Illegal betting site traffic up 19-fold in Britain since 2021

Monthly visits to illegal betting sites jumped from 1.8m to over 25m between 2022 & 2025.

The hit

Illegal betting websites used in Britain are now drawing 19.4 visits for every 100 visits to licensed sites, up from about 1 in 100 in late 2021, according to a study by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. Visitors are also staying longer & viewing more pages since late 2024, the study found.

Why it matters

For bettors, the shift means more British punters are landing on sites offering fewer consumer protections & no contribution to public finances or racing funding, according to British Horseracing Authority chief executive Brant Dunshea. The narrowing gap in visit duration & bounce rates suggests illegal sites are becoming stickier, not just more visited, & the IFHA says enforcement has not yet brought a sustained reduction in illegal-site traffic.

The record

Monthly unique visits to illegal sites	1.8m (2022) to over 25m (2025), a 14-fold rise (IFHA)
Licensed-site traffic change	down 34% over the same period (IFHA)
Average visit duration on illegal sites	up 32%, to 7 minutes 25 seconds by July 2026 (IFHA)
Illegal racing-site visit rate	6.8 per 100 licensed visits, almost 7x the 2021 rate (IFHA)
URLs removed by enforcement	almost 288,000 since April 2024 (Gambling Commission)
Adults using illegal sites	2.5% of online gamblers in past 4 weeks (Gambling Commission survey)

What happens next

The British Horseracing Authority says it will share the findings with the government & press the government for measures to keep bettors in the regulated market. Watch the newly formed Gambling Policy Commission, which is reviewing whether the Gambling Act 2005 still fits.

Sources: Illegal betting website traffic surges 19-fold in Britain since 2021

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