BHA Acknowledges Regulatory Efforts, But Warns That Illegal Gambling Is Still on the Rise
The BHA warns that illegal gambling in the UK keeps growing despite regulatory efforts, citing an IFHA report showing offshore traffic far above pre-white paper levels.Summary
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) cited a new report from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' (IFHA) Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime, which examined 300 popular UK betting websites and found that roughly one in five visits to a betting operator goes to an offshore operator. Of the 300 sites, 74 were legal and 227 illegal. In the first seven months of 2026, there were about 19.4 visits to illegal sites for every 100 visits to legal ones, and monthly unique visits to unlicensed sites surged from 1.8 million in 2022 to over 25 million in 2025. Illegal play was also linked to longer sessions. The BHA acknowledged increased enforcement, including a new task force and the UK Gambling Commission's 3,100-plus cease-and-desist or disruption notices and 288,000 URL removals since 2024, but said these have not curbed offshore growth. It argued that new regulatory and tax measures have weakened the legal industry's competitiveness, reducing live event betting and online racing turnover. The BHA called for coordinated action involving government, industry stakeholders, tech companies and payment providers, stressing that success must be measured by sustained reduction in illegal traffic rather than enforcement counts. CEO Brant Dunshea said the BHA has long warned that well-intentioned policy changes could harm horseracing and betting, and urged the DCMS task force and new gambling minister Vicky Foxcroft to inject urgency into the fight.
(Source：Gamblingnews)