UK Gambling Commission Analysis Uncovers Links Between Licensed and Unlicensed Gambling Activity

The UK Gambling Commission released findings on 28 October 2026 drawn from Open Banking transaction data that tracks how people in Great Britain interact with both licensed and illegal gambling operators, and the patterns reveal consistent overlap rather than substitution. Researchers examined records from individuals flagged for illegal operator payments and discovered that activity on licensed platforms remained steady even after those first detected transfers to unlicensed sites. This analysis forms part of the regulator's ongoing work to understand the scale and behavior surrounding the illegal market.

Study Scope and Data Collection Methods

Analysts focused on 179 people who showed at least one illegal gambling transaction through Open Banking records, and 122 of those individuals recorded repeated payments to unlicensed operators. The dataset allowed direct comparison of spending patterns before and after the initial illegal activity surfaced. Data collection relied on transaction identifiers that distinguished licensed from unlicensed destinations, which provided a clear timeline for each participant. Observers note that Open Banking access gave visibility into real-time flows without relying solely on self-reported surveys.

Key Overlap Statistics Between Licensed and Illegal Play

Ninety-one percent of the 179 participants also maintained accounts and activity on licensed gambling sites throughout the observation period. Licensed spending showed no substantial drop following the first known illegal payment, which indicates that users continued their established routines on regulated platforms. Among the subgroup with repeated illegal transactions, the same pattern held steady with no measurable shift away from licensed operators. Figures reveal that illegal activity sat alongside rather than replaced regulated play for the vast majority of those tracked.

Behavioral Patterns Observed in Transaction Data

Transaction timelines showed that most individuals maintained regular deposits to licensed sites even after illegal activity began, which suggests parallel usage rather than migration. The 122 repeat users of illegal operators displayed the same continuity in licensed spending volumes as the broader group. Analysts tracked payment frequency and amounts across both categories, and the absence of decline in licensed activity held true regardless of how many illegal transactions occurred. Those patterns emerged clearly from the Open Banking feed that captured every qualifying transfer during the study window.

Context Within Broader Regulatory Monitoring

The UK Gambling Commission incorporated these Open Banking insights into its wider examination of the illegal market, and the results add granularity to existing estimates of player movement. Data from this cohort aligns with earlier indications that licensed and unlicensed gambling often coexist for certain users. Regulators continue to refine detection methods that combine banking signals with other indicators, and the current release provides a snapshot from late October 2026. Further work remains underway to expand sample sizes and track longer-term trends.

Conclusion

The October 2026 analysis demonstrates that detected illegal gambling transactions rarely displace licensed operator activity among the observed group, while also highlighting elevated PGSI scores within that same population. Ninety-one percent continued licensed play without notable reduction, and the 45 percent problem gambling rate among illegal users stands in clear contrast to the 6 percent figure for licensed-only users. These facts, drawn directly from Open Banking records of 179 individuals, supply regulators and researchers with concrete behavioral data for ongoing monitoring of the illegal market in Great Britain.