Four men have been arrested in Birmingham after local police received intelligence of an ‘illegal gambling den’ in the Ladywell Walk area of the city.
Officers raided the premises and were met with what appears to be an amateur casino, with blackjack tables and gaming machines seized.
Cash, weapons and drugs were also taken by police at the scene.
Illegal Enterprise
Of the quartet arrested, two of the men – aged 32 and 56 – are being questioned on suspicion of money laundering. The other two, aged 20 and 43, were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.
At the time of writing, all four remain in custody as officers quiz them on what appears to be an illegal gambling ring. Images shared by West Midlands Police show a blackjack table seized by officers, as well as stacks of chips, decks of cards and dealer shoes.
Gaming machines, which police believe are linked to possible fraud and money laundering, were also taken into evidence.
In addition, West Midlands Police have also revealed that wads of cash, as well as a haul of drugs and weapons, were also seized in the raid.
The crackdown came as part of a joint venture between Operation Fearless, which was created to target organised crime, violence and drug dealing in the city, and Birmingham SOCEX (Serious Organised Crime and Exploitation).
It comes a little over a year since a similar venture was broken up by police in South Wales. They found six poker tables, poker chips, a prize wheel and a number of flatscreen TVs in an industrial unit in the Cardiff district of Splott.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and breaching the Gambling Act.
Home Office Raises Anti Money Laundering Threat Level
Meanwhile, the British Home Office – in association with HM Treasury – has raised the UK’s threat level from money laundering to medium, having formerly been set as low.
And it’s illegal online casinos, they believe, that are largely to blame.
The National Risk Assessment (NRA), published earlier this month, is a look at the threat of money laundering and terrorist financing in the UK.
And while the risk of terrorist financing has been retained at its ‘low’ status in the 2025 edition, money laundering has been pumped up to medium in what could prove to be a cruel blow to the online casino sector.
It’s the first time since 2017, when the first NRA was published, that the risk level in casinos has been upgraded to medium. According to the report, the number of casino licences being granted has increased from 210 to 247 since 2024, with as many as 97 of these – just shy of 40% – being defined as ‘higher risk’ as per the money laundering criteria.
The NRA also identifies an increase in ‘illegal casinos’ in the UK, which can be used to launder money and criminal funds, while detailing the risks posed by MSBs – Money Services Businesses – like gambling dens, where players are able to exchange dirty money for chips and casino credit.
According to the Home Office’s findings, the most common way for money to be laundered through a licensed casino is the ‘recreational spending of criminal property’, although they found that some criminals were increasingly able to ‘wash’ their money through illegal gambling rings too.
Some casinos still offer foreign currency exchange and cheque cashing services as well, which are both alternative routes for criminals to convert their dirty money into legitimate funds. The Home Office reports that while the numbers of these has decreased over the years, some such casinos still exist.
And white label operations are also under the microscope. While the NRA recognises that a number of these are legitimate companies offering a valid service, the report also expresses concern over white label firms operating a large number of online casinos… making it harder for them to identify anti-money laundering activity.
“The money laundering risk in the casino sector has increased from low to medium,” the report reads.
“This is mainly driven by changes in customer, geographical and transaction risks, particularly the increase in funds moving through remote casinos, new ways to play casino games, and the updated assessment of MSB activities offered by some casinos.”
After the NRA was published earlier in July, the Gambling Commission has confirmed that it will consider reviewing its own policies and procedures to combat the issues raised.
“Following the publication of the NRA, the Commission will review and update its risk assessment of the British gambling industry,” a spokesperson said.
“We will release further information in due course.”