Statistics and research release
Illegal gambling data dashboard - November 2026
The Gambling Commission monitors illegal gambling using a range of indicators covering the supply of illegal gambling opportunities, consumer demand and engagement, and the impact of disruption activity.
Summary
Also published recently
- Illegal online gambling - Phase 4: Initial findings from new data on consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites
- Illegal gambling - Findings from an open banking data analysis
- Illegal online gambling – Phase 3: Understanding the key push factors driving consumer engagement with illegal gambling websites
Understanding the illegal gambling market requires a wide range of metrics, a single source of evidence cannot tell us everything about a market that is complex and has several hidden elements. To meet this challenge, we have developed a dashboard which allows us to look at the market from different angles to create a clearer picture. The metrics have been grouped into 3 areas - supply of illegal gambling opportunities, consumer demand and engagement, and the developing metrics to explore the impact of our disruption activity. We will continue to build the number of metrics we use and add these to our dashboard and reporting to provide a more rounded view of how the market is evolving over time.
Interactive dashboard
View our Illegal gambling - November 2026 data dashboard (opens in new tab)
With this dashboard, you can:
- view and interact with the data
- apply filters to select information of interest.
Accessibility of this dashboard
This dashboard is in Microsoft Power BI which may not fully support all accessibility needs. You can find the source data in the Illegal gambling - November 2026 data tables (downloads as Excel file).
Some files may not be accessible for users of assistive technology. If you require a copy of the file in an accessible format contact us with details of what you require. It would help us to know what technology you use and the required format.
Key facts
Supply
The key insights on supply are:
- 586 illegal gambling websites accessible to consumers in Great Britain were identified in September 2026, which was 4% less than the previous 3-month average but 4% more than September 2025
- 97 affiliate web pages containing links to illegal gambling websites were identified in September 2026, which was 26% less than the previous 3-month average
- among general gambling search terms (for example 'best casinos') visibility of illegal operators was low compared to results for the legal market. Of gambling related google search results, 4% led to illegal gambling websites in September 2026, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than the previous 3-month average.
Demand
The key insights on demand are:
- estimated engagement with identified illegal gambling websites was 12% greater in September 2026 compared to the previous 3-month average, and 11% less than September 2025
- at a population level, it is estimated that 0.6% of respondents engaged with illegal gambling websites in the last 4 weeks, with an additional 0.4% having engaged in the past 12 months
- among respondents who had gambled online in the past 4 weeks, it is estimated 2.5% had engaged with illegal gambling websites. An additional 1.5% of respondents had engaged with these websites in the past 12 months
- when looking at search terms specific to the illegal gambling market (for example 'Not on Gamstop'), estimated search volume was 53% less in September 2026 when compared to the previous 3-month average, and 22% less than September 2025.
Disruption
The key insights on disruption are:
- 311 illegal gambling websites had disruption actions taken against them in the second quarter of 2026 to 2027, which was 38% more than the previous quarter
- 77% of disrupted websites experienced a reduction in estimated traffic following disruption activity, which was 26 percentage points higher than the previous quarter
- an 18% reduction in total estimated web traffic was observed for websites where disruption action had been taken, and web traffic estimates were available in the first quarter of 2026 to 2027. This was 7 percentage points less than the previous quarter.
Details
This section provides more detail on how the data in the dashboard has been collected and presented.
Supply
Number of identified illegal websites accessible to consumers in GB
This measure counts unique website domains identified through targeted searches for terms associated with illegal gambling. Search results are assessed for relevant indicators, and links from affiliate pages are followed to identify the gambling sites they promote. Licensed operators, irrelevant results and duplicate domains are removed, and newly identified sites are manually reviewed before being added to the maintained list.
These figures include only sites that were not identified as geographically blocked when tested. Availability is assessed from the location and network used for collection, so results may differ elsewhere. The measure reflects sites found through this monitoring method and is not a complete count of the illegal market. It is best used, however, as a reflection of the prevalence of illegal gambling opportunities available via search engines.
More details on this methodology can be found in the Illegal online gambling: Consumer engagement and trends report.
Number of identified affiliate webpages
This measure counts unique pages found during the identification searches that contain gambling affiliate or referral links. These links are also followed, where possible, to identify the gambling sites being promoted.
The unit counted is an affiliate page, not an affiliate organisation or domain. A dedicated affiliate website and a gambling-related article on a wider media website are both included, and several different pages from the same website may be counted separately. The measure is limited to pages appearing for the monitored search terms; inaccessible or blocked pages may not be identified.
