BGC Forecasts GBP 800M in Illegal Bets as Premier League Season Kicks Off

The British Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has issued a grim forecast for the new English Premier League season, saying that it expects players to wager as much as GBP 800 million with illegal operators during the tournament. Illegal Operators Poised to Capitalize on the Premier League As illegal gambling concerns in Great Britain grow louder, the BGC has warned that the illegal gambling black market is expected to take up to GBP 800 million ($1.09 billion) in bets across the EPL season. The council added that GBP 20 million ($27.3 million)was staked with illegal operators over the tournament’s opening weekend alone. The BGC added that the amount of money wagered with illegal companies could climb to GBP 1 billion ($1.4 billion) for the next EPL season due to an expected increase in general betting duty from April 2027. The BGC has long opposed further tax hikes, arguing that such measures hurt the legal market, making it less competitive. The BGC emphasized that the Premier League is the most watched soccer league in the world, as well as one of the top events in the sports calendar. While the council acknowledged that the league is a major betting event, it also emphasized that a lot of the betting is now happening illegally. Yet while millions of fans back their teams safely with regulated operators, criminal gambling firms are also lining up to cash in, offering betting products that sit entirely outside UK law and provide none of the standards, safeguards or consumer protections required in the regulated sector. BGC statement The BGC highlighted the decision to stop featuring gambling companies’ logos on the front of EPL players’ jerseys as something that it supports. However, the BGC also noted that reducing regulated advertising does not cause demand to disappear, but rather allows illegal operators to claim market share. The BGC warned that measures, such as the upcoming general betting duty increase, risk further limiting the legal sector’s ability to compete. With experts saying that roughly half of all UK gambling advertising spend is by unlicensed companies and that the amount staked with illegal operators could reach GBP 33 billion by 2028, the BGC strongly suggested that measures that would further strain the legal gaming sector are undesirable. The BGC Encourages the Government to Protect Players Grainne Hurst, the BGC’s CEO, commented on the matter, saying that millions of soccer fans are already enjoying the season and are going to make safe bets with regulated operators. At the same time, she expressed concern about the growing black market, which is also looking forward to capitalizing on the Premier League season. Hurst emphasized that, unlike their legal counterparts, illegal operators “pay no tax, fund nothing and answer to no one.” Licensed operators are regulated in Britain and follow strict rules on consumer protection, safer gambling and robust financial safeguards. Illegal black market operators do not. They undermine player protections, avoid taxes, ignore safer gambling standards and put consumers at serious risk. Grainne Hurst, CEO, BGC Because of that, Hurst urged the government to “protect fans, uphold standards and keep customers safe within the regulated market.” The BGC encouraged the government to double down on its efforts to crack down on illegal gambling and prioritize shielding players from harm.