Britain’s Gambling Commission has published the first report in a new series on illegal online gambling, looking at why people choose unlicensed websites and how they use them. The report, called “Illegal online gambling: Consumer awareness, drivers and motivations,” was put together with Yonder Consulting to get a better understanding of how consumers interact with these sites.
The research paid attention to four main groups of people who turn to unlicensed platforms. Self-excluders, Skilled Advocates, Social Explorers, and Accidental Tourists are described as having “varying awareness levels of engagement with illegal websites, different entry pathways into the websites, and motivations for using them.” Over the past year, the UK’s online gambling revenue jumped 7% in Q4, with other key numbers also climbing, according to data from the commission.
Gambling commission report finds players lacked awareness over black market sites
One of the main issues raised by the regulator is that many people are not aware of illegal operators. The report showed that most players had very little knowledge of unlicensed sites, and some admitted they were unsure how to check if a company actually held a licence.
A woman between the ages of 55 and 64, who described herself as a self-excluder, explained: “I didn’t care who I was gambling with, I just wanted somewhere where I could play slots.”
A ‘skilled advocate’ aged 25 to 34, talked about what drew him to online communities: “I like to follow the conversation and see what people are recommending on Reddit. You never know what new thing someone might find to try.”
Social Explorers tend to rely on peer trust before committing money. As one respondent put it: “I’m okay with using these sites. As long as I know they work and I know my friends wouldn’t recommend a site if they hadn’t tried it first.”
Accidental Tourists, however, often do not realize they are using unlicensed operators. One said: “I didn’t realise these sites might be unlicensed. I didn’t even think about their being UK based or otherwise.”
The report makes it clear that most users don’t completely walk away from licensed operators. “Engagement with illegal gambling websites is typically supplementary rather than exclusive, with most illegal gambling website users reporting favouring spending time or money on licensed websites rather than on illegal websites.”
People are often motivated by things like better odds, different payment options, and fewer restrictions. Some also turn to unlicensed platforms in order to “circumvent protection measures such as self-exclusion.”
Increase regulations and the black market grows. Before the anti-gambling lobby started and the Gambling Commission decided 0.4% problem gamblers was too high, the use in the UK was tiny. https://t.co/sHSo1i2e80 pic.twitter.com/my36xOZ6Oo
— Chris Fawcett (@chrisgambler247) September 19, 2025
However, SharpBetting co-founder Chris Fawcett criticized the report. Writing on X, he said: “Increase regulations and the black market grows. Before the anti-gambling lobby started and the Gambling Commission decided 0.4% problem gamblers was too high, the use in the UK was tiny.”
That said, the commission says this is just the start of its work to monitor illegal gambling behavior. It has promised more research through the Gambling Survey for Great Britain and suggested it may also launch a public awareness campaign: “Our overall goal is to continue to build an evidence base that includes understanding the consumer perspective… This will help us understand better the areas of this issue which require regulatory action.”
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