Surveys raise concerns over illegal World Cup betting in the UK

Two new UK surveys point to the same problem from different angles: bettors, especially younger ones, are still struggling to tell licensed operators from unregulated ones ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026. For PSPs and merchants in high-risk betting, that matters because traffic spikes are also scam spikes, and the weak spot is often not demand but recognition.

1. A TransUnion analysis found that betting activity is rising sharply among young adults ahead of the 2026 men’s World Cup, with 25–34-year-olds the most likely group to increase their betting during the tournament. Around 43 per cent in that age group said they expected to bet more frequently, versus just 4 per cent among over 65s.
2. The same research found that 12 per cent of 25–34-year-olds said they had knowingly been defrauded by an unregulated betting site. That figure fell to 10 per cent among 35-44-year-olds and to 1 per cent among 55-64-year-olds.
3. The OnePoll survey, carried out between May 11 and 14 among 1,000 British adults, also showed how stakes and channel preference differ by audience. The 25–34 group planned to wager an average of £16.56 per bet, compared with an overall average of £9.54. Londoners appeared more engaged than bettors elsewhere: 52 per cent intended to bet on England matches, 42 per cent on other major fixtures, and 29 per cent on outright tournament bets.
4. Operator choice still comes down to convenience for many bettors: 17 per cent of all respondents and 24 per cent of young adults named it as the main factor. Security was the other big issue, with 91 per cent of online bettors saying a “secure experience” was important and 60 per cent saying it mattered “a lot”.
5. Chad Reimers, TransUnion’s international vice-president of fraud solutions, said major sporting events create openings for scammers. “The football World Cup is one of the biggest betting and social events of the year and fraudsters know it. Younger fans are the most enthusiastic punters, but that can bring heightened risk if they are not stopping to check the legitimacy of the provider,” he said.

A separate YouGov survey for Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, found that public confidence is not the same thing as practical detection. While 80 per cent of more than 2,000 adults said they were unlikely to knowingly use illegal betting sites, only 10 per cent said they found it easy to tell whether a betting promotion on social media came from a Gambling Commission-licensed platform. The other 74 per cent were unsure or actively struggled to identify legitimate platforms.