The Betting and Gaming Council has warned that unlicensed bookmakers could take as much as £1bn in Premier League bets each season.
The trade body made the warning in a letter published on 24 August, raising urgent concerns about the growing appeal of criminal gambling operators.
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst stated that illegal operators already take millions of pounds from punters during each round of Premier League matches.
Hurst said: “Millions of football fans will enjoy a bet safely with regulated operators this season, backing their team week in, week out.”
She added: “But the criminal black market is looking to cash in too, taking millions of pounds on every round of matches while offering customers none of the protections found in the regulated sector.”
The warning coincides with the Premier League beginning its first season without gambling brands appearing on front-of-shirt sponsorships, following a voluntary ban clubs agreed in 2023.
That voluntary ban came into effect with the 2026-27 campaign, though it does not extend to sleeve or training kit placements.
Ministers are currently considering a broader ban on unlicensed gambling companies sponsoring British sport, driven by concern over their visibility to UK customers who cannot legally access them.
The Gambling Commission has identified multiple routes through which UK customers end up on illegal gambling sites, including affiliates, influencers, social media, crypto platforms, and online gaming communities.
Some customers actively seek out unlicensed sites after self-excluding through Gamstop, with the Commission monitoring searches for “not on Gamstop” branded operators.
Those unlicensed platforms frequently lack basic protections such as age verification, secure payment systems, and recognised dispute-resolution processes, leaving customers exposed to serious risks.
The Commission has also reported cases involving withheld payouts, unattainable withdrawal limits, fraud and identity-theft risks associated with black market operators.
Measuring the true scale of the illegal market remains difficult, though BGC-commissioned research from Frontier Economics published in 2024 estimated £2.7bn is staked annually with illegal online operators.
That same research estimated 1.5 million people used the wider black market, a figure that includes those visiting illegal physical gambling premises across the country.
More recent research from H2 Gambling Capital placed offshore betting turnover at £16.6bn last year, up sharply from approximately £5bn recorded back in 2019.
H2 Gambling Capital’s estimate of offshore gross gambling yield also rose significantly, climbing to £685m from just £200m over the same period.
The legal sector is simultaneously facing a much tougher cost base, with Remote Gaming Duty having risen from 21% to 40% in April, squeezing licensed operators considerably.
Remote betting duty is also set to rise from 15% to 25% in April 2027, a change the government expects to raise more than £1bn annually across the sector.
The government’s own assessment acknowledges that operators could respond by cutting odds or returns, potentially driving some customers toward unlicensed alternatives.
Sweden offers a useful comparison point, with its regulator estimating that 84% of competitive online gambling was channelled through licensed operators in 2025, including a 95% rate for sports betting but only 68% for online casino.
