UKGC expands its advisory board to promote safer gambling
Two new members have joined the UK Gambling Commission's Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG).The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is an executive, non-departmental...
BGC reports £4.3 billion in black market gambling wagers
BGC, the Betting and Gaming Council, together with Frontier Economics, conducted a new study and found £4.3 billion in illegal wagers.
Since the UK government’s recent White Paper on gambling reform, this is the first major investigation into the black market.
The study found that illegal gambling operators are aggressively targeting UK players, avoiding regulatory protections, and costing both the government and the sports industry significant revenue. More than 20% of gamblers aged 18-24 now use unregulated sites from the black market. They login to the platforms through online messaging apps.
In total, more than 1.5 million people spent £2.7 billion on illegal online platforms, particularly on games like poker and sports betting. Another £1.6 billion was wagered in underground gambling sites across the UK.
BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst expressed serious concern:
“Millions of customers are being driven into the arms of pernicious black market operators. The government and the regulator risk sleepwalking into this issue.”
The reason why the black market is developing is its ability to offer services that regulated operators can’t, like larger bonuses and anonymity. Many bettors also use VPNs to access illegal sites abroad.
Andrew Leicester, Frontier Economics associate director, said:
“Efforts to make gambling safer are important, but must avoid the risk of pushing more players into unregulated providers who do not need to comply with regulations around safer play.”
The BGC is urging technology companies to collaborate with them in blocking access to these sites. While only 0.4% of the UK population are problem gamblers, the threat from illegal operators remains a major concern.
Share:
UKGC released NatCen survey results from 5,191 adults
UKGC released a survey conducted by NatCen between January and April 2024.The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is an executive, non-departmental public body of the...
