BHA: Illegal Betting in Britain Still Rising

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said illegal betting has spread in Britain, citing a new report from the IFHA's anti-illegal betting council. According to the authority, although efforts are targeting offshore sites, rates remain well above pre-white paper levels.

The report examined 300 popular betting sites. About one fifth of visits to betting sites go to offshore operators. Of the sites, 74 were licensed and 227 were unlicensed. In the first seven months of 2026, there were about 19.4 visits to illegal sites for every 100 visits to licensed sites.

An additional analysis of 32 unlicensed sites found that British player traffic has increased. On these sites, there are 6.8 visits for every 100 licensed visits. This ratio is about seven times the 0.97 level at the end of 2021. Monthly unique visits rose from 1.8 million in 2022 to more than 25 million in 2025. The study also found that play on illegal sites is associated with longer sessions.

The BHA acknowledges increased efforts, such as the setting up of a new task force, but argues that more work is needed. It was noted that since 2024, the UK Gambling Commission has issued more than 3,100 suspension or blocking notices and removed 288,000 URLs. Despite this, the growth of the offshore sector has not been stopped. According to the authority, new regulatory and tax measures have also weakened the competitiveness of the legal sector.

The BHA has called for the government to work in coordination with sector stakeholders, technology companies and payment providers. According to the IFHA, success should be measured by a lasting decline in illegal traffic, not by the number of notices and URL removals. BHA CEO Brant Dunshea said the organisation has long warned about the negative effects of policy changes, and that the research shows these concerns have materialised.