BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst warned that higher gambling duties could drive activity to unlicensed operators. Polling commissioned by the trade body found that 52% of respondents who bet believed duty increases would push players towards unlicensed operators.
The warning and polling concern the possible effect of higher duties on licensed operators’ customer activity.
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The Betting and Gaming Council's chief executive has told UK MPs backing an increase in Machine Games Duty that their views are "deeply misguided". Ninety MPs have called for the tax to rise.
A YouGov poll commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council found that 65% of UK bettors would refuse to provide financial documents if required to continue betting. The BGC said the findings raise concerns about proposed document-based checks, while its chief executive Grainne Hurst argued they could push customers towards illegal gambling.
The Betting and Gaming Council forecast on 24 August that unlicensed operators could take up to US$1.09bn in wagers on England’s top football league this season. The association supplied neither a methodology nor a source for that estimate.
The Betting and Gaming Council forecasts that unlicensed operators will take £1bn in UK football bets during the 2027/28 season. The council cited research estimating £800m in unlicensed bets this season and linked the projected increase to a planned rise in General Betting Duty.
The Betting and Gaming Council proposed a five-point plan for the UK to address unlicensed gambling, including action on advertising, websites, payments, service providers and criminal sanctions. It cited H2 Gambling Capital estimates that the unlicensed sector could grow from GBP 17 billion in 2025 to more than GBP 33 billion by 2028, and called for stronger UK Gambling Commission powers to block illegal websites.