Report
Illegal online gambling - Phase 3: Understanding push factors for consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites
The Gambling Commission's research into consumer engagement with the illegal online gambling market.
Exploring the persona audiences
Key findings:
- Skilled Advocates are highly engaged and intentional: this group tends to be boundary-pushing, and money-motivated. They often actively seek recommendations from friends, family, forums and socials, and are frustrated with gambling rules and restrictions.
- Social Explorers are experience-led deal seekers: they are more likely to browse for better odds or return-to-player (RTP), and are excited about deals and new experiences, which can leave them vulnerable to migrating to illegal websites.
- Accidental Tourists are motivated by a desire for frictionless play: they prioritise speed and ease, but operate in a more cautious, isolated fashion, with recommendations less important than for other groups.
Attitudes and behaviours of the personas: what sets them apart
Previous phases of our research into the illegal market led to the identification of 4 persona audiences: Skilled Advocates, Social Explorers, Accidental Tourists and Self-Excluders. Although we explored each of these audiences in the quantitative phase, the qualitative phase focused on Skilled Advocates, Social Explorers, and Accidental Tourists. Self-Excluders were not included in order to avoid any potential harm that could arise from exploring this topic in further depth, and also due to previous phases of research providing an existing understanding of the Self-Excluder group’s motivations and pathways into illegal online gambling. Therefore, a core objective of the qualitative research was to disentangle the motivations of the remaining 3 groups.
Here, it is important to note that the majority of those who gamble fall into the larger group of “Non Engagers” – those who have zero indication of engaging with the online illegal market. As such, the personas explored in this report represent a small minority of those who gamble.
For this project, the first 2 groups, Self-Excluders and Skilled Advocates, were defined through behavioural, rules-based criteria rather than factor analysis. This is because they can be defined solely by specific, self-reported engagements: Self-Excluders are individuals who report that they have been able to circumnavigate GamStop, indicating engagement with illegal gambling websites, while Skilled Advocates are individuals who self-report having intentionally used illegal gambling websites within the past 12 months.
Factor analysis was therefore applied to differentiate between Social Explorers and Accidental Tourists, 2 groups that we have previously been unable to clearly distinguish using survey questions alone. The following sections explore the factors that separate these audiences and provide a clearer understanding of how and why they differ.
Skilled Advocates: highly engaged, intentionally gambling on illegal gambling websites
The qualitative sample consisted of 15 participants who were identified as gambling using illegal websites. This consisted of 7 Skilled Advocates, who report intentionally gambling on illegal websites.
Skilled Advocates make up a small proportion of the illegal website users and are intentionally gambling on illegal online websites. They are defined by a rules-based approach; they are not self-excluded but have reported that they intentionally used an gambling website. Within our study, Skilled Advocates tend to skew younger, aged around 18 to 24, and have several active gambling accounts.
Skilled Advocates are strategic and analytical which carries over into gambling
When speaking with Skilled Advocates about their general online habits, they describe using the internet as a tool to strategically optimise their lives. Common activities that they report include consuming educational content on YouTube and other websites and utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots for general research, as described by a participant:
“Love being able to ‘get on with it’ by accessing digital knowledge, from checking how to fix my washing machine to finding ESG funds to invest in through Copilot.”
Skilled Advocate, Female, 45 years old
Online gambling and research involved gambling such as placing bets with the best odds and making strategic choices, are described as a core part of Skilled Advocates’ internet activity. Compared to the total sample, those quantitatively surveyed were four times as likely to have more than 10 active online gambling accounts.
Their strategic nature carries over into how they approach gambling, and they tend to be systematic and analytical. They actively compare gambling companies and research the best odds, with some Skilled Advocates using specialist websites to research sporting events they gamble on:
“I start the day by researching the day’s football and tennis using specialist sites and then I make a plan using my own excel sheet and a list of the games going on in an app. I study sports via a scanner too.”
Skilled Advocate, Male, 51 years old
Skilled Advocates push boundaries and are money motivated
Skilled Advocates are boundary pushing; they are twice as likely than the total sample of illegal website users to seek out websites with minimal identity checks (72% versus 34% of the illegal website users surveyed) or to bet in cryptocurrency (62% versus 21%, and more curious to try restricted and/or banned things (54% versus 27%). In fact, they report being savvy at assessing whether a website is licensed or illegal. Amongst the Skilled Advocates spoken to, individuals mention being confident in spotting illegal website identifiers such as cheap branding, websites that often change names and logos, and prevalent advertising promoting more free spins than licensed websites. While these individuals feel they are savvy in assessing whether a website is licensed or illegal, they still choose to use them.
