Gambling Commission payment data: 91% of repeat illegal-site users still bet with licensed sites

The Gambling Commission's first open banking study of the black market links unlicensed sites to a heavy concentration of gambling harm. Most repeat users keep betting with licensed operators, which complicates the industry's case that tax rises simply push players offshore. The UK Gambling Commission has put payment data behind the debate on the black market. Its report, published on 28 October, tracks spending through open banking rather than surveys alone. The headline finding concerns harm. Among people paying unlicensed operators, problem gambling scores are far higher than among customers of licensed sites. The study rests on a narrow base.