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.
Participation estimates for engagement with illegal gambling websites
All respondents
Although questions were asked only of respondents who reported gambling online in the past 12 months, results were rebased to all respondents who completed the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) online survey. This provides estimates for the proportion of the population who use illegal gambling websites (including those who do not gamble).
Findings estimate that the proportion of people using illegal gambling websites among the whole population (including those who do not gamble) is low, with most respondents showing no indications of using an illegal gambling website (94.4%). 0.6% of respondents have engaged with illegal gambling websites within the past 4 weeks and a further 0.4% in the past 12 months (but not in the past 4 weeks)(as shown in Figure 1). 4.6% of respondents demonstrated limited indicators, meaning that they have displayed some indications of engagement with illegal gambling websites in the past 12 months (or longer ago) but there is insufficient evidence to confidently categorise them as having used an illegal gambling website within the past 4 weeks or in the past 12 months.
Those who have gambled online in the past 12 months
Among those who reported gambling online in the past 12 months, 82.0% show no indications of using an illegal gambling website. 2.5% have engaged with illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks and a further 1.5% in the past 12 months (but not in the past 4 weeks). 14.0% of respondents demonstrated weaker indicators that provide low levels of confidence that engagement with an illegal gambling website had occurred in the past 12 months, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Participation estimates for engagement with illegal gambling websites
| Participation estimates for engagement with illegal gambling websites | Percentage of all respondents | Percentage of those who gambled online in the past 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| No indications | 94.4% | 82.0% |
| Limited indications | 4.6% | 14.0% |
| Engaged in illegal gambling websites in the past 12 months | 0.4% | 1.5% |
| Engaged in illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks | 0.6% | 2.5% |
Base: Adults aged 18 years and over (14,257 unweighted) and adults aged 18 years and over who reported gambling online in the past 12 months, excluding those who only gambled on National Lottery products (3,569 unweighted).
Demographics – among all respondents
Male respondents (0.9%) were significantly more likely than female respondents (0.4%) to have engaged with illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks. This pattern was also consistent when looking at engagement in the past 12 months (0.6%, and 0.3%, respectively) as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Engagement with illegal gambling websites, by sex
| Engagement with illegal gambling websites | Male (percentage) | Female (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Engaged in illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks | 0.9% | 0.4% |
| Engaged in illegal gambling websites in the past 12 months | 0.6% | 0.3% |
Base: Male and female respondents aged 18 years and over (Males: 6,361; Females: 7,886 unweighted)9.
Engagement with illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks was similar across age groups (ranging from 0.6% to 1.1%), with engagement at its highest for those aged between 25 to 34 (1.1%). The only exception was for those aged 65 and above, where engagement with illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks was significantly lower than other age groups (0.1% for those aged between 65 to 74).
When looking at engagement with illegal gambling websites in the past 12 months, engagement amongst 18 to 24 year olds was significantly higher (1.5%) than other groups (ranging from 0.1% to 0.6%) as shown in Figure 3.
Although engagement with illegal gambling websites overall was higher for 18 to 24 year olds (2.2%), much of this engagement occurred within the past 12 months (1.5%) rather than the past 4 weeks (0.7%). In contrast, among 25 to 34 year olds, past 4-week engagement (1.1%) was reported at a higher rate to past 12-month engagement (0.6%)10. This could indicate more frequent engagement amongst this age group.
Figure 3: Engagement with illegal gambling websites, by age
| Engagement with illegal gambling websites | Aged 18 to 24 | Aged 25 to 34 | Aged 35 to 44 | Aged 45 to 54 | Aged 55 to 64 | Aged 65 to 74 | Aged 75 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engaged in illegal gambling websites in the past 4 weeks | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.1% | Nil | Nil |
| Engaged in illegal gambling websites in the past 12 months | 0.7% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.1% | Nil |
Base: Adults aged 18 years and over (18 to 24 years: 1,108; 25 to 34 years: 2,814; 35 to 44 years: 2,965; 45 to 54 years: 2,302; 55 to 64 years: 2,293; 65 to 74 years: 1,829: 75 and over: 946 unweighted).
Those who have engaged with illegal gambling websites
Illegal gambling website users are those who had engaged with illegal gambling websites, by meeting the Index scoring threshold ‘in the past 4 weeks’ or ‘in the last 12 months’ timeframes.
Among those identified as engaging with illegal gambling websites, 60.6% had done so in the past 4 weeks, while 39.4% had done so in the past 12 months.
Owing to the small sample size within this group (n=128), demographical breakdowns of this group cannot be reported at this stage. As further data is collected and sample sizes increase, more detailed demographic analysis can be conducted.
However, it is possible to explore the behavioural indicators associated with engagement with illegal gambling websites among this group. The indicators most reported by this group are presented within the next section.
References
9 Unweighted bases for sex categories do not add up to the total (14,257) due to ‘prefer not to answer’ being selected.
10 This demographic pattern was consistent when looking at those who gambled online, excluding those who only gambled on National Lottery products.
Indicators of engagement with illegal gambling websites
Last updated: 5 November 2026
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.