Illegal gambling survey reveals divide over scale of UK black market

The Gambling Commission has published new figures suggesting that illegal gambling websites are used by just 2.5% of British online gamblers, The findings, however, have been challenged by industry researchers.

The figures relate to adults who had gambled online during the previous year and accessed an illegal website in the four weeks before being surveyed. The estimate was considerably lower across the adult population as a whole at 0.6%.

The research involved 14,257 respondents and was carried out between April 2025 and April 2026. 3,569 out of participants had gambled online during the previous 12 months.

The Commission used seven indicators to identify potential illegal gambling activity. These included accessing websites outside GAMSTOP, avoiding identity checks and using VPNs to access restricted platforms.

Of those identified as illegal gambling users, 58% had accessed websites they knew were not registered with GAMSTOP. Almost 47% had signed up to a platform specifically because identity verification was not required.

Researchers dispute findings

Ismail Vali, president of Gambling Compliance International (GCI), has questioned whether the survey provides an accurate picture of the illegal gambling market.

Research carried out by GCI for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimated that illegal operators generated £780 million in gross gaming revenue in Britain during 2025. This accounted for almost 9% of the online market. This was an increase from an estimated £580 million in 2024.

“The percentage of people reporting illegal gambling is not the percentage of gambling revenue captured by crime.” — Ismail Vali, President of Gambling Compliance International (GCI)

Vali argued that the proportion of people accessing illegal websites should not be confused with the proportion of gambling revenue generated by unlicensed operators.

He also highlighted two groups potentially underrepresented in the Commission's findings. These were underage gamblers and people who have self-excluded through GAMSTOP.

As the survey only covered adults, it could not account for gambling activity among children. Vali also suggested that self-excluded players, who are frequently targeted by illegal operators, required more detailed examination.

Further research planned

The  Commission acknowledged that its findings had limitations. One point in particular was that only 128 respondents were classified as illegal gambling users.

The research also found differences between age groups and genders. Around 0.9% of men reported illegal website use in the previous four weeks. We can compared this with 0.4% of women.

Sue Young, the Commission's executive director for operations, said that although illegal gambling appeared relatively uncommon, those accessing unlicensed operators were more likely to experience gambling-related harm.

The regulator plans to introduce further survey questions in 2027 to examine particular groups of illegal gambling users.

The findings come as the UK government continues its efforts to tackle the black market. This is through a dedicated illegal gambling taskforce, which is targeting unlicensed operators alongside the payment and advertising services that support them.