Interest in illegal gambling sites is low in the UK, but online gamblers are at risk

The UK Gambling Commission published its new data on illegal gambling sites on 5 November. The data provides up-to-date estimates of how far consumers come into contact with these sites in Great Britain. The Commission said it made the announcement to strengthen evidence-based work and efforts to neutralise illegal markets. Black market activity in several European countries remains an ongoing regulatory concern for the sector.

The data was obtained from the Great Britain Gambling Survey (GSGB). The Commission also published an updated Illegal Gambling Data Dashboard. This dashboard will monitor trends and the impact of the Commission's intervention work. The survey includes questions that measure the likelihood of a consumer using an illegal site, whether or not they are aware of it.

Initial estimates show that use of illegal sites is low across the whole population, including people who do not gamble. 94.4% of respondents showed no sign of using these sites. 0.6% of respondents said they had visited illegal gambling sites in the past four weeks, and 0.4% said they had come into contact with these sites in the past 12 months but not in the past four weeks.

Rates are higher among people who gamble online. In this group, 2.5% had come into contact with illegal sites in the past four weeks, and 1.5% had done so in the past 12 months but not in the past four weeks. Men had more contact than women, and contact was more common among 18 to 24 year olds over the past 12 months. Among those aged 25 to 34, contact was more pronounced in the past four weeks.

The Commission said the reasons people use illegal sites are varied and cannot be explained by a single factor. Sue Young, Executive Director of Operations, said that across the general population the illegal market appears low and stable, but online gamblers who use these sites are more likely to be harmed. The Commission said the data will guide consumer protection work and that it will continue to tackle crime alongside government, the sector, and technology and finance organisations.