Sports piracy explodes in UK with 3.6bn illegal streams and rise of black-market bookmakers | Sport | The Guardian

A new report by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling reveals that the number of illegal streams of sports events in the UK has more than doubled to 3.6 billion over the past three years, highlighting the challenge broadcasters and leagues face in combating piracy. The report also highlights a symbiotic relationship between sports piracy and unlicensed gambling, with 89% of illegal streams featuring ads for black-market bookmakers. Unlicensed betting has surged, earning £379m in the first half of 2025, giving unlicensed operators 9% of Britain’s £8.2bn online gambling market.