BGC Forecasts £1 Billion to be Staked Illegally on the Premier League

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has forecast the amount staked on the English Premier League with illegal operators will rise to £1 billion a year after general betting duty (GBD) is raised in April 2027.

According to the UK industry trade body, illegal operators are set to take up to £800 million in bets across the current season, which began last Friday. The figure is forecast to rise by another £200 million in the 2027/28 season; the first full season in which the new GBD will be in place.

What is the new GBD?

In April 2027, GBD, paid on online sports bets, will be raised from 15% of gross gambling yield (GGY) to 25%; bets on horseracing will be exempt from the new rate. This follows an increase in remote gaming duty, paid on online casino bets, which went up from 21% of GGY to 40% in April this year.

The BGC was not specific in defining what exactly this data is based on, but simply referred to its data as “analysis”. The BGC said on a typical weekend, between £15 million and £20 million will be staked with unlicensed operators. With 10 matches taking place across a typical weekend, this equates to more than £1 million being staked illegally on every match.

Grainne Hurst, BGC Chief Executive, said:

"Millions of football fans will enjoy a bet safely with regulated operators this season, backing their team week in, week out. But the criminal black market is looking to cash in too, taking millions of pounds on every round of matches while offering customers none of the protections found in the regulated sector.

"With illegal betting on the Premier League on course to reach £1 billion a season, we support action that protects fans, upholds standards and keeps customers safe within the regulated market."

Sponsorship ban

The weekend just passed was the first in which the names of gambling operators were blocked from being seen on the front of teams’ shirts, as part of a voluntary ban introduced by the Premier League. Teams are still able to sponsor the sleeves on the shirts, but so far, only three Premier League teams have announced a gambling operator as a sleeve sponsor for this season; Aston Villa (Betano), Bournemouth (MrQ Casino), and Everton (Stake).

Currently, brands that are unlicensed in the UK can still sponsor teams in the Premier League. The Premier League is commercially one of the biggest sporting events globally, and some operators use the opportunity to target customers in international markets. Stake is an example of an operator advertising in the Premier League that does not have a license with the Gambling Commission.

Potential further ban

The BGC wants the regulation to be taken one step further and for all unlicensed brands to be banned from sponsoring sporting events in the UK. In July, the UK government began a consultation on the idea of banning unlicensed gambling sponsorship in sport.

The ban would come into effect on a fixed date in August 2027, before the start of the 2027/28 football season, and would apply to any new unlicensed operator advertising or sponsorship contracts following the introduction of the legislation.

Any pre-existing contracts would be allowed to conclude under their original terms until August 2028. The consultation will remain open until September 9.