{"id":9837,"date":"2025-09-19T04:55:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T04:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/19\/uk-gambling-commission-urges-action-on-black-market-websites-after-new-report\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T04:55:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T04:55:52","slug":"uk-gambling-commission-urges-action-on-black-market-websites-after-new-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/19\/uk-gambling-commission-urges-action-on-black-market-websites-after-new-report\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Gambling Commission Urges Action on Black Market Websites After New Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Britain\u2019s Gambling Commission is drawing attention to the risks of black market gambling sites after publishing its first major study into unlicensed play. The regulator says most people using these platforms do not even realise they are illegal.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em>Good to Know<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>The Illegal Online Gambling report shows low consumer awareness of unlicensed sites.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Young men aged 18\u201324 are most likely to use black market operators.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Some players turn to unlicensed platforms to avoid safer gambling rules.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Low Awareness Among Players<\/h2>\n<p>The new study, Illegal online gambling: Consumer awareness, drivers and motivations, found that many players could not tell whether a gambling website was licensed. While respondents generally agreed a licence was important, a large portion admitted they didn\u2019t know how to check.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andrew Rhodes<\/strong>, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, underlined the threat saying:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe illegal online market is unsafe, unfair and criminal. That is why the commission has invested heavily in this area in recent years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/betus\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"BetUS\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/BetUS.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/betus\/\" title=\"BetUS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">BetUS<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong><strong>Get 125% \/ $2,500 on 1st deposit!<\/strong><\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of up to $2,500<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino &#038; Sports<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/betus\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The report listed several reasons consumers drift toward black market operators:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>More choice of games and betting content than licensed platforms.<\/li>\n<li>Better odds and offers compared to regulated sites.<\/li>\n<li>Cryptocurrency play, appealing to those looking beyond sterling.<\/li>\n<li>Lack of restrictions, with no deposit limits, age verification, or self-exclusion integration.<\/li>\n<li>Some self-excluded players admitted using illegal platforms specifically to bypass restrictions before their exclusion period ended.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Four Main Groups Identified<\/h2>\n<p>Researchers identified four types of players most likely to gamble with illegal websites:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Self-excluded players \u2013 returning to gambling by bypassing UK restrictions.<\/li>\n<li>Skilled players \u2013 using alternative currencies or specific markets.<\/li>\n<li>Social explorers \u2013 discovering sites through friends, forums, or social media.<\/li>\n<li>Accidental tourists \u2013 stumbling across unlicensed platforms without realising they were illegal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Men aged 18\u201324 made up the highest proportion of users, while those with higher Problem Gambling Severity Index scores also showed higher usage. Football betting, slots, bingo, and virtual games were the most common activities.<\/p>\n<h2>Risks Beyond Players<\/h2>\n<p>The regulator also expressed concern that illegal platforms may be promoted through affiliates, influencers, or cross-border advertising, making it harder for consumers to distinguish between legitimate and unsafe operators. Payment systems were flagged as another weak point, as unlicensed websites often process transactions through alternative channels.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"7Bit Casino\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7BitCasino.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"7Bit Casino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">7Bit Casino<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong>177% up to 5BTC + 77 <strong>\u00a0Free Spins<\/strong>!<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 177% + 77 Free Spins\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Commission\u2019s Call to Action<\/h2>\n<p>To reduce risk, the Gambling Commission recommended several steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Better consumer education to help players identify licensed sites.<\/li>\n<li>Targeted campaigns aimed at different user groups.<\/li>\n<li>Closer monitoring of payments, affiliates, and advertising.<\/li>\n<li>Ongoing research to track usage trends and adapt policy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Rhodes<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cTo be even more effective in combatting the illegal market, it\u2019s vital that we have both a deep and broad understanding of how it operates, and this insight is a crucial step in building that understanding in a very complex area to research.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Since April 2024, the Commission says it has increased disruption activity ten-fold, blocking illegal sites and working with partners to cut off their access to UK consumers.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/uk-gambling-commission-urges-action-on-black-market-websites-after-new-report\/\">UK Gambling Commission Urges Action on Black Market Websites After New Report<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/\">iGaming.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Britain\u2019s Gambling Commission is drawing attention to the risks of black market gambling sites after publishing its first major study into unlicensed play. The regulator says most people using these platforms do not even realise they are illegal. Good to Know The Illegal Online Gambling report shows low consumer awareness of unlicensed sites. Young men [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9837\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}