BHA Flags Sharp Rise in Illegal Horse Racing Bets After IFHA Report Shows Fourteen-Fold Traffic Increase
An IFHA report shows illegal betting sites now receive one in five horse racing visits, with traffic rising fourteen-fold to over 25 million between 2022 and 2025 while licensed visits dropped 34%. BHA CEO Brant Dunshea tied the surge to Gambling Act changes and called for faster enforcement by the Commission and new minister Vicky Foxcroft. (48 words)
SCCG Take — The data signals that regulatory adjustments must be stress-tested for leakage risk, or racing stands to lose both revenue and customer protections as the black market expands. (28 words)
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has highlighted worrying evidence of illegal operators gaining ground in the UK after review of a new report on the black market. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime analysed 301 websites – 74 legal and 227 illegal. Findings show one in five visits now go to illegal sites, a marked change from late 2021 when the ratio stood at just one visit per 100 legal visits.
Traffic to illegal platforms grew fourteen fold between 2022 and 2025, rising from 1.8 million visits to over 25 million. Visits to licensed sites fell 34% across the same period. For 32 illegal sites offering bets on British horseracing specifically, intensity reached 6.8 visits per 100 legal visits in 2026. That is nearly seven times the 0.97 rate seen in late 2021.
BHA Links Growth to Unintended Effects of Policy Changes
“Throughout the Gambling Act Review, British racing consistently warned that even well-intentioned policy changes could have unintended consequences for our sport, including driving more customers towards the illegal market,” said Brant Dunshea, Chief Executive of the BHA. “This research provides worrying evidence that those concerns are now being realised, with an increasing number of consumers seemingly conducting their betting with illegal operators.”
Dunshea stressed that every customer who shifts to an unlicensed operator faces greater risks and fewer protections. Such businesses contribute nothing to British racing or the public finances.
Call for Accelerated Action from Commission and New Minister
Dunshea noted recent increases in Gambling Commission enforcement activity but pointed to the “limited progress” of the Illegal Gambling Taskforce since its creation in January 2026. More than nine months on, he said the BHA will share the findings with Government and work with the new Gambling Minister, Vicky Foxcroft, to add urgency. According to reporting by SBC News, Dunshea reiterated that regulation must remain balanced and proportionate to keep bettors in the licensed market.
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