Most UK adults unable to spot unlicensed betting ads, warns Entain
Three in four adults in the United Kingdom, or 74 per cent, “struggle to identify unlicensed betting promotions on social media,” warned Entain in a statement discussing betting advertising in light of the ongoing 2026 World Cup. It added that one in three adults, or 33 per cent, “does not believe the UK government is doing enough to protect citizens from illegal gambling,” as it continued that only 10 per cent of UK adults find it easy to identify licensed betting promotions on social media.
Difficulty distinguishing between legal and illegal operators
Entain said that according to new research that it commissioned, millions of UK football fans watching the World Cup are unable to distinguish between legal and illegal gambling operators, “leaving them exposed to significant consumer risks from the growing illegal market”.
“The YouGov survey of more than 2,000 adults reveals a troubling picture of a public that cannot reliably identify illegal gambling promotion at a time when sophisticated illegal operators are increasingly targeting audiences via social media during major sports events like the World Cup,” the betting operator stated.
It commented that despite 80 per cent of respondents saying that they are unlikely to knowingly use illegal, unlicensed betting sites, the research shows that most consumers lack the tools to identify such sites to begin with.
Entain said that just 10 per cent of UK adults responded that they find it easy to identify whether a betting promotion on social media is from a licensed UK platform, while 74 per cent are “unsure” or “actively struggle to identify legitimate platforms”.
It stated that, unlike licensed UK operators, illegal sites generally do not offer access to services or measures such as independent dispute resolution, self-exclusion schemes, and age verification, and have no guarantee that winnings will be paid out.
Based on the findings from Entain’s commissioned research, public confidence in the UK’s current approach to illegal gambling is “strikingly low”. Entain said that only 7 per cent of respondents believe that UK regulations are very effective at preventing illegal gambling,
Unlicensed betting operators ramping up advertising efforts during the World Cup
The operator noted that these findings have come as the 2026 FIFA World Cup is currently underway, “a period when illegal operators typically intensify their marketing activity, using social media, influencers, and unregulated networks to reach UK audiences at scale”.
Other major figures in the UK betting industry, including the Flutter President, as well as the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), have made similar statements warning of the issue of the growing black market and its increased advertising efforts during such major sporting events.
Entain stated that research shows that social media platforms are seen as one of the leading contributors to the spread of illegal betting, “alongside criminal networks and weak enforcement mechanisms”.
It said that over half of UK adults, at 53 per cent, have said that the government should play a leading role in protecting consumers. Additionally, the research found that social media platforms, major sporting events, banks, and financial providers are also seen as having significant responsibilities.
Entain Managing Director warns of illegal market practices
Bejay Patel, UK and Ireland Managing Director at Entain, commented that the research “reveals a genuinely concerning gap between consumer confidence and consumer reality”. He said that people have expressed that they are confident they would avoid illegal operators, “yet most cannot reliably identify them online”.
“Nearly three-quarters of UK adults are sitting ducks for illegal operators to exploit at major sporting events such as the World Cup,” Patel remarked.
Echoing similar sentiments that have been expressed by the BGC, Patel said that the UK’s regulated gambling market offers some of the strongest consumer protections in the world, as he noted that such safeguards are not offered or adhered to by the illegal market, “leaving people exposed to fraud, unfair treatment, and serious harm”.
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