Gambling Commission Survey Shows 4% of Online Gamblers in Great Britain Used Illegal Sites

The Gambling Commission estimates that 4% of people who gambled online in Great Britain engaged with illegal gambling websites during the 12 months covered by its latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain.

The findings draw from data collected between April 2025 and April 2026. They appear alongside an updated Illegal Gambling Data Dashboard that tracks consumer engagement and the regulator's disruption efforts. Among those who gambled online, 2.5% engaged with illegal sites in the previous four weeks and 1.5% did so over the full 12 months but not the most recent four weeks. Across the entire population surveyed, 0.6% engaged in the last four weeks, 0.4% over the prior 12 months but not recently, and 94.4% showed no indication of illegal site use.

Demographic Patterns and Behavioral Indicators

Engagement ran higher among males than females and proved more prevalent among younger adults, particularly those aged 18 to 24. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, recent four-week engagement stood out. A further 4.6% of all respondents showed limited indications of engagement insufficient for full classification.

The Commission's Illegal Gambling Index applies seven behavioral indicators. These include gambling with cryptocurrency, accessing restricted websites through VPNs, using sites outside Gamstop, and gambling without age or identity verification. The method targets consumers who may interact with illegal operators without realizing it. Motivations vary and cannot be traced to one cause.

The Commission stated its monitoring indicators do not currently demonstrate sustained or substantial growth in illegal online gambling. Individual measures remain estimates and cannot deliver a definitive assessment of the market's overall size. Searches for gambling sites "not on Gamstop" emerged as a prominent discovery route, with added interest in cryptocurrency-related gambling.

The Enforcement Horizon

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 continued that while overall population engagement appears low and stable, a cohort of online gamblers uses these sites and "research suggests those consumers who use illegal operators are more likely to experience harm." The new data, according to reporting by Yogonet International, will inform protection activity across government, industry, technology and financial services.

The Commission will update the dashboard every six months. Monitoring will expand to affiliates, advertising, payment providers, hosting services and other supporting businesses. Additional survey questions on categories of illegal gambling consumers arrive in 2027. The persistent segment, even at stable levels, highlights the limits of current estimates while sharpening focus on supply-chain disruption.