UK Gambling Commission Publishes GSGB Data on Scale of Illegal Online Gambling
UKGC data from the GSGB shows 0.6% of the total population and 2.5% of recent online gamblers engaged with illegal sites in the past four weeks. Engagement is higher among males and younger adults. The updated dashboard will track trends every six months to support disruption efforts.
SCCG Take — The data isolates a specific online cohort at elevated harm risk, directing regulators and operators to target interventions there rather than broad population measures.
The UK Gambling Commission has published new estimates on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites, drawn from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain. Released on 5 November and incorporated into an updated Illegal Gambling Data Dashboard, the data forms part of the regulator's evidence-building work to disrupt unlawful markets.
Survey Estimates of Engagement Levels
The GSGB indicates that 94.4% of the overall population, including non-gamblers, show no sign of using illegal gambling websites. 0.6% of respondents engaged with such sites in the past four weeks, while a further 0.4% did so in the past 12 months but not the most recent four weeks.
Among adults who gambled online in the past 12 months, 2.5% had used illegal websites in the past four weeks and 1.5% had done so in the past 12 months but not the past four weeks. The data shows higher engagement among males than females. Prevalence was greater among 18- to 24-year-olds across the full 12-month period, while 25- to 34-year-olds recorded more activity confined to the past four weeks.
Commission Priorities and Dashboard Updates
The findings complement other Commission research into consumer motivations for illegal gambling and analysis of financial transaction data. Motivations are described as varied and not reducible to a single factor.
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.”
Young added that while overall population engagement “appears low and stable from these indicators, there is a cohort of online gamblers who use these sites and research suggests those consumers who use illegal operators are more likely to experience harm.” The new data, she said, will ensure protection activity “is informed by the best available evidence.”
The Illegal Gambling Data Dashboard will be updated every six months, with further measures added as the evidence base grows. The release coincided with the Commission’s CEO Briefing event. According to iGaming Future, the figures advance the regulator’s work to identify patterns and emerging risks.
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