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Explosion in black market gambling as unregulated betting site traffic surges 522 percent

February 13, 2025 · 12:26pm ET | 9:26am PT
  • Bill Barber, Racing Post

Figures showing a massive rise in visits by UK punters to unlicensed bookmakers offering horseracing demonstrate that the threat of the black market is becoming reality, the BHA has said.

A report by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities on anti-illegal betting and related crime found that the number of unique customers visiting 22 unlicensed sites taking bets on British racing had grown by 522 per cent between August 2021 and September 2024.

By contrast, unique visitor traffic to ten legal websites offering betting on horseracing had grown by only 49 per cent over the same period.