Report
Illegal online gambling - Phase 2: Identifying indicators of consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites
The Gambling Commission's report on the second phase of the Consumer Voice illegal gambling project.
Contents
Features
Before outlining the indicators of illegal gambling website usage, which are largely experiential, it is important to understand the features of the market itself. In this subsection, there is a specific focus on illegal gambling website users.
Balance of spend and activity
As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, just over half (52 percent) of illegal gambling website users reported exclusively using licensed websites in the last 4 weeks. 3 in 10 (30 percent) reported primarily using licensed websites, while one tenth (10 percent) reported primarily using illegal websites, and none reported exclusively using illegal websites.
Regarding expenditure, nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of illegal gambling website users indicated they spent more on licensed websites than illegal websites in the last 4 weeks. 3 in 20 (15 percent) reported an approximately equal distribution of spending between licensed and illegal platforms, while 4 percent reported higher spending on illegal websites.
Figure 1. Balance of activity among illegal gambling website users
Note. As previously mentioned, consumers were asked about ‘licensed’ and ‘unlicensed’ websites, rather than using the term ‘illegal’.
| Current activity balance | Total (percentage) |
|---|---|
| I only used licensed websites | 52% |
| I mainly used licensed websites | 30% |
| I used roughly an equal mix of licensed and unlicensed websites | 10% |
| I mainly used unlicensed websites | 1% |
| I only used unlicensed webistes | 0% |
| Don't know | 6% |
C2b. Current balance - Thinking about your gambling in the last 4 weeks, which of the following statements best reflects your gambling activity?
Base: illegal gambling website users, determined via admission or selection of hard indicators (668)
Figure 2. Balance of spend among illegal gambling website users
| Current spend balance | Total (percentage) |
|---|---|
| I spent more money on licensed websites | 74% |
| I spent roughly an equal amount of money on licensed and unlicensed websites | 15% |
| I spent more money on unlicensed websites | 4% |
| Don't know | 6% |
C2c. Current spend balance - Thinking about your gambling in the last 4 weeks, which of the following statements best reflects your spend on gambling?
Base: illegal gambling website users, determined via admission or selection of hard indicators (668)
These findings suggest that, while engagement with illegal gambling websites exists, it is typically supplementary rather than exclusive, with most favouring spending time or money on licensed platforms. No respondents reporting gambling solely on illegal websites indicates that even those who engage with illegal markets still primarily used licensed operators for most gambling activities. However, it is also possible that misreporting influenced these results, as some respondents may lack awareness of which websites are licensed.
Types of products
Illegal gambling website users were also asked about the types of gambling activities they usually take part in when using illegal websites in the last 4 weeks. The activities engaged in most commonly include online betting on football (30 percent), online bingo (20 percent), and online fruit, slot, or virtual gaming (19 percent), as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Types of gambling activity usually undertaken on illegal gambling websites
| Types of gambling activities taken part in | Total (percentage) |
|---|---|
| Online betting on football | 30% |
| Online bingo | 20% |
| Online fruit, slot, or virtual gaming | 19% |
| Online betting on other sports | 14% |
| Online poker | 14% |
| Online betting on horse and/or dog races, including virtual | 14% |
| Online roulette | 13% |
| Online betting on virtual and/or e-sports | 13% |
| Online betting on events | 12% |
| Online card or dice games | 10% |
| Crypto casinos | 7% |
| Another form of online gambling | 2% |
| None of the above | 24% |
C3. When you have used unlicensed websites in the last 4 weeks, what types of gambling activities do you usually take part in?
Base: Those who reported illegal gambling either directly or via hard indicators (n=668).
Additionally, those who reported playing online fruit, slot, or virtual games when gambling on illegal websites in the last 4 weeks (19 percent of illegal gambling website users) were asked about their use of the autoplay and turbo, quick spin, and slam stop features.
Among this group, nearly 3 in 5 (57 percent) of these players reported they had used an autoplay feature while on illegal gambling websites1.
However, this was indicatively higher among those with a PGSI score of 8 or more (74 percent). The automated nature of autoplay, which enables continuous betting without manual input, may be especially appealing to those who gamble more frequently and those with a higher PGSI score, as it allows for prolonged and uninterrupted play, potentially reinforcing harmful gambling behaviours.
Turbo, quick spin and slam stop features were less commonly used by this group in comparison (35 percent). These features accelerate gameplay, reducing the time between bets and increasing the pace of gambling elements that can also contribute to higher gambling intensity. This validates the anecdotal findings of Phase 1, where some illegal gambling website users cited speed of spins as one of their experiences.
Notably, at the time of fieldwork, autoplay and/or turbo and quick spin and/or slam stop features had not yet been banned for all products, with the ban being extended to a wider range of products on the 17 January 20252. As a result, we only asked respondents about their usage of the features for online fruit, slot and virtual games, for which the feature had been banned since October 2021. However, there is still potential for confusion regarding the types of games played with this feature among participants.
“With unlicensed sites, you get a lot of spins for a small amount with bitcoin”
Female, Skilled Advocate from Phase 1
References
1 Note. Base=123. Subsequent subgroup analysis is indicative due to low base sizes.
2 Gambling Commission, New rules boosting safety and consumer choice
Motivations and routes into the illegal market Next section
Indicators
Last updated: 18 September 2025
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