The Gambling Commission has launched a new Illegal Gambling Hub, bringing together advice, regulatory updates and the latest research in order to help licensees and bettors identify unlicensed operators.

The hub, accessed via the Commission website, is part of the regulator’s intensified focus on the black market, and follows the recent publication of a report into the reasons players seek out unlicensed sites.

“At a headline level, we know that the majority of gambling consumers do not engage with illegal gambling websites,” said the Commission’s director of research and statistics Ben Haden. “We also know that those that do are largely using illegal websites alongside their usual gambling with licensed operators, to supplement their primary gambling experiences.”

“Many of these consumers are at risk of, or may already be experiencing gambling harms, which can be exacerbated further by their engagement with illegal online gambling websites. The volume of advertising aimed at this group is significant and with over half a million consumers signed up to GamStop, unfortunately there are many to be targeted.”

Describing the lack of regulation and consumer protection in the illegal market as “a concern,” Haden said “a key next step is to drill into some of the drivers in more detail and see the extent to which they may lead consumers to overlook or disregard this principle.”