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Read Full BioA new report released by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) places much of the blame for the growth of the illegal gambling market on illegal sports streaming.
CFG released the report, “Illegal Streaming of Sports Events and Illegal Gambling,” which uses data and analysis compiled by Yield Sec. The report claims, “There is an ‘illegal streaming and illegal gambling nexus,’ taking audiences into illegal streaming and funneling them toward illegal gambling.
It says that in 2024 and the first half of 2025, 89% of illegal sports streams contained advertising for illegal gambling. During this time, British audiences consumed 4.7 billion illegal streams of sporting events. This is a ratio of 45 per person, much higher than the 12 per person in the US.
The publishers of the report are particularly concerned that the audiences of these illegal streams are vulnerable groups, including minors and gamblers who have self-excluded from legal platforms.
This week, the UK heard the case of Ollie Long, a gambling addict who eventually committed suicide. The coroner blamed illegal gambling platforms for his death. He had registered on GamStop, the UK’s self-exclusion system, but continued to gamble on unlicensed, offshore sites.
CFG Blames ‘Soft’ UK Authorities for Illegal Gambling
Derek Webb, the founder and funder of CFG, blamed the weakness of the UK Gambling Commission and government for Long’s death and the spread of illegal gambling through illegal sports streams.
Webb made most of his money as a professional poker player and designed the poker card game Three Card Poker. He sold the game’s rights for £25 million ($33.5 million). He now uses funds to lobby for change in the UK’s policies towards gambling.
In a statement, he said the UK must do more to tackle illegal gambling, and one way is by clamping down on illegal sports streams. He stated, “Great Britain is becoming a soft touch. We have allowed the global soft power of GB sports to be infected by organized criminality.”
He went on to criticize the UK for allowing legal gambling companies to also base themselves offshore. Many operators are headquartered in tax havens, such as Gibraltar and Malta. SkyBet, owned by Flutter, for example, recently moved its base to Malta.
Webb says allowing legal companies to be based offshore gives legitimacy to unlicensed offshore gambling platforms, stating, “Online gambling operators were irrationally permitted to stay offshore under the flawed 2005 Gambling Act. This acceptance of offshoring enabled the theoretical excuse to justify black market operations.”
Fees in Legal Markets Drive Users Away
Licensed companies, mainly through the gambling trade body, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), have campaigned against an increase in taxes on gambling in the UK. The BGC argues that increased taxes mean legal platforms cannot compete with the odds and bonuses offered by unregulated companies.
As a result, the group says more and more users will be drawn to illegal sites. The CFG reports says, “It does not need to, so long as the focus is on marketplace control via MPEO – Monitor, Police, Enforce and Optimize. Illegal streaming is fast becoming a core recruitment ground for mainstream audiences and needs to be monitored and policed now.”
One of the primary reasons sports fans are using illegal streams in the UK is the prohibitive costs of legal sports networks. Soccer fans must subscribe to Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon Prime, and starting next season Paramount, to watch Premier League and Champions League matches. Doing this would cost around £100 ($134) per month, whereas illegal streams are readily available for free online.
The latest report warns users that while they may not immediately pay for illegal streams, in the end, it will cost them much more than money.
In addition to seeing adverts for illegal gambling, the report alleges that behind 89% of illegal streams are “malware, spyware, keystroke loggers, and other ID and data theft mechanics.”
It urges anyone who has fallen victim to romance scams, social media account takeovers, and bank fraud to ask themselves: “‘When did I last illegally stream?’ Because illegal streaming is clearly setting the audience up to become a victim of crime – that’s the whole reason why premium sports and entertainment content is stolen and offered to the audience ‘for free’.”
