Google’s top result for ‘best casino sites’? Former UK school domain

What is parasite SEO and why is it effective?

The growing use of high-authority, expired domains to promote gambling content — particularly non-Gamstop casinos — was recently brought to light by SEO Consultant Martin McGarry, who flagged the issue on LinkedIn.

One of the most striking examples he highlighted is a former UK school website that now ranks at the top of Google search results for competitive gambling keywords, directing users to offshore casinos that bypass the Gamstop self-exclusion network.

The tactic being used is known as parasite SEO. It involves leveraging trusted, abandoned domains (such as those of educational institutions, local media or office websites) and injecting them with affiliate content, often promoting offshore gambling operators. These domains still benefit from strong backlink profiles and historical credibility, which Google’s algorithm continues to reward — despite the completely unrelated and often misleading nature of the new content.

SEO expert: “Google forgot to watch the spam”

The iGaming Express editorial team reached out to Martin McGarry — SEO Consultant at searchassistance.co.uk and Tech & Content SEO Specialist — for comment. In his view, the current situation has gone far beyond standard marketing practices.

Martin McGarry

“It’s fair game to promote good content on good sites, when it’s balanced. That’s what the internet was built for. But Google got distracted with AI chat tools and seems to have forgotten to monitor spam.

One day back in 2024 I saw 10 local media sites with brand new parasite content outranking household UK betting portals – brands in their own right gazumped by a list of mid-tier casinos masquerading as a news article about THE BEST UK CASINOS.

One or two would have been fair game, but classically affiliates hit the self-destruct buttons themselves and it imploded. These folks weren’t there for the sport of betting or the excitement of the casino world. It was to get in, rinse as many punters as possible and get out.

Some of us are here to stay and have to pick up the pieces after Google clamps down on the spam. Your readers might call us mugs or clowns as I’ve been recently labelled, but we’re in this for the long term, it’s our niche.

Early adopters got parasite SEO just right, tactically and often covertly distributing their content for maximum effect and exposure. Then the floodgates open and it’s less parasite SEO and more like virus SEO. A swarm of latecomers trying to stick their flag in any available space they can find. It got messy.”

Offshore casinos benefit while user safety is ignored

The rise of parasite SEO has brought particular attention to the promotion of non-Gamstop casinos, which are not licensed in the UK and are therefore not part of the national self-exclusion program. These sites often lack basic consumer protections, making them especially dangerous for vulnerable users.

“The scale is massive, it’s rife in UK SERPs right now, it’s one of the easiest exploits to adopt. Someone else has done all the historical hard work, the domain is already abandoned, so no issues if you cook it beyond recovery. Apply some “other signals” and you’ve got a back door into the SERPs. Not even a back door, it’s a front door invitation from Google right now.

The non-Gamstop advertising is poor form though, especially if you’re a UK business. The nature of this expired domain tactic is high-risk. Licensed operators will want to distance themselves from the practice, so while rankings are one part of the equation, finding partners who will take your high-risk traffic is another.

Not only are you advertising to problem gamblers, you’re also sending punters onto sites that are unregulated where their player protections are pretty much zero.”

Agencies use the loophole and profit from it

While not illegal, the strategy is increasingly being adopted by affiliate groups and SEO agencies seeking quick wins in a competitive space — often with little regard for ethics or long-term impact.

The financial incentives are clear: those who exploit this tactic early tend to profit significantly before search engines or regulators catch up. McGarry notes that while he doesn’t have access to traffic numbers, filings from UK Companies House suggest that agencies involved in this practice are making money.

“I don’t know what the traffic is like to the non-Gamstop sites. I can see UK Companies House filings of those agencies that are believed to be promoting this content and they’re certainly profiting. But for them, this is just the latest tactic.

I’ve also spoken to the Gambling Commission in the past and the scale of offshore gambling sites trying to hit the UK market is often beyond our comprehension. They enact thousands of takedowns per year.”

Legitimate operators struggle to compete

For licensed, regulated UK gambling companies that follow strict advertising standards, competing with parasite SEO is a growing challenge. These companies invest in long-term strategies, responsible marketing, and brand reputation — but are increasingly outperformed in search by short-term, high-risk tactics.

“I think this question leans more towards spam SEO rather than parasite SEO, which has such a broad spectrum. Spam SEO is a problem, because the risk-reward balance is slightly in the spammer’s favour at the minute. If you picked a white hat strategy, you’re governed by sets of rules that can limit the amount of risk you can take. You might have staff, a customer base or long-term service contracts that make you a responsible business owner.

So yes, it can be difficult and challenging to accept Google’s current disregard for spam when you’ve committed so much to being responsible. If you picked white hat, you have to stick to the plan and defend your stance with passion and professionalism. There is a long-term game plan that works. But if you don’t have that plan, you have a problem and you will struggle to outrank spam like this.”

Limited enforcement from regulators and Google

While the UK Gambling Commission focuses on licensed operators and their affiliates, offshore advertising largely falls outside its remit. McGarry points out that those who promote illegal sites are unlikely to follow UK advertising rules in the first place.

“They’re regulating operators themselves, so the operators have a duty to monitor their own affiliates and I believe they do that quite well.
But if you’re advertising illegal sites, you don’t sound like the kind of people who will follow the regulations of the UKGC anyway, even if they did lay down specific regulations for advertisers.”

As for Google, McGarry believes the company has fallen behind and tends to act only after abuse becomes widespread.

“The people behind these sites will know from history that Google will have to change something once this becomes viral SEO and the SERPs are swamped. I think we’re close, but again it will self-destruct as with previous exploits – the latecomers swarm in and it becomes untenable.

Does Google do enough? I feel like they don’t know it’s happening until it’s a mass issue. Like Smith at the end of The Matrix. Early adopters get in and get out, the swarm at the end will tend to trigger a response from Google. We’re almost at the swarm stage now.”

Industry credibility at stake

Parasite SEO may currently be flying under the radar, but its impact is significant — especially for players who unknowingly end up on unlicensed sites with no regulatory protection. For the industry, it also creates reputational damage and undermines the legitimacy of affiliate marketing in the gambling sector.

At the heart of the issue lies a deeper contradiction: while offshore tactics like these flourish in search results, many of the affiliates responsible are welcomed with open arms at major gambling conferences. They exhibit side by side with regulated operators, openly pitching their services — often in halls just steps away from panels on responsible gambling and player protection. Even representatives from Google and Meta are present, discussing campaign strategies and accepting ad budgets from businesses that may be profiting from high-risk, non-compliant traffic.

Unless this disconnect is addressed by both platforms and regulators, the cost may be more than just a reshuffle in rankings — it could erode player trust and expose the industry’s credibility gap at its most visible and influential levels.