BGC Unveils Five-Point Plan as Britain’s Illegal Gambling Market Surges

Posted on: June 9, 2026, 07:12h. 

Last updated on: June 9, 2026, 09:45h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • BGC warns UK illegal gambling stakes could hit £33 billion
  • Five-point plan targets ads, payments, websites and facilitators
  • Industry group which represents over 90% of UK licensed operators says black market growth threatens consumer protections nationwide

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the trade body representing the UK gambling industry, unveiled a five-point action plan on Monday (June 8) aimed at choking the online networks that allow unlicensed black market sites to advertise, process payments, and reach British consumers.

Betting and Gaming Council, illegal gambling, black market betting, UK gambling industry, Grainne Hurst
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst, above, said the latest black market gambling figures were a “wake up call.” (Image: BGC)

The BGC, which represents about 90% of Britain’s regulated betting and gaming sector, wants tougher action from government, the UK Gambling Commission, social media platforms, search companies, and payment providers.

“The evidence is already clear. Illegal operators are targeting British consumers online, advertising through social media, processing payments through legitimate financial systems and exploiting gaps in enforcement,” said BGC CEO Grainne Hurst.

“f policymakers fail to tackle this growing threat, more gambling will take place in environments with no safeguards, no oversight and no consumer protections,” she added.

The push comes as H2 Gambling Capital estimated that the amount wagered on illegal gambling sites could rise from £17 billion in 2025 to more than £33 billion by 2028. That would mean one in every five pounds staked online would be placed with unlicensed sites, according to the BGC. Hurst, called the figures a “wake-up call.”

Social Media Crackdown

The BGC wants social media companies to be made responsible for removing illegal gambling promotions and stopping unlicensed operators from reaching consumers, including children and vulnerable people.

The body cited analysis by WARC which found that illegal operators already account for almost half of UK gambling advertising spend and could overtake licensed operators by 2028.

A second prong of the plan calls for stronger powers to block illegal gambling websites and remove unlicensed apps. The Gambling Commission has already stepped-up disruption work.

According to the regulator, since April 2024 its Illegal Markets team has issued 3,140 cease-and-desist and disruption notices, referred 447,778 Google and Bing URLs linked to illegal gambling, and secured the removal of 287,961 URLs.

The BGC says those efforts need to go further because illegal operators can quickly create new websites, mirror legitimate brands, and exploit online advertising routes faster than regulators can respond.

Focus on Payment Providers

The body also wants payment providers to cut off transactions connected to unlicensed gambling sites. H2 Gambling Capital analysis found that both black market stakes and profits doubled between 2023 and 2025, suggesting that illegal operators are becoming more financially entrenched.

The fourth proposal would introduce meaningful penalties for companies that knowingly help illegal operators through advertising, payments, hosting or other services.

The BGC argues that illegal gambling sites depend on a wider online infrastructure and that firms profiting from those relationships should face consequences.

Finally, the council is calling for tougher criminal sanctions against those who operate, support, or profit from illegal gambling businesses targeting UK consumers.

Illegal Gambling Taskforce

The campaign lands weeks after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published terms of reference for a new Illegal Gambling Taskforce.

The taskforce will bring together gambling bodies, law enforcement, regulators, payment firms and technology companies to tackle illegal gambling, with priorities including payments, online advertising and cross-agency enforcement.

The BGC welcomed the news but added it must be turned into concrete action. Hurst said illegal sites do not carry out safer gambling interventions, proper identity checks, or age verification, and offer no route to redress when customers run into problems.

The BGC also warned that policy decisions which make the licensed market less attractive could unintentionally push more customers toward unregulated sites.

Its central argument is that consumer protection depends not only on tougher rules for licensed operators, but on keeping gamblers inside a regulated market where safeguards, oversight, and dispute mechanisms exist.