“The branding for legal bookmakers have nuances. William Hill looks a bit older than say Ladbrokes. But when you look at the illegal sites they look really cheap and less trustworthy.”
Skilled Advocate, Male, 34 years old
Skilled Advocates are reward chasing, motivated by making money fast (81% versus 61% of illegal website users surveyed) and recovering losses (78% versus 55%) rather than by the experience of playing.
Skilled Advocates are community driven and mistrustful of key stakeholders
They are also socially networked: their friends and family gamble (73% versus 35% of illegal website users surveyed), and they take their advice from forums, social media (71% versus 37%) and influencers (64% versus 28%), often ending up on the same websites as the individuals around them (58% versus 29 %).
Skilled Advocates are less likely to trust gambling companies, the government, and regulatory bodies. This is partially because they express high emotional investment in gambling. They see it as an expression of their personal freedom that provides autonomy over their time and money, which can feel restricted by regulation. They also report often feeling constrained by the identity checks required by licensed gambling companies.
The constraints that they feel often offer encouragement to use illegal websites, as described by a participant:
“They ask for your passport, drivers licence, and whole life story…this type of behaviour can encourage people to go elsewhere to these unlicensed sites.”
Skilled Advocate, Male, 37 years old
Skilled Advocates’ deep mistrust and entrenched views suggest that they are least likely to change their online gambling behaviours than other audiences.
Social Explorers: people-focused and experience-led deal seekers
As a reminder, qualitatively, the sample consisted of 15 participants who were identified as gambling using illegal websites. This included 8 of those who do not actively report intentionally gambling on illegal websites, split between 4 Social Explorers and 4 Accidental Tourists.
Social Explorers constitute a minority of those sampled but represent the most prevalent segment of unintentional engagement with illegal gambling websites. While they exhibit behavioural indicators of illegal website usage, there is no evidence of deliberate intent to circumvent the licensed market. The segment is empirically derived from the quantitative survey using factor analysis, which identifies a distinct pattern of attitudes and experiences associated with inadvertent illegal online gambling. Within our study, Social Explorers tend to skew younger, aged around 25 to 34, and have fewer active gambling accounts than Skilled Advocates.
Social Explorers are frequent recreational gamblers
Social Explorers treat the internet primarily as a medium for communication, completing tasks, and for passive entertainment. Unlike Skilled Advocates, online gambling is seen as a secondary activity as opposed to a core focus of their online behaviour:
“I spend around 7 to 9 hours a day on my phone and maybe a bit more as I work in security. The most used apps are YouTube and Tik Tok and WhatsApp. I love watching my shows and being updated on what goes on in the world through my phone.”
Social Explorer, Male, 25 years old
Despite gambling being a secondary activity when they are online, Social Explorers still gamble frequently.
Social Explorers like seeking the best deals and gambling experience
Social Explorers are deal seekers, seeking out the best offers (86% versus 76% of illegal website users surveyed), browsing for better odds (81% vs 58%) and return to player (RTP) (63% versus 37%), and moving quickly when a new promotion appears (57% vs 38%). One participant describes how they feel they are enticed to gamble by the deals offered:
“I like the casino games mainly and there are so many sign-up offers and bonuses which is great.”
Social Explorer, Male, 34 years old
In addition to seeking a variety of deals, Social Explorers are experience-led, actively exploring different websites (64% versus 36% of illegal website users surveyed) and games (78% versus 50%), excited to experiment with new technology (74% versus 60%), and look for different websites for fun (77% versus 53%). They sometimes find the games offered by licensed gambling companies to lack the variety found on illegal websites:
"I think there is more option on the unlicensed sites, especially with casino and arcade games, so you're more likely to continue your bets.”
Social Explorer, Male, 25 years old
Social Explorers are peer-driven in their approach to gambling
They are also community driven, taking their cues from friends and family (73% versus 46% of illegal website users surveyed), forums and socials (68% versus 37%) and influencers (55% vs 28%), and report being noticeably more receptive to gambling advertisements on social media than the average player (65% vs 49%).
Their emphasis on community is also evident in the way they gamble. They are more interested in the recreational and social aspects of gambling, as opposed to being money driven like Skilled Advocates. They describe using gambling as a way to connect with friends, such as gambling on football and other sports.
