YouGov Survey Portrays Alarming World Cup Black Market Ads Trend

The World Cup is in full swing, but that has done little to alleviate concerns about social media betting advert patterns.

A survey released by YouGov, which was cited by Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain, assessed the impact that black market ads on social media are having on UK bettors. And the predominant issue was bettors can’t distinguish between regulated and unlicensed operators.

Lines becoming increasingly blurred

Judging by the research, some worrying problems surfaced. YouGov discovered that nearly three in four UK adults (74%) struggled to identify unlicensed betting promotions on social media platforms.

Of the 2,000+ adults surveyed, only 10% of UK adults found it easy to recognise betting ads posted on social media. Meanwhile, 80% of respondents admitted to having unwittingly used illegal betting sites, and lacked the tools or knowledge to recognise rogue sites.

The survey comes at a critical time for the social media sphere. Last week, the UK government introduced a blanket social media ban for under-16s, and it is hoped this will make things clearer for operators. More intriguingly, the survey indicated a third of bettors are disgruntled with the efforts of the government to protect citizens from black market gambling.

Black market unhindered in its progress

Attempts to stymie black market growth have fallen flat so far. Conservative estimates have suggested that as much as £200 million could be staked by bettors with unregulated operators during the World Cup, and this is likely to be the biggest betting event in history, with over £37 billion wagered globally, according to banking analysts Macquarie.

Moreover, separate research carried out by an H2 Gambling Study indicated that illegal betting stakes could double from £16.6 billion in 2025 to £33 billion by 2028. Meanwhile, social media platforms, the YouGov poll attests, are deemed to have a significant influence in spreading illegal betting (37%), while financial institutions also have a responsibility (38%).

Entain intervenes

Rather than being bystanders, Entain has taken an active role to foster greater awareness around illegal betting. Yes, Entain recently launched a World Cup social media campaign featuring influencer “Big John” to educate customers about the risks associated with illegal gambling.

Through humour and relatable storytelling, the premise of the campaign is to delineate the differences between regulated and unlicensed gambling. Within this, issues such as misleading bonuses and poor customer recourse will be presented, and analogies will be used to make things easier for audiences to understand.

All viewers will be directed to an information hub, providing guidance on identifying licensing operators. Entain will also share prompts to make punters more vigilant when trying to identify regulated sites, such as looking for United Kingdom Gambling License (UKGC) details and checking the operator is on the UKGC public register.

Punters are “sitting ducks”

Entain has been forthcoming about the threat posed by black market sites. And the group’s finance director, Bejay Patel, has explained why the campaign with Big John is so pertinent.

He said:

“People are confident they would avoid illegal operators, yet most can’t reliably identify them online. Nearly three-quarters of UK adults are sitting ducks for illegal operators to exploit major sporting events such as the World Cup.

“With the World Cup underway, it is more important than ever that we raise awareness of these risks. Our campaign with Big John is designed to do exactly that, reaching audiences where illegal operators are most active and providing clear, simple information to help them stay safe.”