The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has launched a new five-point plan to crack down on the growing UK illegal gambling market, as it stated that failure to act risks exposing consumers to fraud, criminality, and gambling-related harm.
Black market growth and associated risks
It stated that, as a representative of “around 90% of the regulated UK betting and gaming industry”, it is calling on ministers, regulators, technology companies, and financial institutions “to work together to shut down illegal operators targeting British consumers”.
It continued that its intervention comes amid growing evidence that the illegal gambling market is “expanding at an alarming rate”.
Citing forecasts by H2 Gambling Capital, the BGC said that it is estimated that black market stakes could rise from £17 billion (€19.6 billion) in 2025 to more than £33 billion (€38.2 billion) by 2028, “with almost one in every five pounds staked online potentially being placed with illegal operators within three years”.
The BGC remarked that black market operators do not offer any protections required in the regulated sector, and added that they also pay no tax and do not contribute to British sport.
“Every customer lost to the black market is a customer gambling without safeguards, without oversight, and without the protections that exist within Britain’s highly regulated gambling market,” it stated.
Additionally, the BGC commented that “allowing the black market to continue to grow would undermine years of progress in raising standards and protecting vulnerable consumers”.
The BGC’s five-point plan against illegal gambling
Detailing its five-point plan, the BGC started by going over the first point, which would be to “shut down illegal gambling advertising”.
“Make social media companies responsible for removing illegal gambling content and advertisements, preventing criminal operators from reaching British consumers and protecting children and vulnerable groups from exposure,” it said.
It commented that illegal operators increasingly rely on social media, search engines, and online advertising in order to attract consumers. “The scale of the problem is growing rapidly,” it said, as it referred to analysis by WARC which found that illegal operators “now account for almost half of all UK gambling advertising spend and are projected to overtake licensed operators by 2028”.
With that in mind, the BGC stated that stronger action is needed in order to ensure that illegal gambling advertisements are “removed quickly”, therefore preventing criminal operators from targeting consumers and reducing exposure among children and vulnerable people.
The second point, it said, is to “block illegal gambling websites” by giving the UK Gambling Commission the ability to block illegal gambling websites and to remove unlicensed gambling apps.
The BGC argues that regulators need the ability to remove illegal sites more quickly and make it harder for criminal operators to reach consumers, as it spoke of how illegal operators can rapidly create new websites and applications designed to mimic legitimate gambling brands.
Going over its third point, the BGC said that payment providers should be prevented from facilitating transactions linked to illegal gambling operators. This would “cut off the money” and disrupt financial networks sustaining the black market.
Explaining the reasoning, the BGC said that illegal gambling businesses depend on the ability to move money in and out of customer accounts, and that stopping payments reaching unlicensed operators “would strike directly at the business model that allows the black market to flourish and make it significantly harder for criminal enterprises to operate”.
The fourth point in the BGC’s plan is to “hold enablers accountable”. It said that this could be done by introducing “meaningful penalties for companies that knowingly provide advertising, payment processing, hosting, or other services to illegal gambling businesses”.
“Illegal operators do not act alone. A network of companies often facilitates advertising, payments, and online services, helping criminal operators reach British consumers,” the BGC stated.
It continued that while regulated businesses comply with strict rules, illegal operators “increasingly use influencers, search engines, and AI-generated content to target consumers outside the regulatory framework”.
That said, it remarked that “those who knowingly enable such activity should face meaningful consequences”.
The fifth and final point listed in the BGC’s plan is to “get tougher on illegal operators” by creating tougher criminal sanctions against those who operate, support, or profit from illegal gambling operations which target UK consumers.
It said that the penalties for operating illegal gambling businesses “should reflect the significant consumer harm they can cause”, as it continued that tougher sanctions would act as a deterrent while also providing law enforcement with stronger tools to disrupt organised criminal activity.
BGC CEO on the risks posed by the black market
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst remarked that the black market’s forecasted growth is something which should concern anyone who cares about consumer protection and reducing gambling-related harm.
She said that the evidence is clear that “illegal operators are targeting British consumers online, advertising through social media, processing payments through legitimate financial systems, and exploiting gaps in enforcement”.
The BGC CEO continued that if policymakers fail to tackle this “growing threat”, then more gambling will take place in environments with no safeguards, oversight, or consumer protections.
“This is not simply an issue for the regulated industry. It is a consumer protection issue, a public health issue, and a criminal justice issue,” she said, adding that “government, regulators, technology companies, and payment providers must work together to stop illegal operators reaching British consumers”.
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