Labour Urges Gambling Commission Investigation into Firms Linked to Reform UK Donors

Labour has formally requested that the Gambling Commission investigate two companies, Tether.bet and Fispay, for allegedly operating without the required licenses. These firms are reportedly linked to donors and allies of Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.

What Happened

The Labour Party’s chair, Bridget Phillipson, has written to the Gambling Commission, pressing for an investigation into claims that companies associated with Reform UK donors and allies of Nigel Farage operated without proper licensing, according to The Guardian. The request specifically names Tether.bet, a Montenegro-based gambling company, and Fispay, a UK-registered company.

This action follows reports by The Sunday Times alleging that both Tether.bet and Fispay had been operating without the necessary licenses. Mowbray Jackson, Reform’s data protection officer, owns Fispay, while George Cottrell, an ally of Farage, is linked to Tether.bet, which issued a closure notice on its website on August 12, according to The Guardian.

Key Details

• Labour’s Bridget Phillipson urged the Gambling Commission to investigate if Tether.bet and its operators provided remote gambling facilities to UK consumers without a license, and if Fispay Ltd or any other UK company supported gambling facilities or services without a license, as reported by The Guardian.
• Providing gambling facilities without a license in the UK is illegal under the Gambling Act 2005.
• Mowbray Jackson stated to The Sunday Times that Fispay exclusively brokered private jet travel and did not provide gambling facilities, while George Cottrell identified as a customer of Tether.bet and denied soliciting clients for any betting company, according to The Guardian.
• Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, whose £5 million gift to Farage is already under scrutiny by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, reportedly owned a company, IFX, that processed payments for another entity involved in deposits and winnings for Tether.bet, according to The Sunday Times.

Why It Matters

This investigation request highlights scrutiny surrounding political funding and regulatory compliance within the gambling sector. The allegations, if substantiated, could expose firms and individuals linked to political figures to legal ramifications under the Gambling Act 2005, which prohibits unlicensed gambling operations in the UK. The ongoing parliamentary investigation into gifts received by Nigel Farage, including from Christopher Harborne and George Cottrell, further intertwines these financial and regulatory inquiries.

The case underscores the importance of adherence to licensing requirements for all entities operating within or servicing the UK’s regulated gambling market, irrespective of their affiliations. It also brings into focus the due diligence expected from regulators in examining claims of non-compliance, particularly when they involve politically exposed persons or their associates.

What’s Next

The parliamentary commissioner for standards has reopened an investigation into whether Nigel Farage should have declared gifts received before the last general election, including the £5 million gift from Christopher Harborne and financial support from George Cottrell, according to The Guardian. If a separate standards committee of MPs recommends a suspension from parliament exceeding 10 days, it could trigger a second by-election.

Originally reported by The Guardian·Published 18 Aug 2026, 13:30