The European Casino Association (ECA) held a roundtable in the European Parliament to address illegal online gambling, presenting findings from the annual Gambling Compliance International (GCI) study for 2025. The event took place on July 3 and included participation from Members of the European Parliament, representatives from the European Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), Eurojust, national gambling regulators, and industry stakeholders.
Key findings from the report include:
- €91.6 billion - the volume of the illegal online gambling market targeting EU players in 2025 (14% YoY increase).
- €22.9 billion - losses to EU country budgets in taxes for 2025.
- 6,200 - illegal operators targeting European players.
- Most of the online gambling revenue in the EU is generated by illegal operators, according to the study.
- A significant portion of the gambling content seen by Europeans online promotes illegal operators.
The head of the ECA stated that illegal operators, often based outside the EU, are accessible to European players with just one click, lacking any protective measures or tax contributions. He emphasized that this issue is cross-border, necessitating support from the European Commission, Europol, and AMLA for national regulators.
MEP Lukas Mandl, who organized the roundtable, called Europol a key partner in combating illegal gambling and promised to utilize the study's findings in parliamentary work. This discussion followed the European Commission's proposal to reform Europol's mandate.
The ECA highlights that there is no grey market or third category in the 27 EU countries. An operator is either licensed in the country where it serves players or it is illegal.