UK gamblers doubled their use of internationally licensed online operators over the past year or so, according to a new survey by their UK-licensed rivals. 

On Thursday, the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) issued a 66-page report that attempts to quantify the state of ‘unlicensed online gambling in the UK.’ The report (viewable here) was prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers and builds on the findings of a similar report issued one year ago. 

The report involved an online survey filled out by 2,363 active UK online gamblers in late-2020. These punters were queried on their awareness, usage of and spending with ‘unlicensed operators,’ as well as their motivations for seeking out these ‘unlicensed’ ruffians. 

Before we go further, we must point out that the report notes that it wasn’t interested in “UK licensed operators serving gamblers in foreign jurisdictions without a license.” Apparently, even acknowledging that the UK Gambling Commission-licensed online white knights behave abroad much like the UK-facing international rogues they so despise would tarnish their otherwise gleaming armor. But we digress…