Entain Claims Illegal Gambling is Embedded in Social Media Content

Entain has claimed illegal gambling promotion is deeply embedded in mainstream social media content consumed by young males, warning illegal gambling activity could rise significantly during the FIFA men’s World Cup.

The Ladbrokes and Coral owner has published the findings of research conducted independently in May by Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).

Researchers identified 72 examples of UK-facing promotion across more than 30 unregulated gambling sites, with multiple operators producing World Cup content before the tournament started last Thursday.

Influencers used for promotion

The gambling promotions were identified on Kick, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Twitch. Football legends including Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard and Iker Casillas were identified as having promoted offshore gambling brands. Unregulated gambling content was also found to have been promoted by influencers such as HSTikkyTokky, Ed Matthews and Adin Ross.

At least 12 football fan and tipster accounts, covering clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, were found to have posted identical betting tips simultaneously, which the researchers concluded was a coordinated affiliate campaign that in most cases did not disclose a commercial relationship.

Researchers also identified a network of AI-generated YouTube personas designed to show UK users how to bypass gambling restrictions and services offering VPN workarounds to access banned sites.

Bejay Patel, Entain’s Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, said:

“As the men’s World Cup is underway, this research is a wake-up call to government, regulators and law enforcement agencies that illegal gambling promotion is not operating at the fringes but is now operating at scale in the UK with coordinated networks primed to target millions of UK fans during the tournament.”

Social media in the spotlight

The report has been published at a time where the responsibility of social media sites is coming into focus, with the government announcing this week a proposed social media ban for under-16s and further restrictions for people aged 16-17, including a potential curfew.

This could at least protect underage gamblers from being targeted by unlicensed operators via social media, but those operators could still advertise on the platforms.

This week, industry trade body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) wrote an open letter to technology platforms urging them to address the threat of illegal gambling operators.

BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst warned unlicensed operators are increasingly using social media platforms, search engines, messaging services and digital advertising networks to entice players, including those who have self-excluded from gambling websites.

The BGC has called for these companies to make a number of changes. These include: identifying and removing illegal gambling advertising; investing more resources into disrupting the black market; strengthening cooperation with regulators and law enforcement; increasing transparency around enforcement activity; and working to prevent vulnerable players being targeted by unlicensed operators.

Illegal stakes set to rise

A recent H2 Gambling Capital study found the annual amount staked with illegal gambling operators from UK-based players has more than tripled to £16.6 billion since 2019.

According to the study, the amount staked on offshore betting has grown from £5 billion in 2019, with both stakes and operator profits doubling between 2023 and 2025.

A further study by H2 Gambling Capital found black market stakes are set to almost double from £16.6 billion for 2025 to £33 billion by 2028. In the regulated market, turnover for remote betting in 2024/25 was £138.52 billion, meaning the illegal market could grow to 24% of the size of the regulated market.