Illegal Betting Traffic in Britain Remains Well Above 2021

Traffic to unlicensed betting websites used by British consumers remains substantially higher than it was several years ago, despite signs of a decline during the first seven months of 2026, according to research from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

The study examined 301 betting websites, including 74 licensed operators and 227 unlicensed sites. Between January and July 2026, illegal platforms recorded 19.4 visits for every 100 visits to licensed websites across the full sample. In late 2021, the equivalent figure was approximately one visit per 100.

The research also identified a sharp increase in the number of users reaching unlicensed sites over the longer term. Monthly unique visits rose from 1.8 million in 2022 to 25.1 million in 2025, while traffic to licensed operators fell from 143.8 million to 94.6 million during the same period.

Activity on illegal sites eased during 2026, with around 11 million unique visits recorded between January and July compared with 56.9 million on licensed platforms. Even after that reduction, annualised illegal traffic remained around 10 times higher than in 2022.

Visitors Spend More Time on Illegal Sites

The study found that changes went beyond the number of visits. Users also spent longer on unlicensed betting websites and viewed more pages during each session.

Average visit duration on illegal sites increased from five minutes and 38 seconds in late 2024 to seven minutes and 25 seconds between January and July 2026, a rise of 32%. Pages viewed per visit increased 34%, from 5.19 to 6.98.

Licensed sites continued to perform better on average visit length, pages viewed and bounce rates. However, their advantage narrowed.

Average time spent on licensed betting sites declined from 11 minutes and 18 seconds in late 2024 to nine minutes and 57 seconds during the first seven months of 2026.

Report author Douglas Robinson said:

“Visitors are spending longer and viewing more pages on illegal websites while engaging less with licensed ones. Licensed operators retain an advantage, but it is narrowing quickly.”

A separate analysis of 32 unlicensed websites offering bets on British horseracing found a similar longer-term change.

Between January and July 2026, those sites attracted 6.8 visits for every 100 visits to licensed racing betting websites. In late 2021, the figure stood at 0.97 per 100.

Across a broader sample of racing-related websites, illegal platforms accounted for around 16% of traffic during the first seven months of 2026, down from a peak of roughly one in five visits during 2025.

Robinson cautioned against assuming that the 2026 decline represented a lasting reversal.

“This 2026 decline in illegal website traffic could be a result of the Gambling Commission’s enforcement and disruption campaign but could also equally reflect changes in search visibility, domain migration, sporting-event timing or ordinary volatility.”

Racing Warns of Funding and Consumer Risks

British racing has raised concerns that continued movement toward offshore operators could affect both consumer protection and the sport’s finances.

Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said:

“Throughout the Gambling Act Review, British racing consistently warned that even well-intentioned policy changes could have unintended consequences for our sport, including driving more customers towards the illegal market.”

He added:

“This research provides worrying evidence that those concerns are now being realised, with an increasing number of consumers seemingly conducting their betting with illegal operators.”

The report argued that unlicensed operators contribute nothing to British racing or public finances and provide weaker consumer protections than regulated businesses.

Dunshea said:

“Every racing customer who moves from a licensed operator to an illegal one faces greater risks and fewer consumer protections. These unlicensed businesses also contribute nothing to British racing or to the public finances.”

The research (pdf) appears during a period of wider debate over gambling taxation and regulation. The autumn budget increased machine games duty by five percentage points to 25%, while racing representatives have repeatedly warned that regulatory changes could move betting activity away from licensed operators.

Enforcement Activity Has Yet to Produce a Sustained Drop

The Gambling Commission has increased action against illegal gambling since April 2024.

Figures cited in the report show that the regulator issued more than 3,100 cease-and-desist or disruption notices and recorded the removal of almost 288,000 URLs. More than 447,000 URLs were also referred to Google and Bing.

The IFHA study argued that enforcement should ultimately be assessed by whether illegal-site traffic falls consistently rather than by the number of notices or blocked URLs.

One of its conclusions stated:

“A sharp increase in enforcement activity against illegal betting undertaken in the UK since 2024 has not yet shown significant impact.”

Dunshea acknowledged the regulator’s increased activity but said further progress was needed.

“We recognise the Commission’s recent increase in enforcement activity, but we will be sharing these findings with government and urging it to work with us to keep bettors within the regulated market as this leakage continues to grow.”

He also criticised the pace of the government’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce, which was established as a 12-month initiative focused on unlicensed operators and their payment and advertising channels.

“While the taskforce’s creation was welcomed as a positive development, it is over nine months since that initial announcement was made, and progress so far has been limited,” Dunshea explained.