YouGov have done a fresh survey showing that nearly one in three regular bettors would consider turning to unlicensed sites if legal bookmakers change their approach. This was commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) who say that if taxes are raised it would mean promotions and offers would be massively hit.
The findings showed that 14% of participants already used the black market sites and 29% admitted they wouldn’t know if a site was licensed or unlicensed looking at it.
The BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst has made it clear players will be pushed to sites that don’t pay tax, support British sport or offer safer gambling tools to protect vulnerable users if the taxes on operators are increased. She also reiterated that the proposed changes would mean loss of jobs, reduce investment and also damage sports who depend on betting revenue. The likes of Football, Horse Racing, Rugby League, Darts and Snooker highlighted.
The report estimates that already 1.5 million of UK bettors already use the black market wagering roughly 4.3 billion a year.
In other news Groups which support problem gamblers are asking for clarification that smaller charities will be included in the funding as there is ongoing uncertainty about how the funds from the RET (Research, Education and Treatment) levy will be distributed.