Report
Illegal online gambling: Consumer awareness, drivers and motivations
The Gambling Commission's study into consumer awareness of the illegal online gambling market.
Forward look
A subsequent phase of the Consumer Voice project is due to be completed at the end of 2025, in which questions relating to consumer engagement in illegal gambling websites are being developed for the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). These questions will allow us to monitor trends in consumers’ self-reported engagement with illegal websites on an ongoing basis and build on our knowledge of the four key audiences. They are likely to require further development, however, as we continue to explore how to produce robust estimates of the proportion of consumers accessing illegal gambling websites across the 4 key audiences.
Within the Phase Two survey, we included a preliminary question that aimed to explore consumers’ ‘knee jerk’ reactions to a regulatory change that could influence engagement in the online illegal market. We asked consumers about their instinctive reactions to the financial vulnerability check proposals that were the subject of an extensive Consumer Voice project published earlier that year. This project explored gambler attitudes towards Financial Vulnerability and Financial Risk Check proposals, and illustrated that consumer-stated intentions relating to theoretical regulatory change differ significantly from their views when given a fuller understanding of the regulatory change’s purpose and scope. Building on this insight, we will use our new Consumer Voice programme to conduct further research utilising a more deliberative approach, allowing us to more deeply understand the role that both regulatory and operator practices may have on consumer engagement in the illegal market.
Additionally, we are considering the benefits of developing a consumer-facing campaign, with the objective of raising awareness within targeted groups of consumers of the risks of accessing and using the illegal market. The Commission has begun using behavioural insights research to identify specific groups and their relationship with illegal gambling products and services. This work would involve cross-referencing these insights with the data and findings from this research and could be rolled out iteratively with a view to encourage positive behaviour change.
Our overall goal is to continue to build an evidence base that includes understanding the consumer perspective to appreciate engagement and the way it changes using a range of research vehicles. This will help us understand better the areas of this issue which require regulatory action.
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Last updated: 18 September 2025
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