Illegal Gambling Surge in Britain: Report Reveals Alarming Trends

The British Horseracing Authority released a new report that looked into illegal gambling activities between 2022 and 2025, uncovering a concerning growth in unregulated gambling. The report analyzed website traffic of more than 300 popular betting websites in Britain, with this number including 74 legal and 227 illegal betting websites.

One in five visits in the first seven months of 2026 were tied to illegal gambling websites. The number of monthly unique visits to illegal gambling websites soared to more than 25m in 2025, according to the new study. Brant Dunshea, BHA’s Chief Executive, described the findings of this study as 'worrying evidence' that what was previously a concern has become reality and there’s a growing number of consumers using illegal betting operators.

The growth of illegal gambling in Britain comes despite the ongoing efforts to combat the unregulated gambling sector. The report follows the review of the Gambling White Paper and changes that have impacted legal operators over the last few years in the UK. Additional actions against illegal gambling are necessary, the report suggests.