The number of illegal sports streams in the UK has more than doubled to 3.6 billion over the past three years, according to a new report from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG). The study, produced by online marketplace intelligence platform Yield Sec, reveals a symbiotic relationship between sports piracy and unlicensed gambling, with 89% of illegal streams featuring adverts for black-market bookmakers.
Unlicensed gambling has surged, with illegal operators earning £379 million in the first half of 2025, capturing 9% of Britain's £8.2 billion online gambling market—up from just 2% in 2022. The report argues that illegal streaming is being deliberately used to mainstream unlicensed gambling, targeting heavy loss-making punters and vulnerable individuals excluded from the regulated industry.
Ismail Vali, founder of Yield Sec, said: 'Unlicensed gambling is by far the largest and most prevalent media partner to the criminal business of illegal streaming of sports events.' He warned that illegal gambling's focus on underage and self-excluded gamblers is shifting to mainstream audiences via sports piracy, with crime profiting from stolen premium content.
The report comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £26 million in funding for the Gambling Commission to combat the black market, but CFG argues the regulator underestimates the problem. Industry concerns also mount over tax changes in April, which will increase online gaming duty from 21% to 40%, potentially fuelling further growth of unlicensed operators.
Derek Webb, founder and funder of the CFG, said: 'Britain is becoming a soft touch. We have allowed the global soft power of sport to be infected by organised criminality.' He criticised the Gambling Commission and Betting and Gaming Council for ignoring advice on the black market for years.
The Premier League, whose TV rights deals total around £12 billion globally, faces significant piracy challenges. During the 2024-25 season, its anti-piracy team removed over 230,000 live streams from social media and more than 430,000 copyright-infringing links from Google, but the report underscores the scale of the problem.
