Cookies on the Gambling Commission website

The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. About us
  3. Illegal gambling - Phase 4: Initial findings from new data on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites

Report

Illegal gambling - Phase 4: Initial findings from new data on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites

The initial findings from new data on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites.

Published
5 November 2026

Last updated
5 November 2026 - Changes

Document actions
Print or save (opens in new tab)

Contents

Background

The Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab) sets out 3 licensing objectives that must be met by all licensed gambling operators. One of these objectives is to prevent gambling from being linked to crime or disorder, or from being used to support crime. In line with this objective, the Gambling Commission’s Corporate Strategy 2024 to 2027 sets the goal of making it difficult to provide illegal gambling at scale to consumers in Great Britain. While illegal gambling takes place both online and in person, our work to date focuses on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites.

As part of our Consumer Voice programme, the Commission appointed Yonder Consulting to undertake several phases of research to better understand the consumers who engage with illegal gambling websites and their underlying motivations and attitudes. This research has involved 4 phases, providing the Commission with a comprehensive understanding of consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites in Great Britain. The research contributes to the Commission’s Illegal gambling and crime Evidence Roadmap, supporting the development of a robust evidence base on participation in illegal online gambling in Great Britain.

A core aim of the research was to develop a means of measuring consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites. This involved the development of a suite of survey questions and an accompanying composite Illegal Gambling Index approach to support the Commission in tracking consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites through the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

This was developed using a robust, iterative approach which included:

Phase 1: Qualitative research to identify the core consumer personas engaging with illegal gambling websites.

Phase 2: Quantitative research to validate these personas and develop a suite of survey questions that contribute to a composite Illegal Gambling Index for tracking the engagement with illegal gambling websites.

Phase 3: A mixed-method study building on the findings from previous phases to develop an analytical methodology for quantifying persona composition and the primary 'push factors' contributing to consumer usage of illegal gambling websites.

Phase 4: A report presenting initial findings from the GSGB, alongside a technical report detailing the methodology underpinning the composite index.

Previous section
Executive summary - Initial findings from new data on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites Next section
How to read this report - Initial findings from new data on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites
Is this page useful?
Back to top