H2 report puts UK illegal gambling stakes at £16.6bn in 2025
H2 Gambling Capital’s research, shared by the Betting and Gaming Council, estimates that stakes with offshore betting operators in Britain reached £16.6bn in 2025, up from about £5bn in 2019. It says the regulated market’s share of legal gambling fell from 97% in 2019 to 92% in 2025; the BGC links the growth to higher taxes and tighter rules.
The estimates quantify the unlicensed market’s reported growth alongside a declining share for regulated gambling.