BGC: 250,000 people used black-market sites during World Cup

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has revealed black-market activity skyrocketed during the World Cup in November and December amid growing fears of the threat’s growth.

According to analysis conducted on behalf of the BGC, 250,000 people visited sites not licensed by the UK Gambling Commission in December compared to 80,000 in December the previous year.

The analysis also showed online traffic to sites advertising services to self-excluded gamblers rose by almost 83%.

The report revealed non-GAMSTOP sites generated 82.7% more visits from 26.9% new customers during November and December compared to September and October.

During the two-month period, more than 64,500 “vulnerable players” searched for black-market operators that circumvent GamStop.

Following the trend of spikes in black-market activity during major sporting events, the data showed traffic also peaked during in March during the Cheltenham Festival as well as in June during Royal Ascot.

Looking at 2022 as a whole, the number of visits to black-market sites from the UK increased by 46%, with around 148,000 customers using the sites each month.

Michael Dugher, BGC CEO, said the data showed there is “too much complacency” about the threat from the black market and demanded the government reassess its approach to regulation.

The former MP said: “This research exposes the dire threat the growing unsafe, unregulated black market poses to punters.

“This data shows the World Cup drove a range of worrying gambling trends in the UK – not in the regulated sector as predicted by anti-gambling prohibitionists – but in the unsafe unregulated black market online.

“There has been too much complacency about the threat of the black market. Rather than dismissing the problem, the regulator and the government need to tread extremely carefully and resist blanket, intrusive affordability checks at low levels that push even more punters to these dangerous sites,” he added.