Gambling advertising spend by licensed operators in the UK is continuing to decline, according to new independent analysis commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). The findings come as the industry warns that unregulated online advertising by illegal operators is becoming the real risk to consumers.

The research, conducted by Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), set out in the Gambling Advertising and Sponsorship Report 2025, shows that gambling advertising accounted for 2.7% of total UK advertising spend in 2024, down from 3% the previous year.

The report also found that overall gambling advertising spend by licensed operators has been declining steadily since 2021, falling by 1.7% year-on-year, driven largely by a £30 million reduction in television advertising.

At the same time, a substantial share of advertising is dedicated to player protection. Around 20% of all gambling advertising is now focused on safer gambling messaging, reinforcing awareness of tools and support.

This focus is delivering tangible results. During the most recent Safer Gambling Week, engagement increased significantly, with 14% more people setting deposit limits and 22% more safer gambling tools in place.

Advertising compliance remains extremely high, with Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rulings relating to fewer than 0.02% of gambling adverts, highlighting the strength of the UK’s regulatory framework.

Regulated gambling advertising supports 9900 jobs across the advertising, media and creative supply chain, contributes c.£500 million in Gross Value Added (GVA), and underpins 1400 full-time marketing roles. It also plays an important role in supporting free-to-air sport, lower-league and grassroots sport, as well as wider media revenues outside subscription-based models.

Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “This independent analysis shows that gambling advertising by licensed operators is continuing to fall, with spend increasingly concentrated on safer gambling messaging and consumer protections. Our members operate within some of the strictest advertising rules of any industry and continue to raise standards across the sector.

“By contrast, illegal operators are advertising aggressively online with no safeguards, no age checks and no consumer protections, posing a huge risk to consumers. Any serious approach to advertising must be led by evidence and focused on tackling the harmful black market.”

Adam Rivers, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal, added: “We are pleased to have worked with the BGC on this report, which offers an insight into the state of the gambling advertising and sponsorship sector in the UK, based on actual advertising expenditure data from licensed operators.”

The report also highlights the growing scale of illegal gambling advertising. Illegal operators are increasingly using unregulated digital channels, including influencers, search engines and AI-generated content, to target consumers. Many explicitly advertise that they are “not on GAMSTOP”, while others impersonate trusted charities and institutions to deceive the public.

While licensed advertising continues to decline, separate industry analysis estimates that black market sites are spending between £500 million and £700 million on advertising their illegal sites.

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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has signed a Cooperation Agreement with Chile’s Agrupación de Plataformas de Apuesta en Línea (aPAL), as part of ongoing efforts to support the development of a sustainable and well-regulated online gambling market in Chile.

The agreement brings together the BGC, which represents around 90% of the UK’s regulated betting and gaming industry, and aPAL, a group of international online betting operators that have been working since 2022, to support the introduction of modern gambling regulation in Chile.

While online gambling is currently not prohibited but also unregulated, Chile already has a land-based casino sector, horseracing and a lottery duopoly, and a draft bill to regulate online operators has been under discussion for several years. Following recent elections, a new Chilean Government is now in a position to advance with the legislation, potentially introducing a licensing regime as early as 2027.

Under the Cooperation Agreement, the two organisations will work together to share international experience and evidence, strengthen the knowledge base around gambling regulation, and engage constructively with policymakers and stakeholders on the development of a sustainable licensing framework in Chile.

Carlos Baeza, Chilean lawyer and representative of aPAL, said: “Chile has a real opportunity to introduce a modern, robust regulatory framework for online gambling that protects consumers, tackles illegal activity and delivers meaningful public benefits. At present, online gambling operates entirely outside any regulatory oversight, leaving players without safeguards and the state without visibility or control.

“By working with the BGC, we can draw on international best practice and ensure policymakers have access to high-quality evidence and experience from well-regulated markets.”

Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, added: “The BGC is pleased to be working with aPAL at a pivotal moment for gambling reform in Chile. Well-designed regulation is essential to protect players, raise standards and drive out the harmful black market.

“The UK’s regulated market shows how robust licensing, high standards and effective oversight can support safer gambling while allowing a well-regulated industry to thrive. This agreement reflects our commitment to sharing that experience and supporting evidence-based policymaking internationally.”

The Cooperation Agreement will initially run for one year and forms part of the BGC International Committee’s ongoing programme of engagement with global partners.

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As 2026 begins, the UK’s betting and gaming sector stands at a critical juncture—not due to market instability, but as a result of deliberate political intervention.

Long celebrated as a global leader in innovation and investment, the UK’s regulated industry supports over 100,000 jobs while maintaining world-class consumer protections. However, the sweeping tax hikes confirmed in the 2025 Budget have introduced a profound risk. Industry experts warn that these punitive measures will inevitably distort consumer behavior, undermining the safe, regulated market and funneling billions in revenue towards the dangerous, untaxed illegal black market.

The Treasury’s decision to hike taxes on online betting and gaming is not just short-sighted but dangerous, particularly given the scale of regulatory reform the sector is already delivering in good faith. Those reforms were designed to protect consumers within a safe, regulated market. Piling significant new taxes, on top risks achieving the opposite, driving customers away from regulated operators and towards the black market.

The betting and gaming industry currently contributes £6.8bn to the UK economy, supports 109,000 jobs, pays £4bn in tax and underpins large parts of British sport and culture. Around 22.5 million adults place a bet each month in a safe, regulated environment, with problem gambling rates at just 0.4% according to recent NHS surveys. That is not an accident, it is the result of a regulatory system that has worked.

Independent analysis from Frontier Economics shows up to 1.5 million people in Britain are already gambling on unlicensed sites, staking as much as £4.3bn a year outside UK regulation. Even the Office for Budget Responsibility warned that the tax plans will push more consumers into the black market.

Once customers leave the regulated market, they are very hard to get back. Illegal operators do not carry out age checks, offer safer gambling tools, contribute to treatment or pay a penny in UK tax. They exist entirely beyond the reach of British regulators, yet government policy has put rocket boosters under their competitive advantage over regulated operators.

“At the crossroads the Government has already headed down the wrong road. The question is whether it is prepared to turn back before lasting damage is done, or will they simply allow the black market to dictate the future of betting and gaming in the UK which will only result in harm for the consumer, the Exchequer, jobs, sports and business,” Grainne Hurst, CEO of Betting and Gaming Council.

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