Traffic to Unlicensed Betting Sites in Britain Climbs Sharply Since 2021

Research from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime reveals that visits to unlicensed betting websites by British consumers have stayed well above levels recorded before 2023, and the pattern has only intensified through 2026. In the first seven months of 2026 unlicensed sites captured 19.4 visits for every 100 visits to licensed operators, a ratio that equates to roughly one in five sessions taking place outside regulated channels, whereas the same measure stood at about one per 100 in late 2021. Monthly unique visits within the studied sample rose from 1.8 million in 2022 to more than 25 million in 2025, representing a fourteen-fold increase, and users on these platforms also spent longer periods and viewed additional pages per session even as enforcement actions continued.

Scope of the Data Collection

The study examined traffic across 301 betting websites that included 74 licensed operators and 227 unlicensed platforms, and analysts tracked visitor patterns over multiple years to establish clear trends. Figures show that monthly unique visits climbed steadily, yet the most pronounced jump occurred between 2022 and 2025 when the count moved from 1.8 million to over 25 million. Observers note that the ratio of unlicensed to licensed visits expanded from roughly one per 100 in late 2021 to 19.4 per 100 by mid-2026, which demonstrates sustained consumer movement toward sites operating outside the Gambling Commission framework. Those who reviewed the dataset point out that session duration and page views per visit also increased on unlicensed domains, suggesting deeper engagement rather than fleeting curiosity.

Comparison Across Time Periods

Data collected before 2023 provides a baseline against which later numbers stand out, and the contrast becomes clearest when late-2021 figures are set beside the 2026 results. At the earlier point unlicensed traffic represented a small fraction of overall activity, yet by the first seven months of 2026 that share had grown to nearly one fifth of licensed volume. Researchers tracked the same sample of sites across both periods, which allows direct comparison without adjustments for new entrants or market changes, and the fourteen-fold rise in monthly unique visits between 2022 and 2025 further underscores the scale of the shift. The study also records that users allocated more time and explored more pages during each unlicensed session, a detail that distinguishes current behavior from earlier patterns when visits tended to be shorter and less frequent.

Context of Enforcement Activity

Authorities have maintained enforcement programs aimed at reducing access to unlicensed platforms, yet the reported metrics indicate that traffic volumes have continued to expand. The IFHA Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime compiled its findings after reviewing activity through November 2026, and the results show that despite these measures the proportion of visits to unlicensed sites remained substantially higher than pre-2023 levels. Monthly figures for 2025 already exceeded 25 million unique visits within the sample, and the 19.4-to-100 ratio recorded in the opening months of 2026 suggests the trend has not reversed. Those who compiled the statistics note that users demonstrate greater engagement on unlicensed platforms, which points to persistent demand even while licensed operators operate under stricter regulatory oversight.

Implications for Market Structure

The documented growth in unlicensed traffic alters the distribution of activity between regulated and unregulated channels, and the fourteen-fold increase in monthly unique visits between 2022 and 2025 illustrates how quickly that distribution has changed. Licensed operators recorded steady volumes during the same interval, yet the unlicensed segment expanded far more rapidly, resulting in the elevated ratio observed by mid-2026. Analysts who examined the 301-site sample emphasize that both the number of visitors and the depth of each visit contributed to the overall rise, creating a measurable gap between the two sectors. Data covering the first seven months of 2026 places unlicensed visits at 19.4 per 100 licensed visits, confirming that the pattern established in prior years has carried forward into the current period.

Conclusion

The IFHA Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime study supplies a clear record of rising traffic to unlicensed betting sites in Britain, with monthly unique visits moving from 1.8 million in 2022 to more than 25 million in 2025 and the visit ratio reaching 19.4 per 100 licensed visits by the first seven months of 2026. These measurements, drawn from a consistent sample of 301 websites, show that consumer engagement on unlicensed platforms has increased in both frequency and duration despite ongoing enforcement efforts. The figures establish a factual baseline for understanding how the market has evolved since late 2021, when the same ratio stood near one per 100. The full report details the methodology and the precise metrics that support these observations.