BGC warns: The Illegal gambling market to scoop £200m from the World Cup

• The BGC has highlighted that as much as £200m - £250m will be wagered on black market operators in the UK this World Cup
• The trade group has called for urgent measures to address the disparity between regulated and unregulated operators, proposing measures
• The BGC has criticized certain regulatory measures, such as intrusive financial checks that drive customers to the black market

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already upon us, with the first games played, and fans are revelling in the action. This is tipped to be the most-wagered-on sports betting event, drawing a global handle of $50bn, according to one estimate.

Black market World Cup betting to remain strong in the UK

Yet, the Betting and Gaming Council has raised an alarm back at home in the United Kingdom, where the trade group expects the illegal gambling black market to see as much as £200m wagered through unauthorized operators.

In contrast, £1bn is expected to be wagered at regulated operators in Britain, the BGC noted in a press statement.

But the black market also has some room for maneouverability, as the total gambling handled projected for the sector could actually rise to £250m, the trade group further warns.

BGC CEO Grainne Hurst has issued a statement, highlighting the proliferation of black market operations and how they capitalize on major sports events such as the World Cup.

"At a time when illegal operators are already expected to take hundreds of millions of pounds in bets during the World Cup, policies that make it harder for regulated operators to compete, strengthening the hand of the black market," Hurst added, urging policymakers to help the regulated market remain competitive in the face of this threat.

"The priority must be keeping customers in the regulated market, where robust protections are in place, rather than pushing them towards illegal operators," Hurst added.

The BGC only recently released a five-step plan meant to help significantly defang the black market, which continues to gain strength in the United Kingdom and is projected to overtake the regulated market.

Black market operators are targeting and exploiting consumers fleeing the regulated market

The trade group further noted that criminal enterprises are intent on exploiting consumers by targeting them with seemingly worthwhile products that offer none of the standards, safeguards or consumer protections of the regulated sector.

"With around one third of all betting account holders expected to place a bet on the World Cup, the BGC warned that intrusive financial risk checks requiring customers to provide personal financial documents, such as bank statements, risk making it harder for regulated operators to compete with illegal firms that openly flout the law," a statement released by the BGC reads.

The BGC also criticized the current system of financial risk checks, calling it intrusive and affecting as many as 400,000, which the trade group sees as another way to directly empower the black market as fed-up customers flee to the black market.

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