Gambling Commission estimates 4% of online gamblers used illegal sites
The regulator's survey found 2.5% of recent online gamblers used such sites in the previous four weeks.
New data from the Gambling Commission estimates that 4% of adults in Great Britain who gambled online in the past year used an illegal gambling website. The figures, published on Friday, are based on survey data collected from April 2025 to April 2026. Among those who gambled online, 2.5% had used an illegal site in the four weeks before being surveyed. A further 1.5% reported using one earlier in the previous twelve months. The regulator said 94.4% of all respondents showed no sign of using an illegal gambling website. Another 4.6% displayed some indicators of possible use, but the evidence was not strong enough for classification. The analysis covered responses from 14,257 people surveyed online and focused on 3,569 who had gambled online in the past year.
"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 Commission uses an index of seven behaviours to identify potential illegal site use. These indicators include gambling on a site known not to be on Gamstop, signing up where age or identity checks are not required, cancelling a withdrawal, and using a VPN to access a site blocked in Great Britain. Among those classified as users, 58% said they used a site they knew was not on Gamstop. Nearly 47% said they signed up to a site because they knew verification would not be required.
Engagement with illegal sites was higher among men than women. The survey found 0.9% of all adult men reported using an illegal site in the previous four weeks, compared to 0.4% of women. Use was also more common among younger adults, with 2.2% of 18-to-24-year-olds classified as having engaged with such sites in the past year. For people aged 25 to 34, the estimate for use in the previous four weeks was 1.1%.
The Commission cautioned that only 128 respondents were definitively classified as illegal-site users, making the estimates less strong. It said the findings suggest use is not widespread across the general population but noted the possibility of more concentrated use within specific groups. The regulator stated its current monitoring does not show sustained or substantial growth in illegal online gambling. The Commission plans to introduce new survey questions in 2027 to track different categories of illegal gambling consumers. It will also update its Illegal Gambling Data Dashboard every six months and expand monitoring to affiliates, advertising, payment providers and hosting services. The regulator said it continues to work with government, industry and technology companies to disrupt illegal operations and protect consumers.