Non-GamStop Casino Link Spam: Three UK Networks Found
While rechecking my study of 662 small websites against Google's spam policies, I found something worth setting out on its own: non-GamStop casino link spam run from groups of gambling sites, each group registered in a single month or on a single day.
GamStop is the UK's free self-exclusion scheme. People who know they have a gambling problem sign up, and every online gambling company licensed in Great Britain must then block them. A casino "not on GamStop" is one that a self-excluded person can still use, and it is not licensed in Great Britain. These networks exist to push those casinos up Google's results.
The figures below come from my study run on 4 October 2026 and a recheck from my own server on 28 October 2026.
The non-GamStop casino link spam networks
The study found 199 gambling sites among small websites picked at random. 172 of them were registered in a single month, July 2026. Together, the 199 link to 1,145 different websites using gambling link text.
Two smaller groups stand out because each was registered on one day.
Six sites registered on 30 September 2025:
- casinospinflow.co.uk
- slotupdatehub.co.uk
- slotsdigestfocusreport.co.uk
- slotsmirrorfocusdaily.co.uk
- casinoechoesdaily.co.uk
- slotsjournalnews.co.uk
In the study, the first four each linked out to more than 2,500 other websites. On 28 October their home pages alone carried between 147 and 228 outbound links using gambling link text, such as "casinos not on gamstop" and "non gamstop casino uk". Not one of those links was marked sponsored or nofollow, which Google requires for paid links.
Five sites registered on 29 January 2026:
- goldukplus.co.uk
- betglobaltoday.co.uk
- vegasbritnews.co.uk
- smartonlineblog.co.uk
- trendhub360.co.uk
These present themselves as news, lifestyle and even gold investment blogs. On 28 October their home pages each carried between 41 and 52 outbound links, almost all using gambling link text. Again, none were marked.
Who the links point at
The site receiving the most links from the September group is esports-news.co.uk, which links to "Non GamStop Casinos" and "Betting Sites Not on Gamstop" from its own menu.
The stranger part is where many of the other links go. Both groups point "casinos not on gamstop" link text at the home pages of genuine UK organisations, including a national road crash victims' charity, a bereavement commission, a London restaurant and a flight school. These organisations are victims, not buyers. When I checked the pages I could reach, they showed their normal content.
There are two usual reasons for this. Either the spammers have hacked those sites to show Google different content, or they are borrowing trusted names to make their link pattern look less obvious. Only the site owners can check which, by looking at their pages through Google Search Console.
Hacked sites showing Google casino pages
The study also found three small UK sites hacked to show Googlebot gambling pages that visitors never see:
- an estate agent whose site showed Google a Turkish betting page on 43 pages in October, and on all 46 of its pages by 28 October, along with hidden Turkish betting links on 25 pages
- a motorbike and fashion clothing shop showing Google a different Turkish betting page
- an agricultural society showing Google Indonesian investment and gambling pages
On 28 October the estate agent's site was still doing it, and I have told them. The other two now look clean, which suggests their owners found and removed the hack.
This is how many small sites lose their place in Google without knowing why. The owner sees their normal site. Google sees a casino.
How to check your own site
- Open Google Search Console, go to URL Inspection, enter your home page and choose Test live URL. Look at the screenshot and the HTML. If Google sees something you do not, your site may be hacked.
- Search Google for site:yourdomain.co.uk casino. Any result you did not write is a warning sign.
- Check the Security issues and Manual actions reports in Search Console.
- Run a spam policy audit that loads your pages as Googlebot as well as as a visitor, and compares the two. Ours does this on every URL, and it is how the estate agent's hack was found.
The full study is here: What we found checking 662 websites against Google's spam policies.
Frequently asked questions
What is a casino not on GamStop?
It is an online casino that is not part of GamStop, the UK's free gambling self-exclusion scheme. Every online gambling company licensed in Great Britain must block people who have signed up to GamStop, so a casino outside it is not licensed in Great Britain and can be used by someone who has excluded themselves.
How does non-GamStop casino link spam work?
Networks of cheap websites are filled with links that use gambling phrases such as "casinos not on gamstop" and point at casino sites, so that Google treats those casinos as popular. The links in the networks found here were not marked sponsored or nofollow, which Google requires for paid or advertising links.
Why would a casino network link to a charity website?
Usually because the charity's site has been hacked to show Google casino content that visitors do not see, or because the spammers are borrowing trusted names to make the link pattern look natural. The charity is the victim. Its web developer can check how the site looks to Google with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.
How can I tell if my website has been hacked to show Google casino pages?
Use URL Inspection in Google Search Console and test the live page, then compare what Google sees with what you see. Searching Google for site: followed by your domain and the word casino will also show any pages you did not write. A spam audit that loads your pages as Googlebot and as a visitor will show any difference straight away.