The UK Gambling Commission said 49% of 3,666 respondents aged 11 to 17 in England, Scotland and Wales had experienced gambling in the previous 12 months, according to its 2025 report. It said 30% had spent their own money on gambling and 1.2% showed problem gambling, compared with 1.5% in 2024.
The findings inform operators' and regulators' assessment of young people's exposure to gambling and age-protection measures.
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Research by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime found monthly visits to unlicensed betting sites used in Britain rose from 1.8m in 2022 to over 25m in 2025. The study measured 19.4 visits to unlicensed operators per 100 visits to licensed sites in the first seven months of 2026; the Gambling Commission has issued more than 3,100 disruption notices since April 2024.
Black Cube has asked a New Jersey court to dismiss Evolution’s lawsuit under the state’s anti-SLAPP law, according to a media report. The hearing is scheduled for 16 November; analysts do not expect an immediate decision, and either side can appeal.
Black Cube has moved to dismiss Evolution’s legal challenge using a New Jersey public-expression law, according to a cited report.
The Financial Ombudsman Service told Santander to refund identifiable gambling losses, less winnings, on transactions made from 15 August to 17 September 2025. It excluded £16,000 spent before the customer disclosed his gambling problem and ordered 8% interest on eligible transactions plus £500 compensation. The ombudsman said it saw no basis for intervention before the disclosure.
A UK ombudsman ruling requires Santander to refund thousands in gambling losses. The order covers identifiable gambling losses, minus any winnings, incurred between 15 August and 17 September 2025. No single fixed sum has been decided for the refund.
The Gambling Commission said around 1% of Britain’s gamblers used illegal platforms as of April 2026. Its survey found 0.6% had used such platforms in the previous four weeks, while 94.4% showed no sign of use. The regulator said it would combine this baseline with other data to assess and target interventions.
By April 2026, the Commission puts illegal-platform use at roughly 1% of Britain's gamblers, and says it is overall confident of that estimate. Sue Gardner, the acting chief executive, presented this to industry leaders during the regulator's yearly CEO briefing.
The Gambling Commission presented new UK illegal-gambling estimates on 5 November 2026, based on survey data collected between April 2025 and April 2026. A report questions the Commission’s description of illegal-market participation as low and stable, citing the newness of the measure, the survey sample and other indicators, including a 12% rise in September 2026 activity against the previous three-month average.
The Gambling Commission, Great Britain's gambling regulator, presented new illegal gambling figures on 5 November. Sue Young, the Commission's executive director of operations, said in the press release that participation in the illegal market appears low and stable on these indicators. The report questions that description.