'There is no silver bullet' - MPs warned about black market as inquiry into gambling regulation continues

MPs were told about the potential dangers from the black market last week as the Culture, Media and Sport select committee continued hearing evidence as part of its inquiry into gambling regulation.

Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) chief executive Michael Dugher and his colleague Wes Himes were asked questions on the subject a number of times during the hearing.

Opinions differ over the threat posed by the black market in gambling. The BGC has pointed to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which found the number of customers using unlicensed betting websites more than doubled to 460,000 in 2020 from 210,000 in 2019, but the Gambling Commission, among others, has played down the risk posed by unregulated operators and told operators that what dangers there are do not justify watering down regulation.