UK Gambling Commission research identifies four player groups behind illegal gambling use

The Great Britain Gambling Commission has published the third part of its Consumer Voice research, which looks at why some consumers use illegal gambling services. The central conclusion is that "the same message will not work for all".

The work was carried out by Yonder Consulting on the regulator's behalf and drew on a survey pool of 4,000 people. It identified four subgroups, each with its own reasons for turning to unlicensed products.

The first group, labelled 'Accidental Tourists', typically end up in the illegal market without intending to, often out of frustration with what licensed operators offer. 'Social Explorers' view the frictions of the licensed market with what the Commission calls "pragmatic acceptance". They tend to be experienced deal seekers who trust peer recommendations. 'Self-Excluders' are people who know they are at risk of harm yet deliberately work around their GamStop exclusion to find games, sites and products that are neither licensed nor legal in the UK. The fourth group, 'Skill Advocates', distrust both the licensed market and the rules governing it, and look to illegal gambling for what they see as greater personal freedom.

The Commission stresses that the four groups are not a full picture of the adult gambling population. It describes interaction with the black market as a "relatively niche behaviour" among gamblers.

The findings also challenge an earlier assumption. Operators, support charities and regulators had widely believed that online searches for 'not on GamStop' were mainly made by people trying to get around self-exclusion. The new study suggests the phrase now carries a broader meaning, standing for a perceived shortcut to fewer frictions, fewer identity checks, more anonymity and more freedom of choice.

The research also points to the role of online platforms, where an anonymous user, sometimes an affiliate, who claims to have won big on the black market, or an engaging illegal advertisement, can be more influential than safer gambling messaging. The Commission's report acknowledges this complexity and says it is taking action directly with social media and internet companies.

Despite those efforts, Google Trends data shows searches for 'not on Gamstop' in the UK up 120% year on year, suggesting that work to curb the normalisation of illegal gambling has not yet had the intended effect.