Ladbrokes Coral owner Entain has flagged that a huge majority of British consumers can barely tell the difference between a legal and illegal betting site.

The FTSE 100 company is in the midst of a fiery campaign against illegal betting companies, having raised its concerns to football and intellectual property authorities.

With social media a major talking point in the UK right now as the government prepares to ban under-16s from using platforms like X and Instagram, this has become a focal point of Entain’s campaign.

Research commissioned by the group found that 74% of British adults struggle to identify unlicensed or illegal betting platforms on social media, with only 10% stating that they can easily identify said promotions.

A further 33% said that they don’t think the government is doing enough to protect consumers from illegal betting and gaming, according to Entain – though it may take some time for any UK government to get to grips with this, as Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister outside Downing Street today.

“This research reveals a genuinely concerning gap between consumer confidence and consumer reality,” said Bejay Patel, Managing Director of Entain UK and Ireland.

“People are confident they would avoid illegal operators, yet most cannot reliably identify them online. Nearly three-quarters of UK adults are sitting ducks for illegal operators to exploit major sporting events such as the World Cup.”

What are Entain and others saying about illegal gambling?

The licensed UK betting sector has raised concerns about illegal gambling for many, many years. This has often come in the context of discussions about regulation, and last year, taxation.

According to the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the illegal gambling stakes amount to around £16.6bn and are projected to reach £33bn by 2028, based on H2 Gambling Capital data. 

The trade body also asserted that some £40m was wagered on Royal Ascot via illegal gambling platforms last week.

“Unfortunately, major events like this also attract the attention of criminal gambling operators, who are eager to exploit that interest for their own gain,” said Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive Officer of the BGC.

“The illegal black market offers customers none of the protections found in the regulated sector, while making no contribution whatsoever to the sport they seek to profit from.

“As evidence continues to show the black market is growing, it is vital that policy decisions support a thriving regulated market which protects customers and helps keep gambling crime at bay.” 

The industry has run into a problem in recent years in that its black market argument against what it believes are over-regulation and over-taxation has increasingly fallen on deaf ears as politicians have become more numb to its illegal gambling pleas.

Entain’s approach has been to instead identify where it believes decisionmakers’ policies need to catch up. The firm has contacted the Premier League, Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) to make its case.

Entain takes fight to social media

Regarding social media, the firm has also highlighted multiple cases of what it calls unlicensed gambling platforms targeting UK audiences via influencers, tipster accounts, and brand ambassador deals. It has also flagged examples of AI generated content.

Citing an example of what could be called ‘all of the above’, Entain’s pointed to a new bookmaker calling itself ‘Bellingham Bet’, taking on the name of likeness of England player Jude Bellingham without the footballer’s IP permission.

The company’s approach now seems to be one of fighting fire with fire. 

On Friday, Entain announced a partnership with social media personality ‘Big John’ Fisher, father of professional boxer Johnny ‘The Romford Bull’ Fisher, Chinese cuisine enthusiast, and well known for his ‘Bosh’ catchphrase.

The company’s partnership with Fisher encourages customers to ‘not score an own goal’ during the 2026 World Cup, which as always is expected to be a huge event for the UK betting industry – despite England and Scotland fans’ reservations about their national team’s chances according to Entain’s own data.

The World Cup is here, but so are the illegal bookies.

Illegal betting is a massive market, so we’re levelling up public protection with some heavy-hitting support. Enter, the Boshfather.

With the World Cup under way, illegal operators are targeting punters with… pic.twitter.com/m0gxLPqnBc

— Entain (@EntainGroup) June 18, 2026

“The UK’s regulated gambling market offers some of the strongest consumer protections in the world,” Patel continued. “The illegal market offers none of these safeguards, leaving people exposed to fraud, unfair treatment and serious harm.

“With the World Cup now underway, it is more important than ever that we raise awareness of these risks. Our campaign with Big John is designed to do exactly that, reaching audiences where illegal operators are most active and providing clear, simple information to help them stay safe.”