UKGC Study Finds Players Ignore Legality Of Social Media Lotteries
Consumers taking part in illegal, individual-led lotteries and raffles on social media are more concerned with whether a draw looks genuine than with whether it is legally licensed.
Unlike players sticking to regulated online casino products, according to research published by the UK Gambling Commission on August 13, 2026.
How The Research Was Conducted
The regulator commissioned Yonder Consulting to run a three-stage study after its intelligence team recorded an increase in reports of suspected illegal lotteries and raffles on TikTok during 2025 compared with 2024.
The project combined digital intelligence mapping of public TikTok raffle conversations over the past 12 months, a survey of more than 4,000 UK adults, and qualitative interviews with nine players and one host who ran draws.
What Consumers Told Researchers
Researchers found that low ticket prices, informal presentation and the use of familiar payment methods reduced participants' perception of risk, making them feel more like casual entertainment than gambling.
Trust was typically built through visible past winners, repeated exposure and recommendations from friends rather than through checks on licensing status.
Awareness of illegality was generally low among both the players interviewed and the single host who took part, who the Commission said also appeared unclear on licensing requirements.
The study found that the greatest risks to consumers often arose once they left the original social media post, after being directed to third-party websites, payment platforms or private messaging channels where terms and protections were less clear.
TikTok And The 18 To 24 Age Group
The research highlighted TikTok as the main platform of concern, though some participants also encountered draws on Facebook and Instagram. It found that consumers aged 18 to 24 were more likely than older age groups to have encountered or taken part in these draws on TikTok.
Despite that finding, the Commission said it struggled to recruit enough younger participants for the qualitative interview stage, leaving it without a full picture of how 18 to 24 year olds move through these draws.
It named the age group a priority for future research, alongside exploring whether the draws could act as a gateway into other forms of gambling.
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Enforcement And What Comes Next
The regulator said the project sits within its wider Consumer Voice Programme and feeds into its Evidence Roadmap priorities on illegal gambling and crime, according to the Commission's blog post detailing the findings.
It confirmed that its enforcement activity has led to 252 illegal lotteries being removed from social media platforms over the past 12 months, and that it will continue writing to promoters of illegal lotteries and working with website providers, social media platforms and payment providers on takedowns.
Rupam Jagota, the Commission's research and impact manager, said in the blog post: "This research has provided us with insight into an aspect of the illegal gambling market that is relatively new.
"Our aim is to continue strengthening the evidence base using innovative approaches so that we can better understand consumer experiences, identify emerging risks and target regulatory action where it can have the greatest impact in a digital ecosystem that's rapidly changing." - Rupam Jagota
The Commission distinguished the individual-led draws covered by the research from the National Lottery, licensed society lotteries and genuine free prize draws, all of which fall outside its illegal gambling definition. Further phases of its Consumer Voice research, including new data from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain on illegal gambling websites, are due to follow.
For readers weighing up any prize draw advertised on social media, the safest route remains sticking to operators licensed for casino and betting products in Great Britain, where consumer protections and dispute processes are guaranteed.
