British sports fans are being forced to pay through the nose as illegal streaming and black-market bookmaking continue to thrive in the UK. A staggering 3.6 billion illicit streams of sports events were detected last year, more than doubling from just three years ago.
The problem is not just a matter of piracy; it's also a gateway for unlicensed gambling, with nine out of ten illegal streams featuring adverts for dodgy bookmakers. In fact, the number of unlicensed operators has exploded in recent years, raking in £379m in the first half of 2025 alone, which is nearly 9% of Britain's £8.2 billion online gambling market.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling says that sports streaming is being deliberately used to bring unlicensed gambling into the mainstream, targeting vulnerable individuals and young people who have been excluded from the regulated industry. This is a worrying trend, as Ismail Vali, founder of Yield Sec, notes: "Unlicensed gambling is by far the largest and most prevalent 'media partner' to the criminal business of illegal streaming of sports events."
The issue is so severe that even the government has taken notice, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing £26m in funding for the Gambling Commission to tackle the problem. However, campaigners argue that this funding is insufficient, and that the regulator needs more support to combat the issue.
Tax changes due to be introduced in April are also set to fuel the growth of unlicensed operators, as they increase online gaming duty from 21% to 40%. This has sparked concerns within the industry that the problem will only get worse unless something is done to address it.
The Premier League is also feeling the effects, with its anti-piracy team successfully removing over 230,000 live streams from social media platforms and more than 430,000 copyright-infringing links from Google last season. However, these efforts are being undermined by the sheer scale of the problem, which continues to grow.
As Derek Webb, a multimillionaire former professional poker player and Labour donor who founded and funds the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, puts it: "Britain is becoming a soft touch." He argues that the industry has allowed the global soft power of sport to be infected by organised criminality, and that more needs to be done to tackle the issue.
The fight against piracy and unlicensed gambling in Britain is a complex one, but it's clear that something needs to be done to address this growing problem before it's too late.
The problem is not just a matter of piracy; it's also a gateway for unlicensed gambling, with nine out of ten illegal streams featuring adverts for dodgy bookmakers. In fact, the number of unlicensed operators has exploded in recent years, raking in £379m in the first half of 2025 alone, which is nearly 9% of Britain's £8.2 billion online gambling market.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling says that sports streaming is being deliberately used to bring unlicensed gambling into the mainstream, targeting vulnerable individuals and young people who have been excluded from the regulated industry. This is a worrying trend, as Ismail Vali, founder of Yield Sec, notes: "Unlicensed gambling is by far the largest and most prevalent 'media partner' to the criminal business of illegal streaming of sports events."
The issue is so severe that even the government has taken notice, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing £26m in funding for the Gambling Commission to tackle the problem. However, campaigners argue that this funding is insufficient, and that the regulator needs more support to combat the issue.
Tax changes due to be introduced in April are also set to fuel the growth of unlicensed operators, as they increase online gaming duty from 21% to 40%. This has sparked concerns within the industry that the problem will only get worse unless something is done to address it.
The Premier League is also feeling the effects, with its anti-piracy team successfully removing over 230,000 live streams from social media platforms and more than 430,000 copyright-infringing links from Google last season. However, these efforts are being undermined by the sheer scale of the problem, which continues to grow.
As Derek Webb, a multimillionaire former professional poker player and Labour donor who founded and funds the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, puts it: "Britain is becoming a soft touch." He argues that the industry has allowed the global soft power of sport to be infected by organised criminality, and that more needs to be done to tackle the issue.
The fight against piracy and unlicensed gambling in Britain is a complex one, but it's clear that something needs to be done to address this growing problem before it's too late.
u mean theyre doubling the amount of streams just so u can watch ur fave team play but at what cost? theyre basically just giving a green light to these dodgy bookmakers and their scammers who r preying on vulnerable people especially young kids its like theyre not even thinking about the consequences 
the goverment is giving them money and resources but its all just a bandaid solution they need to crack down hard on these bookmakers and streamers or else we'll be stuck with this mess for ages
this is so crazy! I feel for the fans who are just trying to enjoy their favorite sports games without breaking the bank... or getting scammed out of their hard-earned cash 
especially vulnerable individuals and young people who are being targeted by these unlicensed operators 
. I think the government is doing the right thing by increasing funding for the Gambling Commission, but £26m might not be enough... like, what's another £26m gonna do? 
we need a more comprehensive solution to this problem, not just a Band-Aid fix 
. And don't even get me started on this £379m they're making in just half a year... that's like, almost 9% of Britain's online gambling market? 
and now they're talkin about tax changes to fuel more unlicensed operators? that's like givin a boost to the scammers 
gotta get on top of this before it gets any worse. 
but someone needs to actually do somethin about it 
i mean, £26m ain't gonna cut it if the problem just keeps growin 
️ #PiracyProblems. Those illegal streams are raking up a lot of cash, and it's not just a matter of piracy, but also unlicensed gambling 
#SupportTheGoodGuys.
The Premier League is trying to crack down on piracy, but with 230,000 live streams removed from social media platforms, it's clear we're losing the battle 
#StreamingScourge.
. Britain is becoming a soft touch, and it's time we take action 
. It's not just about the money, it's about the vulnerable people who are getting scammed out of their cash by unlicensed bookmakers. We need to do more than just punish the operators, we need to support those who get affected by this issue 
. The £26m funding announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves is a good start, but I think it's still not enough 
. The government is trying, but I think more needs to be done... maybe some stricter laws or penalties for those caught up in it? 
I'm so tired of these streaming services stealing our money. First, they take our cash for their overpriced subscriptions, and now we're being forced to pay even more because they're making all this illegal stuff? It's ridiculous! 
Can't the government just give the Gambling Commission more funding and resources? This £26m is peanuts compared to the scale of the problem. 
. Something needs to change, or we'll all end up paying the price 
let's get behind the Campaign for Fairer Gambling and keep those dodgy bookmakers at bay 
. The Premier League is trying to fight this, but I think they're fighting a losing battle 
. It's not just about the money, it's about protecting people from these predatory operators 
.
the whole thing feels like a mess 
instead of making tax changes that are gonna fuel the problem 
April can't come soon enough