1.5 million Britons gamble in illegal casinos - and in Germany?

A recent study has come to the conclusion that around 1.5 million Britons play in illegal online casinos. The black market providers generate billions in revenue every year as a result. But what are the reasons why so many people in the UK are on the gambling black market, and what is the situation like in Germany?

The British Gambling Association Betting and Gaming Concil (BGC) published an exciting study a few days ago. It came to the conclusion that around 1.5 million people in the UK play in illegal (online) casinos. Just a few months ago, we at GambleJoe reported on a survey that showed that lottery is by far the most popular game of chance among Britons.

Brits bet over five billion euros a year on the gambling black market

According to the latest BGC study, Britons wagered around GBP 4.3 billion on the gambling black market last year. This corresponds to around 5.1 billion euros. Of this, GBP 2.7 billion is said to have been generated in illegal online casinos alone. The remaining GBP 1.6 billion is said to have been generated in illegal gambling halls and from unlicensed gaming machines. These billions in turnover show that illegal gambling is a serious problem in the UK.

An estimated 1.5 million Britons are illegally active on the gambling black market. By comparison, the UK has a total population of just under 70 million. In autumn 2020, we reported on a young man from the UK who gambled away several million in a Swiss casino.

Illegal gambling providers aggressively hunt for new customers

In the study, those responsible also came to the conclusion that illegal gambling providers in particular aggressively approach potential new customers and try to attract them to their own platform. Player protection regularly falls by the wayside, as illegal gambling providers are primarily interested in maximising profits.

In particular, players with problematic gambling behaviour are sometimes specifically targeted by illegal online casinos, as they are usually unable to gamble on the legal market due to the applicable protection conditions. Furthermore, the available experience shows that illegal gambling providers also specifically target younger users. According to current data, around one in five Britons between the ages of 18 and 24 has already gambled on the gambling black market.

And what is the situation in Germany?

Unfortunately, there are no comparable figures for Germany. The fact is, however, that thousands of players in this country also regularly play on the gambling black market. These online casinos without a German licence are illegal and, in the worst case, players can expect to be sentenced to a fine or imprisonment. Elsewhere at GambleJoe, we have already tried to answer the question of why players are active in online casinos without a licence.

At GambleJoe, we only recommend online casinos that meet the requirements of the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) and have a valid German licence.

All recommended online casinos in our overview!

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