Gambling Report
Leading iGaming operator Entain has published a report urging the British government to clamp down on black market gambling operators.
The report asks the government to consider implementing stricter measures, including blacklisting illegal operations and tightening marketing and payment restrictions.
A Huge Market
Entain’s report follows research that was conducted by consultancy company Regulus Partners. This was backed by the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) and it revealed that an estimated £2.7bn is being staked in the UK annually on black market gambling.
The UK is one of the most regulated markets in the industry, but that has not stopped British consumers from turning towards unlicensed operators. This is an emerging trend across Europe, with countries like France and Germany reporting that they are losing up to 60% of their gambling revenue to unlicensed operators.
Preventative Steps
Preventing customers from using unlicensed operators can be extremely difficult. Partly, because it is hard to police. As part of the research and proposal, Entertain and Regulus outlined five countermeasures that could help to combat the issue.
These include blocking payments to black market operators, stopping them from advertising on mainstream and social media, and using IP blocking to make accessing illegal sites more difficult. While it is nearly impossible to prevent these activities altogether, the report believes that taking these steps would go some way in encouraging players to use legally regulated sites.
The report from Regulus also said that the recent Online Safety Act gives the UK more control over black market gambling, urging the government to continue to move in a similar direction as it tackles this issue.
