Gaming giant Entain study finds most UK adults cannot distinguish legal betting promotions from illegal ones on social media.
Most UK adults cannot distinguish legal betting promotions from illegal ones on social media, according to gaming giant Entain’s latest study.
A YouGov survey, commissioned by the Ladbrokes and Coral owner as World Cup betting is expected to reach new heights, found 74% struggle to identify unlicensed promotions. Only 10% said they found it easy to recognise a licensed betting advert.
The poll covered 2,017 adults in Great Britain and fieldwork ran from 12 to 18 May. Eight in 10 respondents said they would be unlikely to knowingly use an illegal betting site, but just 7% said they believed UK regulations were very effective at stopping illegal gambling.
One-third said the government was not doing enough to protect people from unlicensed operators.
To help mitigate the findings, Entain has launched a World Cup social media campaign fronted by social media creator Big John. The videos flag misleading bonuses, weak recourse and absent safeguards such as self-exclusion in the unlicensed market.
The campaign directs viewers to the Gambling Commission’s public register, and encourages them to look for safer-gambling tools.
A 2025 Gambling Commission study likewise found widespread consumer confusion over operators’ legal status. Some people who denied using unlicensed operators later gave answers suggesting the opposite.
The regulator said users may arrive at unlicensed sites through search results, advertising and recommendations connected to hobbies. It described some as accidental tourists, who reach the market without deliberately seeking it.
More gambling ads reaching more people
The Commission’s figures also showed how routinely gambling promotion reaches young people. Last year, 79% of 11-to-17-year-olds said they had seen or heard gambling advertising.
Social media was the most common channel, named by 56% of respondents. Live streaming and video-sharing platforms followed at 42%.
The exposure also extended beyond standard adverts. Among young people who followed gambling content online, 31% said a creator, influencer or streamer had promoted it to them.
The official figures cover gambling advertising generally, rather than promotions by illegal operators alone.
The UK has tightened controls but has not imposed a blanket advertising ban. ASA rules require gambling advertising to be socially responsible and prevent material with a strong appeal to under-18s.
Updated CAP and BCAP guidance issued last October added specific advice on social media, sports figures and context. In May, the ASA upheld a complaint over Oddschecker Instagram posts featuring Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, who were found to be of particular appeal to under-18s.
Football is changing its commercial approach, too. Premier League clubs are removing front-of-shirt gambling sponsors after the 2025-26 season.
Since May 2025, online operators must also offer clearer customer opt-ins by product and marketing channel.
Entain’s campaign focuses on a separate question: whether a bettor can identify an unlicensed promotion before clicking. That task is harder in feeds where advertisements, affiliate posts and creator endorsements often appear side by side.