Illegal gambling to take up to £800m in bets during new English Premier League season, the BGC predicts
The lobby group estimates that around £20m could have been staked with unlicensed gambling operators over the opening weekend.
UK.- The Premier League 2026/27 season kicked off this past weekend., with the long‑planned ban on front‑of‑shirt gambling sponsorships now in force. With gambling logos now relegated to shirt sleeves and training kits, the Betting and Gaming Council warns that the impact of the unlicensed market is as present as ever.
The lobby group, which represents many of the largest licensed operators in Britain, has estimated that the black market will take up to £800m in bets across the new Premier League season. It thinks around £20m may have been staked with unlicensed operators over the opening weekend alone.
That figure is forecast to climb by a further £200m next season, taking illegal betting on the Premier League to around £1bn a year, following April’s planned increase in General Betting Duty, the BGC said.
The group didn’t explain how it arrived at these figures, but it claimed that analysis suggests a typical weekend sees between £15m and £20m staked with unlicensed operators and that the first round of fixtures were expected to be towards the top of that range for some reason.
The BGC says it supported the Premier League’s voluntary decision to remove betting sponsors from the front of team shirts from this season. It has also welcomed the Government’s plan to stop clubs accepting sponsorship from gambling operators that do not hold a UK licence and has called for that action to go further to prevent illegal firms sponsoring any sport in the UK.
However, it warns that as visible, regulated advertising reduces, demand shifts into less regulated channels. It cited recent independent analysis from WARC that found that unregulated operators accounted for almost half of UK gambling advertising spend, while analysis by H2 Gambling Capital forecasts the amount staked with illegal operators in Britain will almost double from nearly £17bn this year to more than £33bn by 2028.
The BGC said tackling the criminal gangs behind illegal gambling websites must remain a priority to ensure customers stay within the regulated market, where protections are in place.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “Licensed operators are regulated in Britain and follow strict rules on consumer protection, safer gambling and robust financial safeguards. Illegal black market operators do not. They undermine player protections, avoid taxes, ignore safer gambling standards and put consumers at serious risk.
“With illegal betting on the Premier League on course to reach £1bn a season, we support action that protects fans, upholds standards and keeps customers safe within the regulated market.”
