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.
Potential indicators of illegal gambling activity
The most common reported potential indicators of illegal site usage selected by the 1,007 respondents were:
- using a gambling website without ID or age verification upon sign up (20 percent)
- gambling on a website without deposit limits, self-exclusion or other safer gambling tools (18 percent)
- trying to access a previously used website to find it had been taken down (17 percent).
The full breadth of experiences, including more indirect potential indicators of illegal gambling than some of those detailed above (such as ‘using a glitchy website’, which could be the case for licensed websites) - are shown in Table 2. All other potential indicators, which were presented to respondents in different survey questions, are included in Tables 3 and 4.
Table 2: Also in the last 12 months, how often have you…?
| Response options | NET: Experienced any time in the last 12 months (percentage) |
PGSI 8 and over NET: Experienced at any time (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Used a gambling website that was glitchy or crashed frequently | 24% | 63% |
| Gambled on a website I had not previously heard of | 23% | 73% |
| Experienced difficulty withdrawing my funds from a gambling website without any clear explanation | 20% | 66% |
| Used a gambling website where I did not need to provide ID or age verification upon sign up | 20% | 63% |
| Attempted to contact a gambling website but did not receive any acknowledgement or response | 19% | 66% |
| Gambled on a website that I knew didn't offer deposit limits or self-exclusion or other safer gambling tools | 18% | 69% |
| Tried to access a gambling website I have used previously, but found that it had been taken down | 17% | 63% |
| Gambled on foreign site and/or one where I had to change the default currency or language | 13% | 58% |
| Gambled using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in order to bypass gambling blocking software | 12% | 54% |
| Gambled on a website that I suspected or knew was unlicensed | 9% | 51% |
Base: All 1,007 respondents, Problem Gambling Severity Index score (PGSI) 8 and over: 149 respondents
Table 3. In the last 12 months, have you paid to gamble on a gambling website using...
| Response options | NET: Experienced any time in the last 12 months (percentage) |
PGSI 8 and over NET: Experienced at any time (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency (such as, Bitcoin) | 6% | 23% |
| Foreign currency (that is, not GBP) | 4% | 15% |
| Virtual assets such as NFTs | 3% | 9% |
| A credit card | 15% | 42% |
Base: All 1,007 respondents, PGSI 8 and over: 149 respondents
Table 4. Thinking of the last 12 months, and your personal device(s), which of the following statements best applies to you?
| Response options | NET: Experienced any time in the last 12 months (percentage) |
PGSI 8 and over NET: Experienced at any time (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| I have a VPN, and I always use it when visiting gambling websites, specifically | 5% | 22% |
Base: All 1,007 respondents, PGSI 8 and over: 149 respondents
All indicators were considerably higher among those with a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 8 or more (149 respondents), as shown by in Tables 2, 3, and 4. Over half (51 percent) of the PGSI 8 and above group thought they had gambled on a site they knew or suspected was unlicensed, prior to being prompted by a brief explanation of what unlicensed gambling website is.
Reasons for using illegal gambling websites
Among respondents that indicated that they have previously used, currently use, or are open to starting to use illegal websites (179 respondents), the most commonly selected motivations were1:
- getting the best odds (45 percent)
- getting the best sign-up or bonus offers (39 percent)
- and ease or speed of withdrawal (39 percent).
Those that had previously used, or currently use illegal websites (97 respondents) were more likely to be motivated by better sign-up or bonus offers (50 percent compared to 39 percent of the sample referenced above) and playing or betting on products not offered by licensed websites (34 percent versus 26 percent of the sample referenced above).
The qualitative interviews mirrored this: low-risk entry points, attractive offers and alleged minimal deposit thresholds were key motivators for participation. In addition to this, individuals recounted they were able to enjoy a broader range of bet types and games, which enhances their experience compared to the licensed market.
“I suppose I’m a bit concerned that they’ll keep my money but if the offers good enough what the hell … I mean gambling’s risky anyway.”
Male, aged 25 to 34, PGSI 16.
“It’s just something different. More types of games and characters. It stops you from getting bored.”
Male, aged 25 to 34, PGSI 18.
Stricter rules could play a potential role in pushing individuals towards the illegal market: among those who don’t currently use illegal websites but would be open to using them in the future (82 respondents), 26 percent said that stricter rules for gambling companies requiring players to give more information (such as bank statements) could lead them to use an illegal website. From the qualitative interviews, this did not appear to be something respondents actively consider when deciding to gamble2.
References
1 Respondents were presented with a list of possible motivations, and from this list, were able to select all that applied.
2Albeit, this may not be true of all individuals who use these websites, as only a small sample of respondents were spoken to.
Awareness of illegal online website usage Next section
Pathways into illegal gambling websites
Last updated: 18 September 2025
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