UK launches illegal gambling index

The UK Gambling Commission has launched the Illegal Gambling Index (IGI) to measure consumer interest in unlicensed gambling sites more reliably. The index is based on seven behavioural indicators that are likely to signal use of unlicensed operators. These include playing on sites not registered with GamStop, opening accounts without age and identity verification, cancelling a withdrawal without receiving payment, and using a virtual private network (VPN) to access gambling services that are not available in Great Britain.

The index was developed through a multi-stage research programme that drew on surveys, interviews, focus groups, expert opinion and recommendations from Commission panels. Rupam Jagota, the Commission's Research and Impact Manager, said that illegal online gambling is hidden and sometimes unintentional, so asking people directly is not enough to measure it. Jagota added that the index is designed as a flexible measure that can be updated as the market changes.

According to first-year data from the Great Britain Gambling Survey, 1 percent of participants showed behaviour related to an illegal gambling site in the past 12 months. Among those who gamble online, the figure rose to 4 percent. Data also published by the Commission show that about 2.5 percent of adults who gambled online in the past year used an illegal site in the four weeks before the survey. A further 1.5 percent reported using one at some point in the past 12 months, but not in the last four weeks.

Comparable rates across the whole adult population, including people who do not gamble, were recorded at 0.6 percent and 0.4 percent respectively.