Just two gambling websites out of 591 analysed have achieved a trusted rating, according to a new cybersecurity study from ScamInfo.ai.
The research platform examined 7,185 websites across more than 40 online sectors, positioning gambling as one of the most dangerous categories anywhere on the internet.
Gambling and betting domains accounted for 34.7% of all critical-risk websites identified across the entire dataset of analysed sites.
Within the gambling category specifically, 6.9% of sites received a critical risk rating, with a further 19.5% classified as high risk by the platform.
Only 0.3% of gambling domains, representing just two websites, managed to earn a trusted rating in the study’s findings.
The sector dramatically underperforms the broader internet on safety indicators, with around 70% of all analysed websites receiving a low-risk rating across every category combined.
Within gambling alone, fewer than half of all domains, just 46.7%, met the threshold for a low-risk classification, highlighting the scale of the problem.
Tim Miller, Executive Director of Research and Policy at the UK’s Gambling Commission, has pointed to Big Tech companies as part of the solution to protecting players from fraudulent operators.
Miller told the iGaming Daily Podcast that platforms like Meta are not doing enough proactively, stating: “Everything that I have seen particularly over the last couple of years is that they only act when they’re really pushed.”
He acknowledged that referrals do produce results, but argued the response remains reactive rather than preventative in nature.
“In fairness, when we refer illegal sites to them and illegal ads to them, they take action to take them down. Fantastic. But actually, the harm has already started happening there,” Miller said.
He added: “What we’re not seeing is them being sufficiently proactive to stop those kinds of routes to the illegal market appearing in the first place.”
The ScamInfo.ai report advises consumers to verify an operator’s licence directly through the relevant regulator before registering or depositing any funds.
The report also recommends reviewing domain history, confirming legal documentation is available, and understanding withdrawal conditions before committing money to any platform.
However, the practical effectiveness of such advice remains questionable, given how few players actively check licensing credentials before gambling online.
A study conducted in late 2022 found that only 10% of players in Sweden were able to accurately identify a licensed gambling operator, suggesting consumer awareness remains critically low.
Some players actively seek out unlicensed platforms, believing they offer better odds or access to games unavailable through regulated operators in their region.
Entain’s Chief Customer Care Officer and General Counsel, Simon Zinger, has also been cited in wider discussions around how realistic it is to expect ordinary gamblers to conduct their own due diligence on operators.
