On 5 November 2026, the Gambling Commission published its first survey estimates of illegal gambling website use in Great Britain. It also reported referring 7,677,211 URLs to search engines between July and September. One figure estimates people’s reported behaviour; the other counts enforcement activity.

What the survey estimates

Among people who had gambled online in the previous 12 months, 2.5% said they had used an illegal gambling website in the previous four weeks. Another 1.5% reported use earlier in the year, but not during those four weeks, the Commission said.

For the whole population, the estimates were:

  • 0.6% had engaged with illegal gambling websites in the previous four weeks.
  • Another 0.4% reported engagement in the past year, but not in the previous four weeks.

These are survey estimates, not confirmed counts of individual users.

Millions of URL referrals are not millions of users

The Commission said 3,019,291 URLs were removed from search engines in the same July-to-September quarter. The referral and removal totals do not reveal how many people saw the links, how many distinct websites they represented, or whether every referred URL was removed.

The regulator also reported taking disruption action against 311 illegal gambling websites in the second quarter of the 2026 to 2027 financial year. That was 38% more than in the previous quarter. A website can face several types of action, so this is a separate measure too.

The survey estimates how many people report using illegal sites. URL referrals, removals and website actions track enforcement, not the number of users.

What changes next

The Commission released the estimates alongside a dashboard tracking the supply of illegal gambling opportunities, consumer engagement and disruption. It says the findings will help build evidence and guide action to protect consumers.

This is a research and enforcement-data release, not a new law, consultation or licence-condition change. The Commission cautions that no single indicator captures the full illegal market. The baseline gives future comparisons a starting point, while keeping user estimates and enforcement totals distinct.