Politics Home Article | As the World Cup approaches, illegal gambling advertising is booming

Credit: Farzad Mohsenvand / Unsplash

There are more teams than ever before, expanding from 32 to 48 nations. There will be more matches, played across three host countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico – spanning an enormous geographical area. FIFA is expecting record-breaking audiences and record-breaking revenues.

But as millions of fans prepare to follow the tournament, there is another industry preparing for kick-off too: the illegal gambling black market.

Major sporting tournaments always attract criminal operators looking to exploit heightened public interest. But this World Cup comes at a particularly dangerous moment, with illegal gambling firms rapidly increasing their advertising presence in Britain and aggressively targeting consumers online.

That should ring alarm bells in Westminster.

Independent analysis from global marketing intelligence firm WARC has revealed that unregulated operators now account for almost half of all UK gambling advertising spend, with that share set to become the majority within two years.

Just a few years ago, licensed operators accounted for more than 80 per cent of gambling advertising spend. That figure has now fallen to just over half and is projected to drop below 50 per cent by 2028.

At the same time, separate analysis by H2GC forecasts that the amount staked with illegal operators in Britain will almost double from £17bn this year to more than £33bn by 2028.

That would mean almost one in every five pounds staked online could soon be flowing through the illegal gambling black market.

The direction of travel is clear: regulated firms are scaling back while the harmful black market grows rapidly.

And major sporting events like the World Cup provide the perfect opportunity for illegal operators to accelerate that growth.

These operators are increasingly sophisticated in how they target UK consumers. Illegal sites routinely advertise “no ID checks”, “crypto betting” and “anonymous gambling” while using cloned branding and offshore networks to appear legitimate.

Many consumers will have no idea whether the operator appearing online is licensed in Britain or not.

That creates a serious risk, particularly for younger audiences who are far more likely to encounter gambling advertising through digital channels than traditional broadcast media.

The regulated betting industry in Britain operates under some of the strictest standards in the world. Licensed operators are required to carry out age verification checks, anti-money laundering controls and safer gambling interventions. They are accountable to the regulator and contribute to the economy, British sport and the new industry statutory levy, which is delivering over £100 million each year for research, prevention and treatment services.

Illegal operators do none of those things.

They do not carry out meaningful checks. They do not contribute to sport or treatment services. They do not protect vulnerable consumers. And they do not care whether a customer is self-excluded, underage or experiencing gambling harm.

Yet while illegal operators continue expanding aggressively, the regulated sector faces growing restrictions and mounting pressure.

The industry has already committed to removing betting sponsorship from the front of Premier League shirts from next season as part of raising standards. However, while unlicensed operators will be prohibited from appearing on the front of shirts, they will still be able to advertise elsewhere around Premier League matches and broadcasts. Demand for betting does not disappear when regulated advertising reduces. It simply shifts elsewhere.

And increasingly, that “elsewhere” is the black market.

If legitimate operators become less visible while illegal advertisers continue to grow unchecked, consumers will inevitably struggle to distinguish between regulated and unregulated gambling.

That is not a safer market.

It is a market where criminal operators gain visibility, vulnerable consumers lose protections and British sport loses funding and investment.

The overwhelming majority of the 22.5 million adults in Britain who enjoy a bet each month do so safely and responsibly with regulated operators. The priority should always be keeping those customers within the regulated market, where protections exist and standards are enforced.

The World Cup should belong to fans and sport, not criminal gambling operators exploiting the tournament to expand the illegal black market.