Surveys raise concerns over illegal World Cup betting in UK

Research suggests that players still struggle to identify licensed gambling sites in Britain.

UK. New surveys have raised more concerns about the extent of unlicensed FIFA World Cup 2026 betting in the UK. The research comes after the government created a new Illegal Gambling Taskforce amid mounting industry pressure.

An analysis from the credit reference agency TransUnion suggests that young adults, especially those aged 25–34, were driving a sharp rise in betting activity ahead of the 2026 men’s World Cup. However, the research also found that 12 per cent of 25–34-year-olds said they had knowingly been defrauded by an unregulated betting site.

That figure dropped to 10 per cent among 35-44-year-olds and to negligible levels among older adults, with just 1 per cent of 55-64-year-olds reporting the same experience.

The survey, carried out by OnePoll between May 11 and 14, involved 1,000 British adults. It found that 25–34-year-olds were the group most likely to increase their betting during the World Cup. Around 43 per cent in this age group said they expected to bet more frequently during the tournament. Interest appeared to decline with age, reaching only 4 per cent among over 65s.

In terms of stake size, the 25–34 group expressed plans to wager an average of £16.56 per bet, well above the overall average of £9.54. Londoners appeared more engaged than bettors elsewhere. More than half (52 per cent) intended to bet on England matches, 42 per cent on other major fixtures, and 29 per cent on outright tournament bets — all higher than figures recorded in other regions.

Convenience was found to be the biggest factor influencing operator choice, cited by 17 per cent of all bettors and 24 per cent of young adults. Security remained a dominant concern, however. Some 91 per cent of online bettors said a “secure experience” was important, with 60 per cent saying it mattered “a lot”.

Chad Reimers, TransUnion’s international vice‑president of fraud solutions, cautioned that major sporting events create opportunities for scammers.

“The football World Cup is one of the biggest betting and social events of the year and fraudsters know it. Younger fans are the most enthusiastic punters, but that can bring heightened risk if they are not stopping to check the legitimacy of the provider,” he said.

Meanwhile, a new survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted by YouGov for Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, suggests that the public still struggles to reliably identify illegal gambling promotions. Despite 80 per cent of respondents saying they were unlikely to knowingly use illegal betting sites, the research showed that most lacked the tools to identify such sites in practice. Just 10 per cent said they found it easy to tell whether a betting promotion on social media was from a Gambling Commission-licensed platform, while 74 per cent were unsure or actively struggled to identify legitimate platforms

Public confidence in the UK’s current approach to illegal gambling was also found to be low. Only 7 per cent believed UK regulations were “very effective” at preventing illegal gambling and one in three (33 per cent) said the government wasn’t doing enough to protect citizens from illegal operators.

The research showed that social media platforms are seen as one of the leading contributors to the spread of illegal betting, alongside criminal networks and weak enforcement mechanisms. More than half of people (53 per cent) said the government should play a leading role in protecting consumers. Social media platforms (37 per cent), major sporting events (39 per cent), and banks and financial providers (38 per cent) were also seen as having significant responsibilities.

Entain has launched a new World Cup social media campaign featuring popular creator Big John, designed to educate consumers in an engaging and accessible way about the risks of illegal gambling through a series of short-form videos aligned with major World Cup moments. The content directs viewers to a dedicated information hub that provides guidance on identifying licensed operators.

Bejay Patel, MD UK and Ireland at Entain said: “This research reveals a genuinely concerning gap between consumer confidence and consumer reality. People are confident they would avoid illegal operators, yet most cannot reliably identify them online. Nearly three-quarters of UK adults are sitting ducks for illegal operators to exploit major sporting events such as the World Cup.

“The UK’s regulated gambling market offers some of the strongest consumer protections in the world. The illegal market offers none of these safeguards, leaving people exposed to fraud, unfair treatment and serious harm.

“With the World Cup now underway, it is more important than ever that we raise awareness of these risks. Our campaign with Big John is designed to do exactly that, reaching audiences where illegal operators are most active and providing clear, simple information to help them stay safe.”

Meanwhile, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the UK gambling sector lobby group, has claimed that unlicensed gambling operators could take around £200m in World Cup bets in the UK. It also claims that the implementation of Gambling Commission’s proposed Financial Risk Assessments would have made the figure even higher.

The group forecasts that one third of all British betting account holders will place a bet on the World Cup and that the amount wagered with Gambling Commission-licensed betting operators will top £1bn. A September 2025 report by gambling intelligence platform Yield Sec estimated that illegal operators account for nine per cent of Britain’s online betting market, which extrapolated to the World Cup would mean a black market handle of £90m.

The association claims that, according to its modelling, the amount of bets placed with illegal operators during the World Cup would be up to £50m higher, assuming the scheme were implemented in the same way as tested during the Gambling Commission’s pilot last year..

Its analysis indicates that the initiative would lead to more than 400,000 customers being subjected to intrusive financial risk checks, with over 50,000 potentially shifting their custom to the black market as a result.