Illegal gambling site users 7x likelier to be problem gamblers
The UK Gambling Commission analysed banking transactions from roughly 38,000 individuals but still could not size Britain’s black market.
The hit
People using illegal gambling sites in Britain are more than seven times as likely to show problem gambling signs as licensed customers, according to the UK Gambling Commission. The regulator found illegal site users scored far higher on the Problem Gambling Severity Index than licensed gamblers.
Why it matters
The data hands ammunition to anyone pushing tighter controls on unlicensed operators, including the case for funnelling bettors towards regulated sites. But the UKGC is careful to say the link is not proven causation.
The record
| Illegal site users with high PGSI scores | 45% (UK Gambling Commission) |
|---|---|
| Licensed site users with high PGSI scores | 6% (UK Gambling Commission) |
| Illegal gamblers who also used licensed sites | 91% (UK Gambling Commission) |
| Banking transactions analysed | 157.2 million from roughly 38,000 individuals (UK Gambling Commission) |
| Suspected illegal gambling transactions identified | 3,426 across 179 individuals (UK Gambling Commission) |
| Forecast UK black market Premier League betting by 2027/28 | £1 billion (Betting & Gaming Council) |
What happens next
Watch for whether the UKGC uses these findings to push for tougher enforcement or tracing tools, given it misses cryptocurrency payments entirely.
Sources: Problem Gambling Seven Times More Common on Illegal Sites, UK Regulator Finds
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