This reserach report explores illegal online gambling in Great Britain. The report is the first in a series of four reports published by the Gambling Commission and examines the different audiences that engage with illegal gambling sites. Overall, engagement with illegal gambling websites was higher among men, young people aged 18 to 24, people who gamble more frequently, and people who score 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. This is similar to the types of people who more commonly use legal online gambling websites.
The findings indicated that there were four general groups of people that gambled on illegal websites:
- People who had self-excluded from all gambling websites licensed in Great Britain through GAMSTOP, and/or by registering with other gambling blocking programs and/or using other blocking applications.
- People who were aware that they were engaging with illegal websites, and were motivated by gaining skills, using digital or foreign currencies, and exploring new types of gambling products.
- People who learned about illegal websites from social media content and forums, often testing them initially, to attempt to reduce risks.
- People who came upon illegal gambling websites by chance, and therefore didn't realize that they were gambling on an illegal gambling site.
