The research, conducted by consultancy Regulus Partners, follows a Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) study revealing that £2.7bn is staked annually in the UK online black market.
An Entain report published on 23 September calls on the UK government to adopt new measures in the fight against the growing black market. The report proposes blacklisting illegal operators, tightening marketing and payment restrictions, and increasing enforcement efforts.
The research, conducted by consultancy Regulus Partners, follows a Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) study revealing that £2.7bn is staked annually in the UK online black market.
Entain chair Barry Gibson stated:
“Taking on the black market operators should be a key priority for policymakers… It would ensure that customers get greater protection from playing with fully regulated and legitimate operators.”
Despite the UK’s balanced regulatory framework, the report warns black market participation is growing, with international markets like France and Germany losing up to 60% of revenue to unlicensed operators due to bans and restrictions on popular gambling products.
Regulus outlined five countermeasures to address the issue, including blocking payments to black market operators, restricting advertising on mainstream and social media, and using IP blocking to make accessing illegal sites more difficult. The recent Online Safety Act, Regulus said, boosts the UK’s ability to combat black market gambling, which is essential for consumer safety and tax protection.