"If we want to fight the black market, we must speak the player’s language"

This piece has been written by Lee Hills, CEO  and Founder of SolutionsHub

The Betting and Gaming Council’s “Spot The Black Market” campaign is a welcome attempt to help consumers recognise the warning signs of illegal gambling websites. Initiatives like this play an important role in protecting players whilst reinforcing trust in the regulated market. Lee Hills, CEO of regulatory advisory firm SolutionsHub, argues that the industry will only persuade players to avoid illegal sites if it speaks in plain language about the risks gamblers actually care about.

Illegal operators often lack the safeguards that licensed platforms are required to provide. Raising awareness of those risks is an important step in steering players away from unregulated environments.

But if the industry is serious about tackling the black market, we should also ask a more uncomfortable question: are we always explaining those risks in a way that genuinely resonates with players?

Too often the answer is no.

The gambling industry often explains the dangers of the black market in political and economic terms that the ordinary punter may not fully understand. Illegal operators do not pay tax, do not support safer gambling programmes and operate outside regulatory oversight.

All of these points are true and they matter to regulators, policymakers and licensed operators alike. But they are not necessarily the concerns that shape a player’s decision about where to gamble.

Speak to gamblers who have spent time on unregulated platforms and a different pattern emerges. Their fears are far more immediate.

Is the game fair?

Will the operator actually pay if they win?

And what happens to their personal data once they sign up?

Are we talking about the wrong things?

When the industry talks about illegal gambling sites, the arguments usually follow the same familiar script: tax, regulation, responsible gambling.

But do gamblers actually care?

Has anyone spent real time speaking with players or chatting with customers who use crypto casinos? Because when you do, you quickly realise their concerns sound very different from the points we tend to emphasise in industry debates.

Players are rarely thinking about whether the owner of a gambling site pays tax or contributes to the economy. Those arguments may matter to politicians or regulators, but they are not usually what drives a player’s decision about where to gamble.

If we want to compete with illegal operators, we need to stop assuming that what matters to policymakers also matters to players.

What gamblers really fear

When you ask players about the risks of unregulated gambling, the answers tend to be remarkably consistent.

First, there is the fear that the games could be rigged. Without regulatory oversight, players know there is no guarantee that the outcomes they see are genuinely random or independently audited.

Second, there is the worry that if they win big, they simply will not get paid. Many players have heard stories of accounts being closed, withdrawals being delayed indefinitely, or operators disappearing altogether when a customer lands a large win.

Third, there are concerns around privacy and exposure. When a site operates outside regulation, players cannot be sure how their personal information might be used - or misused. The idea that data could be shared, leaked or used as leverage is a very real fear for those playing on black market sites.

And finally, there is the most basic risk of all: financial security. Players want to know that their payment details are safe and that depositing money on a website will not result in their accounts being drained.

These are the concerns gamblers mention first because they are immediate and personal. They relate directly to their money, their privacy and their ability to walk away with their winnings.

In other words, they are risks players can feel.

Trust is the regulated sector’s real strength

This is exactly where the regulated industry has a genuine advantage.

Licensed operators must meet strict standards around game fairness, payment processing, customer protection and data security. Games are certified and audited, withdrawals are governed by clear rules, and players have recourse through regulators if something goes wrong.

Companies operating in regulated markets invest heavily in these safeguards because trust is fundamental to long-term player relationships. But that advantage only matters if players actually understand it. 

If the industry wants to steer consumers away from illegal operators, the message must focus on the risks players actually care about: the possibility of rigged games, unpaid winnings, compromised personal data or stolen funds.

Those are the warnings that resonate because they reflect the real fears gamblers express when you talk to them directly.

The black market will not disappear. In many regulated markets across Europe it has grown. Messaging matters, not abstract policy debates.

If the industry cannot explain, in plain language and in ways players actually notice, why licensed operators are the safer place to play, illegal operators will continue to exploit the uncertainty, anonymity and vulnerabilities that regulation is designed to prevent.