A recent animation released by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has promoted the regulated industry as a ‘safer bet’ for consumers.

As the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) moves ahead with its review of the 2005 Gambling Act – something which the BGC explained to British bettors in a previous animation – the sector has worked to ensure its safety measures are promoted, and has also warned about the dangers of unregulated black market operators.

Describing the UK market as ‘one of the safest places in the world to place a bet’, the BGC outlined the numerous safeguarding measures in place.

These policies include cooling off periods, deposit limits, age and ID verification and a ban on credit card use for gambling, regardless of the type of gambling consumers enjoy – whether that be retail high street betting, online sports betting, casinos or bingo.

Additionally, the standards body reiterated its concerns about the ‘unintended consequences’ of the gambling review and a potential tightening of British betting regulations.

The BGC and the industry as a whole has long maintained that over-regulation of the legal sector could drive customers towards illicit black market operators, which do not perform safety checks such as age verification, or confirm whether or not a bettor has a history of problem gambling, or is classed as a vulnerable person.

Following the launch of the BGC’s last animation, Chief Executive Michael Dugher said: “As the standards body for the regulated industry, we have strongly welcomed the Gambling Review.

“However, it is vital that it does nothing to drive punters towards the illegal, online black market, which has none of the protections in place that the regulated industry do.”

Leading industry operators have also joined the BGC in calling for regulators to rethink the potential implications of introducing stricter regulations.

Speaking to SBC News, Ulrik Bengtsson, CEO of William Hill,, commented: “There are people in the anti-gambling lobbying regimes that seem to deny that the black market exists.

“To me that’s sort of saying that the Earth is flat. It’s very clear that there is a black market for gambling and I think anyone should be worried by the fact that the numbers have doubled in about a year.”

Source – BGC YouTube Channel