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.
Social Explorers
This section explores the Social Explorer 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
For Social Explorers, building social bonds and reciprocity is a key motivator for exploring gambling websites more widely. They are often part of family or friendship groups for whom gambling is a shared interest and will trial new companies with the aim of finding interesting games with compelling odds, which the whole group can enjoy.
Sharing experiences can also enhance and prolong the sense of enjoyment gained from gambling. This group do not actively consider whether companies are licensed or not and often stumble across unlicensed companies due to their appetite for exploring new websites.
However, when trialling new companies they do exercise some caution, typically spending lower amounts as they are aware there is no guarantee of pay-out. There is also a sense of trial and error: for most, a bad experience or loss is an acceptable consequence, and is seen as part of the nature of gambling (that is, that there are no guarantees).
“We’ll test drive a site if we’re not sure about it, by betting smaller amounts. Then I’ll report back to my friends about it.”
Male, aged 45 to 54
Pathways into illegal websites
Typically, these are individuals who have active groups of friends or family who also gamble and like to share information, such as where better odds can be found. Recommendations from friends and family are generally considered the most trustworthy, and individuals typically do not make recommendations until they’ve tried and tested the websites themselves.
"I chat to my friends on WhatsApp about the sites I use. If they’ve recommended a site to me, I like to do the same for them. I know they’ll have tried the site before telling me about it and I’ll do the same.”
Male, aged 35 to 44 years, PGSI 5
“It was a fun habit I got into with friends during COVID and then I searched ‘How to make money at home’ and discovered gambling with no deposits and started down that rabbit hole and my friends look at this sort of thing too.”
Female, aged 35 to 44, PGSI 24
Given this exploratory approach they are also, unsurprisingly, the subject of heavy social media and search engine advertising, and often encounter affiliate websites, meaning they are often exposed to a vast array of online gambling providers.
When looking to find new companies to test on behalf of the wider group, Social Explorers are opportunistic in their approach, taking advantage of offers as and when they see them advertised. This tends to be favoured over using search engines or seeking recommendations from unknown forums, which are often seen as more effortful avenues to pursue.
Attitudes towards illegal websites and regulation
Awareness of licensing within the gambling sector tends to be low among this audience, meaning the presence or absence of indicators of the Commission licensing these websites (such as their logo or the company’s account number with the Commission) is rarely actively sought or even considered.
“I can’t say I’ve ever looked for the Gambling Commission logo, nor have I looked up a site on their website. It’s just not something I’d think about.”
Male, aged 45 to 54
Instead, differences between licensed and illegal websites are recognised through differences in payment currencies, location of the gambling company (that is, Great Britain or overseas) and quality of design of the website. However, this group will tolerate less polished designs in exchange for better odds and positive pay-out experiences.
Upon realising they may have gambled with illegal websites, this group do not rule out using these websites in future. They feel protected from the risks associated with these websites through their cautious trial and error approach to using new gambling websites and will go with the companies that offer the best odds, irrespective of licensing status.
“Whether they’re licensed doesn’t really worry me. I normally trial new sites with small amounts or free spins so I’m not losing much if they don’t pay out.”
Male, aged 45 to 54
“I would be open to using these sites in the future. I might not place big bets or use free spins but if they had good offers I’d definitely consider it.”
Male, aged 45 to 54
Case study
Shaun, Aged 45, PGSI 18, Social Explorer
Shaun works as a manager in a large grocery store and lives with his wife and two kids in Oxford. He likes playing on online casinos in his free time, mainly on a weekday evening to unwind or at the weekend if he has the house to himself. He sees himself as a someone who gambles casually – it is something he sees as fun, which he likes doing a couple of times a week and then talking about with his friends. They normally WhatsApp each other while playing, sharing experiences and recommendations.
Triggers
A desire to spend time discussing new websites and experiences with friends – he enjoys pleasing his friends with recommendations and wants to reciprocate when they have given him hints and tips.
Boredom with current gambling websites – both the games available and the odds offered.
“I like to talk to my friends about gambling. It’s something we can do together.”
Pathway
Word of mouth recommendations from friends.He arrives at sites by clicking on ads on Facebook, X, and email advertising – he will click through to any site with a ‘good offer’.
“They recommend sites to me, and I’ll do the same.”
“I’ll click on any ad I come across if the offer is good, normally I see them on Facebook or I get emails.”
Experience
A generally positive experience of play and paying out. He will ‘trial’ websites: looking at the website design to assess quality, betting small amounts to see if they pay out before recommending the site to friends. There was one instance where a site did not pay out despite him having already ‘trialled’ it – he saw this as a learning experience to be more thorough when trialling websites in future.
“I’ll look at if it’s in English and if the site looks okay and seems to work. If that’s the case, then I’ll try a small bet and see what happens.”
Outlook
He sees losing money as part and parcel of using these websites and an acceptable loss as he doesn’t bet large amounts. He will continue to use these websites as they offer something new and fun which he and his friends can bond over.
“I’m okay with using these sites. As long as I know they work and I know my friends wouldn’t recommend a site if they hadn’t tried it first.”
Names and identifying information have been changed
Skilled Advocates Next section
Accidental Tourists
Last updated: 18 September 2025
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