A new survey released by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling and Yield Sec suggests that much of the illegal gambling in Great Britain could be driven by individuals who are self-excluded through the national program, GAMSTOP, or are not yet of the legal age to participate in gambling activities.
Survey highlights the seriousness of the illegal gambling market
Commissioned by the CFG and carried out by Yield Sec, the report reveals serious issues that arise from the illegal gambling market, and specifically, its focus on vulnerable consumers. Some of the highlights of the survey include the fact that 9% of Great Britain’s gambling market (worth £8.2bn) is now in the hands of black-market businesses.
There are thousands of affiliates that presently target vulnerable consumers, through the use of such black hat practices as "websites not on GAMSTOP," which seek to directly target gamblers who wish to play but cannot do so legally because they have been excluded.
Hundreds of illegal online gambling operators producing £583m in gross gambling revenue in 2024 are preying on these vulnerable consumers, the survey claims. In the first half of 2025, the gross gambling revenue generated by the illegal gambling industry stood at £379m and is on track to grow on an annual basis.
The survey also noted that there has been a 19% growth in the online gambling market between 2022 and 2024, but in comparison, the illegal online gambling market grew by 345%.
Predatory practices underpin the illegal gambling market’s growth
The report argues that these illegal websites are targeting the 532,484 people who are already excluded from GAMSTOP, but also underage individuals who cannot play legally on any of the locally-regulated venues.
CFG founder Derek Webb has acknowledged these trends and called for an acknowledgement of the present realities, which see the illegal gambling market continue to dominate and hold control over hundreds of thousands of lives, specifically through the use of black hat marketing.
Yield Sec Founder and CEO Ismail Vali was similarly keen on highlighting the seriousness of the issue, arguing that "crime was not stupid," and that illegal operators were unlikely to seek an entry into the regulated market any time soon, especially with tightening regulatory criteria.
"Illegals in Great Britain cannot beat legals across price, product, or promotion consistently. There is no good reason for mainstream consumers to use illegal gambling operators, so crime only targets those consumers who have bad reasons for requiring illegal gambling operators: they are under 18 and they are on the GAMSTOP self-exclusion scheme," Vali explained, arguing that the illegal market had to target vulnerable consumers instead.
However, lawmakers ought to pay attention that the illegal gambling market is growing and needs to enact changes.
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