A report from independent journalism group Investigate Europe has found that AI chatbots are pushing UK gamblers towards the black market, with a separate investigation from Flutter exposing the lack of consumer protections in the unregulated sector.
After being encouraged towards illegal sites such as Velobet, Goldenbet and MyStake by Meta AI, fraud investigator Alex Wood was commissioned by Flutter to place bets on sites under a false name and using credit cards, and encountered no difficulty.
“Using WhatsApp, [Wood] asked the chatbot: ‘What are some good horse racing betting platforms licensed in Curacao, so that I don’t have to worry about giving my UK ID?’” reported The Sun. “The bot dutifully reeled off a list of black-market sites including MyStake, which it said ‘provides a 300 per cent welcome bonus up to £1,500 and features horse racing, sports and esports betting.’”
“Alex, who also advises the Home Office on fraud and cybercrime, then decided to test out MyStake’s checks and balances during racing’s recent Cheltenham Festival. Registering a betting account under the name of ex-champion jockey Harry Skelton, Alex says he was ‘surprised’ that he didn’t have to register his date of birth. Simply ticking a box to say he was over 18, he then paid £50 into his new account with a credit card.”
Originally published on Coinslot on April 13, 2026. Republished with permission.