regulatory market. It does not change the separate gambling arrangements that apply in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.