27M Visits to Black Market Betting Sites in 12 Months

According to a research from the Betting and Gaming Council, close to 30 million visits were made to black market betting sites in a year. 

The standards body found that more than 200,000 customers used unlicensed operators from 2018 to 2019, with close to £1.4 billion wagered with illegal UK operators.

This means than 2.5 per cent of all visits to betting websites were unlicensed sites, representing one in 10 of all betting transactions. 

This data was released  as the Government continues its Gambling Review; a parliamentary review that is being referred to as an ‘industry overhaul’.  

Michael Dugher, chief executive of BGC, said:

“As the standards body for the regulated industry, we strongly welcome the Gambling Review, which we think is a great opportunity to drive further change on safer gambling. 

“However, these figures demonstrate the danger of unintentionally driving punters into the arms of the illegal, online black market – which offers none of the protections of the regulated sector. 

“The regulated betting and gaming industry employs 100,000 men and women and pays £3.2bn a year in tax to the Treasury, so the Government needs to be wary of doing anything that puts that at risk. 

“Millions of people in the UK enjoy an occasional flutter, whether that is on sports, at the bingo, on the Lottery or online, and it is vitally important that they are able to do so in a safe environment, rather than the unscrupulous black market.”