Tech Giants Blind to £33B Black Market Gambling Threat, UK Trade Body Warns

• BGC says tech firms enable illegal gambling ads to flourish
• Black-market operators target vulnerable and self-excluded gamblers online
• UK taskforce to tackle illegal betting payments and advertising

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has accused global tech giants of failing to protect the British public from a surge in illicit black-market gambling ads.

With global World Cup betting expected to reach $50 billion globally, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst warned that black market operators are using digital platforms to reach vulnerable people, including those who have self-excluded from gambling.

Illegal operators often use social media, search engines, messaging apps, and affiliate websites to promote their services and direct consumers to offshore gambling platforms. Many also rely on digital payment systems that allow them to accept deposits from customers in jurisdictions where they are not licensed.

The BGC is a trade body which represents approximately 90% of the UK regulated market, and counts big names like Flutter, Entain, Evoke, bet365, LeoVegas and Rank Group among its membership.

Rise of the Black Market

In an open letter first reported by City AM, Hurst called on tech companies to take a more proactive role in combating illegal gambling ads by removing unlawful content before it reaches users, strengthening detection capabilities, sharing intelligence with rival platforms, and providing greater transparency about enforcement efforts.

The letter also calls for closer collaboration between technology firms, regulators, law enforcement agencies, and the gambling industry to disrupt illegal gambling sites, which the organization says operate without safeguards, oversight, and consumer protections.

You have the data. You have the expertise. You have the artificial intelligence tools. You have the ability to identify harmful illegal content at scale,” Hurst wrote. “The issue is no longer whether this problem can be addressed. The issue is whether enough is being done.”

Research by WARC estimated that illegal operators account for around half of all gambling advertising spend and are on course to overtake the regulated industry within two years.

Meanwhile, H2 Gambling Capital estimates the amount wagered on illegal sites could rise from £17 billion in 2025 to more than £33 billion by 2028, meaning that one in every five pounds staked online would be placed with unlicensed sites.

“[Illegal operators] target consumers who have self-excluded from gambling. They target vulnerable people,” wrote Hurst. “They target those who are looking for help and support. And too often, they do so in plain sight.”

Illegal Gambling Taskforce

Earlier this month, the BGC launched a five-point strategy designed to disrupt the digital infrastructure that enables unlicensed gambling sites to target British consumers, process transactions, and promote their services online.

In May, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced plans for a new Illegal Gambling Taskforce.

The taskforce will assemble stakeholders from across the gambling, payments, technology, regulatory, and law enforcement sectors to target the infrastructure underpinning illegal gambling, focusing initially on payment systems, online advertising, and coordinated enforcement.