“For me personally, it is massive social thing. So if I’m watching any sporting event with my mates, there might be a group bet that goes on, everyone throws in a tenner.”
Social Explorer, Male, 34 years old
Their regular engagement, combined with implicit trust in peer recommendations, could make them vulnerable to exploring and potentially migrating to illegal gambling websites, often unwittingly at first.
Accidental Tourists: cautious gamblers focused on seamless play
As a reminder, qualitatively, the sample consisted of 15 participants who were identified as gambling using illegal websites. This included 8 of those who do not actively report intentionally gambling on illegal websites, split between 4 Social Explorers and 4 Accidental Tourists.
Accidental Tourists make up a smaller proportion of those unintentionally engaging with the illegal market. Within our study, Accidental Tourists tend to skew older, aged above 45 years old, and have fewer active gambling accounts than Skilled Advocates.
Accidental Tourists prioritise seamless gambling
Accidental Tourists have general online habits similar to Social Explorers, using the internet primarily for communication and passive entertainment. Gambling is also a casual hobby for them as opposed to a core part of their time online. However, unlike Social Explorers, they are less experience-led and more enticed by frictionless and easy interactions. Accidental Tourists prioritise speed and ease, with fast withdrawals mattering more to them than promotions (66% versus 54% of illegal website users surveyed), and they are focused on quick wins rather than the overall experience (54% versus 37%).
One participant says his desire for convenience is what primarily attracted him to gambling:
“Partly it's also because of where I live, I have 3 major bookmakers right next to where I live…I've got William Hill, I've got Coral, I've got Ladbrokes, so I'm spoilt for choice.”
Accidental Tourist, Male, 28 years old
They feel friction and frustration with the licensed market
Friction within the licensed market is nuanced, and can occur at multiple points along the gambling journey; often, it will be for distinct reasons, such as: initial ID verification checks upon sign-up, as standard; or, further checks by a gambling company that consumers are really who they say they are due to concerns in their play. While these are distinct, different experiences, the overall feeling for Accidental Tourists is one of friction: for example, 4 in 5 agreed with the statement that they ‘do not want to be bothered by the gambling company when gambling’ (79% versus 52% of illegal website users surveyed).
“What worries me about supplying my name and address is that I'm worried about it going to third parties because I don't want to be bombarded with gambling texts because I know what I like and I stick with what I like… don't like pushy sales people.”
Accidental Tourist, Female, 54 years old
Additionally, Accidental Tourists are more likely to agree with the statement "I get frustrated with gambling rules and restrictions", than average (43% versus 24% of illegal website users surveyed). Blockers to immediate gambling, such as identity checks are a major pain point and seen to be unnecessary, as explained by one focus group participant:
“They [gambling companies] already have your name, address, date of birth, phone number, bank details. Why do they need a photo document?”
Accidental Tourist, Male, 37 years old
They also operate in cautious isolation
Accidental Tourists are cautious when gambling. They tend to keep deposits small when trying a new website (77% versus 69% of illegal website users surveyed). Also, unlike the other personas, they are less community-influenced across friends and family (37% versus 46%), forums (27% versus 37%) and influencers (17% versus 28%).
“I always take influencers with a massive pinch of salt, because at the end of the day, you know that they're being paid for something.”
Accidental Tourist, Female, 54 years old
In addition to being cautious, qualitative insights indicate that they are the most likely of the personas to be responsive to education on illegal gambling websites. While not the focus of the research, broader focus group discussions revealed that once this group is made aware of the risks that can come with using illegal gambling websites they report that they won’t use them again, suggesting that they are the least likely to repeat this behaviour based on their self-reported intentions. This is shaped by more inherent caution amongst this group, as when the realities of illegal gambling websites were discussed qualitatively, members of this group expressed concern and hesitancy around engaging further.
“I was gambling once and then I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and realised the site didn’t have a licence, and then I started to worry. I start thinking about if I have been putting my card details in, and other stresses.”
Accidental Tourist, Male, 37 years old
This inherent caution and hesitancy are further demonstrated by some of this audiences’ fears of inadvertently supporting criminal operations through the usage of illegal gambling websites.
“You don't know where the money's going to. It could be going towards terrorism, child exploitation, prostitution, drug dealing. You don't really want to be supporting those sites.”
Accidental Tourist, Female, 54 years old
Attitudes towards gambling companies and regulation
Last updated: 20 October 2026
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