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According to a PWC report which was highlighted by the British Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), over 200.000 gamblers from the UK visited black market sites during a 12-month period between 2018 and 2019. Overall, unregulated operators accounted for 2.5 per cent of all visits to betting websites – amounting to 27 million visits in total. Nearly one in 10 (9%) of all gambling search results were for black market sites.
This is the eternal debate whenever a government tries to tighten regulations, which seems to be the issue here as well. Last week UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden launched a wide-ranging review of the country’s gambling laws to ensure they are fit for the digital age. Online restrictions, marketing and the powers of the Gambling Commission will be looked at as part of a call for evidence, to examine in detail how gambling has changed in the 15 years since the Gambling Act 2005.
With the UK Government embarking on its long-anticipated Gambling Review, the BGC warned that tougher controls on licensed operators could lead to customers being forced into the arms of unscrupulous black market alternatives.
BGC’s Chief Executive Michael Dugher said on the report findings: “As the standards body for the regulated industry, we strongly welcome the Gambling Review, which we think is a great opportunity to drive further change on safer gambling.
However, these figures demonstrate the danger of unintentionally driving punters into the arms of the illegal, online black market – which offers none of the protections of the regulated sector.
The regulated betting and gaming industry employs 100,000 men and women and pays £3.2bn a year in tax to the Treasury, so the Government needs to be wary of doing anything that puts that at risk.
Millions of people in the UK enjoy an occasional flutter, whether that is on sports, at the bingo, on the Lottery or online, and it is vitally important that they are able to do so in a safe environment, rather than the unscrupulous black market.”
