UK Illegal Betting Traffic Remains Over 10 Times 2022 Levels

A new study by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) examined 301 websites offering horse racing bets: 227 unlicensed and 74 licensed.

Traffic Peaked in 2025

The IFHA tracked UK website traffic from August 2021 to July 2026. Its figures show a sharp rise in visits to unlicensed operators, followed by a decline this year.

The study recorded the following sums of monthly unique-visitor estimates:

• 2022 – 1.79 million across 12 months;
• 2025 – 25.13 million across 12 months;
• January-July 2026 – 11.01 million across seven months.

The 2025 total averages approximately 2.09 million monthly visitors across the calendar year.

Based on the report’s figures, 15M calculates an average of roughly 1.57 million per month for January-July 2026, compared with 149,000 in 2022. That puts the latest monthly average at about 10.5 times the earlier level.

The IFHA projects a full-year 2026 total of 18.9 million if the January-July pace continues. That would be roughly three-quarters of the 2025 figure.

A Smaller Share, Longer Visits

The IFHA also measured unlicensed traffic against visits to the licensed websites in its sample. In 2025, illegal sites received 26.6 visits for every 100 visits to licensed operators. For January-July 2026, the ratio was 19.4.

On a combined-traffic basis, the latest ratio means approximately 16.2% of visits went to unlicensed sites, or roughly one in six. For affiliates assessing British betting traffic, this is a website-traffic benchmark. Player conversions, deposits and betting revenue require separate measurements.

Visitors were also staying longer on unlicensed sites. Their average visit duration increased from 5 minutes 38 seconds in late 2024 to 7 minutes 25 seconds in January-July 2026. Licensed websites still led, averaging 9 minutes 57 seconds.

UKGC Finds an 18% Drop in Its Targeted Sample

The Gambling Commission’s November 5 dashboard reports lower traffic at 77% of sites assessed after April-June disruption activity. Combined estimated traffic fell 18%. Other factors may have contributed to the decline.

Those figures cover selected enforcement targets. The IFHA tracked 301 betting websites over several years. 15M previously covered the Commission’s separate September monitoring, which showed an 11% annual fall in estimated engagement.

In a November 6 statement, BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea said the government’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce had made “limited” progress. The Commission’s traffic follow-up for 311 sites targeted in July-September is still pending.