The number of illegal operators and affiliates identified are based on results for search terms commonly used by consumers, rather than a comprehensive assessment of all websites on the internet. Our approach focuses on identifying websites that are visible and easily accessible to consumers, as these are more likely to attract significant traffic. While we recognise that other illegal websites may exist beyond those we identify, their ability to operate at scale may be limited if consumers cannot easily find or access them.
Visibility of illegal operators in gambling-related search results
This measure reflects how visible confirmed illegal gambling sites are in Google search results for a defined set of gambling-related queries. These queries use generic gambling-related search terms (for example 'best casinos', 'best odds'). The results are intended to reflect the visibility of results for illegal operators in comparison to legal ones.
Search terms are grouped into betting, casino, general gambling and promotions. Direct results and destinations reached through affiliate links are assessed.
Visibility is calculated as the number of confirmed illegal domains divided by all resulting domains for the relevant search term or category.
Results are a snapshot for the selected terms, date and search configuration. Rankings can change and may vary by location, personalisation and changes to Google’s systems.
Demand
Estimated web traffic to illegal gambling websites that are accessible to consumers in GB
This measure estimates time spent on identified illegal gambling sites that were not geographically blocked when tested. For each domain, Similarweb’s estimated monthly visits are multiplied by its estimated average visit duration. These domain-level estimates are then added together. More information about how this engagement metric is calculated can be read in Illegal online gambling: Consumer engagement and trends report.
Only domains and months with the required Similarweb data are included. Similarweb figures are modelled estimates rather than directly observed traffic, and coverage may be limited for smaller websites. The measure should therefore be interpreted as an indicator of scale and trend, rather than a precise estimate of all engagement with illegal gambling.
To account for engagement that may be obscured by Virtual Private Network (VPN) usage, a graduated uplift has been applied across the estimate range, increasing the lower bound by 19%, the point estimate by 26% and the upper bound by 34%. This reflects uncertainty about the prevalence of VPN use among individuals accessing illegal gambling websites that is not captured by this methodology. Our April 2026 blog discussed the impact of VPN usage on engagement estimates. Going forward, data from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) will be used as the basis for calculating this uplift, allowing it to be updated periodically rather than relying on a static assumption.
Motivation keyword search volume
This measure uses estimated search volumes for the terms monitored by the identification pipeline. Terms are assigned to predefined themes representing different interests or motivations, and their estimated volumes are summed within each theme.
Search volume represents searches, not unique people, website visits or confirmed participation in illegal gambling. One person may make several searches, and similar terms may overlap. The themes reflect the apparent intent of the wording and cannot establish a specific searcher’s actual motivation.
These trends are best interpreted as a proxy for the relative prominence of different themes of search terms.
Illegal participation 2025 to 2026
This measure is derived from a composite Illegal Gambling Index developed through a multi-phased programme of research undertaken by the Commission and Yonder Consulting. The index combines a range of behavioural indicators associated with illegal gambling website use and provides the Commission with a robust and iterative measure for monitoring consumer engagement over time. Further details of how this Illegal Gambling Index was derived can be found in the accompanying technical report.
Disruption
Our disruption impact metrics are a developing area of work which will be strengthened as further work is undertaken to develop our tracking of consumer engagement with the illegal market.
Number of website disrupted
Measures the number of distinct illegal gambling websites subject to disruption activity during the reporting period. Note that one website can have multiple types of disruption actions taken against them.
Enforcement actions taken
Measures the different types of action taken against illegal gambling websites and related services. Activities include actions such as website removals, geo-blocking, registrar or hosting interventions, search engine removals, payment disruption and platform content removals. Multiple disruption actions can be taken against a single website.
Disruption success rate
Measures the proportion of disrupted websites that experienced a reduction in estimated traffic after disruption activity. Traffic in the month before disruption is compared with average traffic during the first 3 months afterwards. Only websites with sufficient traffic data available before and after disruption are included.
Estimated traffic reduction following disruption
Measures the percentage decrease in total estimated traffic across disrupted websites. It compares traffic in the month before disruption with average traffic during the first 3 months after disruption, using only websites for which sufficient traffic data is available. This metric shows observed changes in traffic following disruption activity and should not be interpreted as evidence that all changes were caused solely by the disruption.
Due to the requirement for 3 months of post-disruption traffic data, these measures are reported one quarter behind disruption activity metrics.
Data and downloads
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Feedback
We are always keen to hear how these statistics are used and would welcome your views on this publication.