Gambling Commission urges greater awareness to avoid black market websites
Summary
The Gambling Commission has published the first report in a series examining illegal online gambling in Great Britain. The study, “Illegal online gambling: Consumer awareness, drivers and motivations”, finds that many players who use unlicensed operators do not realise those sites are illegal and struggle to tell licensed from unlicensed services. The regulator highlights motives for using black market sites — from access to different games and currencies to evading safer-gambling measures — and identifies consumer groups more likely to use these operators. It calls for improved awareness campaigns, targeted interventions and stronger scrutiny of payment, marketing and cross-border practices to curb access to the illegal market.
Key Points
- Most consumers using unlicensed gambling sites were unaware the operators were illegal or could not tell if a site held a licence.
- Primary reasons to use black market sites include a wider range of games/content, better odds, alternative currencies (including crypto) and weaker safer-gambling controls.
- Unlicensed operators are not subject to UK safer-gambling requirements such as age/ID checks, deposit limits or self-exclusion integration.
- Four user groups were identified: self-excluded players, “skilled players” seeking alternative currencies, “social explorers” (found via social media or friends), and “accidental tourists” who land on illegal sites unknowingly.
- Younger men (18–24) and those with higher Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores were more likely to gamble with illegal sites.
- The Commission recommends improved consumer education, targeted campaigns by audience type, monitoring of play rates and tighter scrutiny of payment, marketing and affiliate practices to limit access.
Content summary
The report is a qualitative and survey-based look at awareness, drivers and demographics of people who use illegal online gambling services in Great Britain. It finds low awareness of what constitutes an unlicensed site and that many users supplement licensed-site gambling with unlicensed platforms rather than using them exclusively. Key motivations include product breadth, perceived odds and the ability to use non-GBP currencies. The regulator is particularly concerned about self-excluded players returning to gambling via unlicensed sites and the absence of mandatory safeguards on those platforms.
Limitations noted by the Commission include reliance on self-reported behaviour and a sample restricted to people who had gambled in the previous four weeks (excluding National Lottery). Despite this, the Commission draws actionable conclusions and calls for education, targeted interventions and stronger oversight of access routes to the illegal market.
Context and relevance
This report matters to operators, regulators, payment providers, affiliates and consumer-protection bodies. It sits alongside growing regulatory activity — the Commission reports a ten-fold increase in disruption since April 2024 — and reflects broader industry concerns about cross-border advertising, crypto-enabled play and gaps in self-exclusion coverage. For businesses, it signals potential tightening of scrutiny on payments and marketing; for policy teams, it provides evidence to design targeted awareness and behaviour-change campaigns.
Author style
Punchy: the regulator’s findings are direct and actionable — this isn’t academic fluff. If you work in compliance, payments, marketing or safer gambling, the recommendations are something you should be planning for now.
Why should I read this?
Look — this piece saves you time. It flags where players are slipping through the cracks (young men, self-excluded users, and those chasing crypto or better odds) and tells you what the regulator wants: education, targeted campaigns and tougher checks on payments and marketing. If you care about protecting customers or avoiding enforcement headaches, this is worth a quick read.
Source
Source: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/gambling-commission-awareness-black-market/