The UK Gambling Commission, together with Yonder Consulting, has published a study on consumer behavior in the country’s illegal iGaming market.
Conducted in two phases between April and December 2024, the research involved over 3,000 players. iGN highlights the following key findings:
- Self-Excluded Players (Type 1) – registered with the GAMSTOP scheme but actively seeking sites that bypass restrictions.
- Experienced Users (Type 2) – deliberately turning to unlicensed operators to deposit with crypto and access exclusive games.
- Referrals (Type 3) – joining through friends or social media without realizing the operator is illegal.
- Casual Users (Type 4) – landing on unlicensed sites unintentionally via search engines or ads.
Demographics: mostly men aged 18–24 with high-risk gambling behavior (8+ on the PGSI scale).
Most popular verticals: football betting, online bingo, slots, and esports.
Main motivations: better odds, attractive bonuses, and games unavailable in the UK market.
Alternative payments: cryptocurrencies and foreign currencies instead of GBP.
Workarounds: no betting limits and simplified verification processes.
Low awareness: most players cannot distinguish between licensed and unlicensed operators.
License paradox: while players acknowledge the importance of licensing, they rarely check if one exists.
Parallel play: all respondents admitted to using both unlicensed and licensed operators simultaneously.
When asked to name unlicensed sites they had used, many respondents mistakenly listed UK-licensed operators, underlining just how poorly players understand the legal status of iGaming providers.
