Report
Illegal online gambling - Phase 1: Exploring consumer pathways into using illegal gambling websites
The Gambling Commission's report on the first phase of the Consumer Voice illegal gambling project.
Accidental Tourists
This section explores the Accidental Tourist audience in more depth, covering their reasons for using illegal gambling websites, pathways into illegal websites and wider attitudes towards these websites and regulation.
Reasons for using illegal websites
Similarly to Social Explorers, this subset of illegal website users chance upon the illegal market accidentally. Most were unaware they had used an illegal website until the potential indicators of unlicensed websites were pointed out to them as part of the research.
Two main motivations can inadvertently lead this group to illegal websites.
Firstly, the desire to win. As a group who label themselves as taking a more ‘casual’ approach to gambling, they put less value on complete immersion in the gambling experience and more emphasis on quick gambling sessions. With their gambling activity being more sporadic, they tend to prioritise better odds over novel game play experiences, as they want to make the most of these shorter sessions and increase their chances of success when the opportunity to gamble lands. For them, the prospect of winning is what makes this an enjoyable experience.
“The sites I’ve used initially drew my attention by having a large number of free spins on their games. I didn’t really notice much in the way of the experience using the site. I only realised they were unlicensed through the research.”
Male, aged 35 to 44 years, PGSI 5
Secondly, for some, gambling forms a small part of wider hobbies and interests and can enhance the enjoyment of these activities. For example, betting on their favourite sport.
“You can bet on more sports on these sites, like games in the US. For UK games, you can get better odds betting with a foreign site.”
Male, aged 55 to 64, PGSI 6
Pathways into illegal websites
Pathways into illegal websites stem directly from this group’s motivations. For those driven to seek better odds, search engines are a popular choice. This group tend to be less discerning in their selection of websites compared to others, selecting higher-ranking search results as a way to reassure themselves as to the reliability of these websites. This appears to create something of a herding effect among this group.
“I just Google search and then click the first link I see, after the paid ads. I know that must be a popular site, so it must be a good one to use.”
Male, aged 55 to 64, PGSI 4
For those who have a particular hobby or interest which gambling compliments, another pathway in is through advertising and recommendations given as part of sports podcasts or when watching YouTube videos of influencers gambling. This group tend to trust those who are popular and well-established within their given hobby.
“You get a lot of sites mentioned by YouTubers I follow, mainly in the US.”
Male, aged 55 to 64, PGSI 4
Attitudes towards illegal websites and regulation
Upon the realisation that some of their gambling activity may have been on illegal websites, this cohort remain open to using these websites in future. They feel that since they do not tend to gamble in large amounts, the risks associated with these gambling companies are relatively low.
“I don’t gamble all the time and I don’t gamble large amounts, so it’s not like I’m going to lose loads of money if they don’t pay out.”
Male, aged 18 to 24, PGSI 1
Case study
Daniel, aged 60, PGSI 4, Accidental Tourist
Daniel is retired and formerly worked for a company making educational resources. He’s a real sports enthusiast and likes to gamble on football because it adds a spark of excitement to the game and means he has to pay more attention to the outcome, making it more immersive. He normally uses SkyBet, Ladbrokes or 32 Red, as he doesn’t know of many other companies, and he knows these 3 will offer different promotions at different times.
Triggers
He felt his current providers’ odds and promotions were limited – looking for something more compelling and he is seeking something new and fun.
"I just felt the odds weren’t great and using the same sites again and again wasn’t as fun as it used to be.”
Pathway
He Googles site names which he’d heard of through word-of-mouth recommendations from podcast hosts and YouTube accounts he follows. He also clicks pop-up ads on YouTube.
“You get a lot of sites mentioned by YouTubers I follow, mainly in the US.”
“I like watching people on YouTube making high bets on sports, it makes it interesting. I also listen to podcasts.”
Experience
He didn’t realise these could be unlicensed websites at the time, as he had no issues with using them, nor did he notice anything different about the play experience. He experienced one or two instances of the websites not asking for his ID but this didn’t trouble him or make him think twice.
“I didn’t realise these sites might be illegal. I didn’t even think about their being UK based or otherwise.”
Outlook
He is open to using these websites in the future as he has gotten better odds through them which really enhances his enjoyment when watching sport. He doesn’t see them as too risky to use – if he knew a site was unlicensed, he might bet smaller amounts next time to feel ‘safer’.
“I haven’t had any trouble with the sites I’ve used. I don’t see a reason not to use them.”
Names and identifying information have been changed
Social Explorers
Last updated: 18 September 2025
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