New report claims illegal betting has mushroomed during the pandemic

Global business with illegal betting operators, especially those based in Asia but using online facilities to attract customers from around the world including Britain, has mushroomed during the coronavirus pandemic, as punters starved of traditional opportunities flocked to black-market sites offering alternative products.

In Hong Kong alone, illegal betting on horseracing and other sports increased by between ten and 20 per cent in 2020, according to a new report produced by the Asian Racing Federation Council on Anti-illegal Betting & Related Financial Crime.

Council chairman Martin Purbrick, the former director of security and integrity at the Hong Kong Jockey Club who has retained his ARF position following his retirement to his native Scotland last summer, explained: "That's in a single city which has a pretty strong betting market. Based on the evidence of multiple data points, it equates to HK$2-3 billion (£182m-£272m) – and that's profit, not turnover."