Latest UK survey shows illegal gambling websites used by 2.5% of online gamblers

About 2.5% of adults in Great Britain who had gambled online in the previous year used an illegal gambling website in the four weeks before being surveyed, according to new estimates from the Gambling Commission.

A further 1.5% said they had used such a site during the previous 12 months, but not in the preceding four weeks. Across all adults, including those who do not gamble, the corresponding estimates were 0.6% and 0.4%.

The Commission said 94.4% of respondents showed no indication of using an illegal gambling website. Another 4.6% displayed some indicators, but the evidence was not sufficient to classify them as users.

The figures, published on Friday, are based on the first year of questions added to the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, across four quarterly waves from April 2025 to April 2026. 

The analysis covered 14,257 online survey respondents and 3,569 people who had gambled online in the previous year. 

Behaviours used to identify possible use

The Commission’s index assessed seven behaviours associated with varying likelihoods of illegal-site use. These include using a site known not to be registered with Gamstop, signing up where age or identity checks are not required, cancelling a withdrawal and using a VPN to access a gambling website unavailable in Great Britain. 

Among people classified as illegal gambling users, 58% said they had used a site they knew was not on Gamstop. Some 56.6% reported cancelling a withdrawal before the money reached a bank account or wallet.

Licensed operators have been prohibited from allowing customers to cancel withdrawals since 2021.

Nearly 47% of those classified as illegal site users said they had signed up to a particular site because they knew age or identity verification would not be required.

Small sample limits analysis

The survey found higher engagement among men than women. Across the adult population, 0.9% of men reported using an illegal site in the previous four weeks, compared with 0.4% of women.

Among 18-to-24-year-olds, 2.2% were classified as having engaged with such sites during the previous year, with most of the reported activity occurring more than four weeks before the survey. For people aged 25 to 34, the estimate for use in the previous four weeks was 1.1%.

The Commission warned that only 128 respondents were classified as illegal-site users. 

Illegal operators more likely to cause harm

The Commission said the findings suggest that use is not widespread across the population, but do not rule out more concentrated use among particular groups.

“While engagement with the illegal market from an overall population perspective appears low and stable from these indicators, there is a cohort of online gamblers who use these sites and research suggests those consumers who use illegal operators are more likely to experience harm,” said Sue Young, the Commission’s executive director for operations.

The regulator plans to add questions in 2027 to track groups of users identified in earlier research. Young said the data would help ensure consumer-protection work was “informed by the best available evidence”. 

A developing market?

The Commission said it would continue working with government, industry, technology companies and financial services to disrupt illegal gambling. The government itself created an illegal gambling taskforce that places emphasis on online operators and the payment and advertising channels that facilitate their operations. 

Illegal gambling has been a thorn in the regulator’s side in recent months. In September, Greater Manchester Police carried out an enforcement operation targeting an illegal gambling operation in the city centre, resulting in a series of arrests and the seizure of over £20,000 ($26,470) in cash. 

Additionally, Ismail Vali, president of Gaming Compliance International highlighted data showing that the unregulated share of online gross gaming revenue in the UK surged dramatically from 0.43% in 2020 to an estimated 9% by the end of 2025, effectively doubling annually from a small base. 

According to Vali, as legal operators cut marketing budgets in response to tightened profitability, consumers encounter other brands offering better odds or welcoming bonuses without verifying their licensing status.