UK Gambling Black Market Pocketed GBP 100M In Bets on Boxing Day, Says BGC

According to a warning from the UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the country’s gambling black market is expected to have taken advantage of Boxing Day betting activity, with up to GBP 100 million (about $135 million) potentially staked outside the regulated sector.

BGC Estimates Over GBP 100 Million Spent in Illegal Bets on Boxing Day

Industry analysis drawing on data from H2 Gambling Capital indicates that the black market already handles billions of pounds in illegal gambling stakes each year. The BGC calculated the expected GBP 100 million in spending by taking into account that Boxing Day represents about 1% of total annual betting activity.

The BGC’s warning underscores growing concern that the UK’s recent Budget could further accelerate the expansion of the harmful illegal black market. Earlier this month, the BGC criticized the autumn budget, saying that the proposed tax increases on gambling could lead to industry-wide job cuts and also push bettors further into the black market.

The Government’s own forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has acknowledged that the tax changes are expected to cut projected revenues by around one third by 2029–30, as consumers shift their behaviour away from regulated betting and towards illegal operators, leading to an estimated GBP 500 million (approximately $677 million) shortfall in tax receipts next year.

Industry Experts Warn About the Issues

BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst said that Boxing Day is one of the busiest days of the year for sport and betting, and warned that the illegal gambling black market is preparing to profit significantly. She added that this money flows directly to criminal operators who provide no consumer protections and contribute nothing in taxes. 

Hurst also warned that if higher taxes make regulated betting less appealing, the illegal black market will be the primary beneficiary, with negative consequences for consumers, employment, and public finances.

Licensed operators must comply with stringent requirements on player protection, affordability checks, and anti-money laundering, while also contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy and providing vital support to British sport and racing. In contrast, the harmful illegal black market operates beyond the reach of the law, targeting UK consumers without regulation, accountability, or tax payments.

The BGC has called on policymakers to work closely with the licensed sector to ensure that consumer protection measures, including those currently being introduced, do not unintentionally push customers towards unregulated and unlawful markets.