European Casino Association Highlights €22.9bn Tax Revenue Deficit Caused by Unlicensed Operators
The European Casino Association (ECA) has unveiled new data during a high-level roundtable at the European Parliament, revealing that the illegal online gambling market targeting EU consumers reached €91.6 billion in 2025. This trajectory represents an approximate 14% year-on-year increase from the previously compiled €80 billion benchmark, directly depriving EU Member States of an estimated €22.9 billion in annualized tax revenues.
Hosted by MEP Lukas Mandl, the institutional gathering brought together key regulatory bodies, financial intelligence units, and European lawmakers to evaluate the cross-border exposure generated by unlicensed platforms bypassing national legislative frameworks.
Data-Driven Analysis of the EU-27 Unlicensed Landscape
The updated findings, set out by ECA Chair Erwin van Lambaart, are derived from the annual impact study commissioned to Gambling Compliance International (GCI). The data indicates a structural shift in consumer traffic, showing that unlicensed operators now command the majority of total online gambling revenue across the EU-27. Furthermore, the study established that more than 6,200 illegal operators are actively targeting European consumers, ensuring that the overwhelming majority of digital gambling content exposed to the public promotes unpermitted platforms.
The regulatory framework of the EU-27 maintains a strict binary structure: an operator is either legal, meaning it holds an active licence in the specific jurisdiction where it serves consumers, or it is unlicensed and explicitly illegal. Within these member states, there is no recognized grey market or intermediary classification.
The parliamentary roundtable served as a timely forum for sector experts, national gambling regulators, and representatives from the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), Eurojust, and the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group (JPSG) on Europol. Discussions were held under the Chatham House Rule, focusing on policy reinforcement shortly after the European Commission‘s proposal to reform Europol’s cross-border crime mandate.
Divergent Compliance Postures and Enforcement Mandates
The roundtable highlighted the operational differences separating regulated licensees from black-market actors. Compliant operators adhere to national and EU statutes, implement strict anti-money laundering (AML) controls, maintain robust responsible gambling frameworks targeting vulnerable groups, and contribute directly to local economies and public finances. Conversely, unlicensed syndicates ignore identity verification protocols, actively target vulnerable demographics with aggressive marketing and personalized bonuses, pay no local taxes, and frequently exploit the intellectual property of legitimate brands to execute consumer fraud.
ECA Chair Erwin van Lambaart detailed the urgent need for a unified regulatory response:
“The 2025 data from the GCI report leaves no room for doubt: illegal online gambling is a fast-growing, cross-border problem that puts players, especially young adults, at high risk, deprives societies of much-needed tax revenues, and undermines trust in the regulated market. Licensed casinos and their online businesses operate under strict rules and invest heavily in responsible gambling and anti-money-laundering measures. Yet illegal operators, often based outside the EU, can reach European consumers at the click of a button, without safeguards, without oversight and without contributing to our communities.
This is why we need strong political will and strengthened public-private cooperation that is aligned with this reality. By connecting national enforcement efforts, financial intelligence units and sector expertise, European institutions and agencies such as the European Commission, Europol and AMLA can help us turn data into action. If we fail to act now, the illegal online market will continue to grow at the expense of players, public finances and legitimate businesses.”
MEP Lukas Mandl reinforced the parliamentary commitment to adjusting law enforcement resources to combat these illicit networks:
“Illegal online gambling is not a niche issue, it is a serious cross-border threat that touches on consumer protection, organised crime and the integrity of our internal market. Europol is a crucial partner for Member States, but we must ensure that its mandate and resources allow it to fully support the fight against these illegitimate activities.
The evidence presented by the European Casino Association today show where cooperation is needed to do more. I will bring these insights into our parliamentary work and encourage colleagues cross-party to jointly go against the negative effects of illegal gambling from mental health issues to existential disasters of individuals and entire families, so that we can better protect citizens and make a clear difference between criminal activities and those operators who play by the rules.”
