UK Gambling Commission Estimates Four Per Cent of Online Gamblers Use Illegal Websites

The Gambling Commission has published survey results estimating that four per cent of online gamblers in Great Britain engaged with illegal websites over the past 12 months. The data, drawn from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain between April 2025 and April 2026, breaks down to 2.5 per cent in the prior four weeks and a further 1.5 per cent over the preceding 12 months. Across the full adult population the figures fall to 0.6 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively.

The Commission also launched an Illegal Gambling Data Dashboard that tracks market signals and enforcement outcomes. According to reporting by G3 Newswire, the dashboard recorded 586 illegal gambling websites accessible to British consumers in September 2026, a four per cent rise from September 2025. Estimated engagement with those sites rose 12 per cent against the preceding three-month average yet remained 11 per cent below the level from a year earlier.

Demographic Patterns and Behavioural Indicators

Engagement rates were higher among men and adults aged 18 to 24. The Commission’s new Illegal Gambling Index applies seven indicators—including cryptocurrency use, VPN access, non-Gamstop sites, and absent age verification—to flag potential unlicensed activity even when consumers may not recognise it as illegal. 4.6 per cent of all survey respondents showed limited signs of such engagement without meeting the full threshold.

Sue Young, Executive Director for Operations at the Gambling Commission, said: “We want to kick crime out of gambling. Illegal gambling poses risks to consumers and tackling it is a priority for the Commission and our partners.” She added that consumers who use illegal operators “are more likely to experience harm.” The Commission noted its indicators do not show sustained or substantial growth in the illegal market, while acknowledging that individual measures remain estimates and cannot define overall market size.

Enforcement Actions and Dashboard Trends

Regulatory disruption increased, with 311 illegal websites targeted in the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year—a 38 per cent rise on the prior quarter. Of sites with follow-up traffic data, 77 per cent recorded reduced visits after intervention. The dashboard further identified 97 affiliate webpages linking to illegal operators and found that four per cent of gambling-related Google search results directed users toward unlicensed sites.

The Commission plans to refresh the dashboard every six months, broaden monitoring to affiliates, advertisers, payment providers and hosting services, and add survey questions on illegal gambling categories in 2027.

Enforcement Priorities Ahead

These figures supply a narrower factual baseline for prioritising disruption where harm risk is highest. Regulators and licensed operators now have clearer signals on search routes and behavioural markers that drive consumers toward unlicensed product; sustained focus on those vectors will determine whether enforcement keeps the illegal share stable or forces measurable contraction.