llegal EU Gambling Market Hits €91.6bn, Costs States €22.9bn in Tax
The European Casino Association (ECA) said on 3 July 2026 that the illegal online gambling market aimed at EU consumers reached €91.6bn in 2025, a rise of around 14% year-on-year. The figures, drawn from a Gambling Compliance International (GCI) study, were presented at a European Parliament roundtable hosted by MEP Lukas Mandl. According to the ECA, the growth cost EU Member States an estimated €22.9bn in tax revenue last year.
More Than 6,200 Illegal Operators Now Active
The event itself carried an outdated number. Its title still referenced the 2024 figure of €80bn, the total available when organizers set up the roundtable. That figure was already out of date by the time the new €91.6bn number reached the room, since the 2025 market had grown far faster than the previous year’s data suggested.
The ECA said illegal operators now account for the majority of online gambling revenue in the EU-27. The association added that the overwhelming majority of online content EU consumers see today promotes unlicensed brands rather than licensed ones.
No Grey Market Exists in the EU, ECA Says
The ECA defined illegal gambling as any operator that serves consumers in a Member State without the licence that country’s law requires. Officials stressed there is no separate grey market category in the EU-27: an operator is either licensed where it serves customers, or it is illegal.
Licensed operators comply with national and EU law, apply anti-money-laundering checks, and work with public authorities, the ECA said. Unlicensed operators skip those controls, ignore age and identity checks, and use aggressive marketing and personalised bonuses to drive compulsive play, according to the association.
Political Pressure Builds on Enforcement
Van Lambaart said the 2025 GCI data confirm illegal online gambling as a fast-growing, cross-border problem that puts young players at risk and weakens trust in the regulated market. He called for stronger political will and closer cooperation between national enforcement bodies, financial intelligence units and EU institutions such as the European Commission, Europol and AMLA.
MEP Lukas Mandl described illegal gambling as a serious cross-border threat linked to consumer protection, organised crime and the integrity of the EU internal market. He said Europol needs the mandate and resources to support Member States against unlicensed operators, and said he would bring the ECA’s findings into his parliamentary work.
The roundtable took place shortly after the European Commission’s proposal to reform Europol’s mandate. The ECA linked that reform directly to the fight against cross-border crime, such as illegal gambling, and said stronger enforcement tools depend on how far that mandate expands.
💡TGJ Take
The €22.9bn tax figure gives EU regulators a sharper argument than consumer protection alone, and it lands right as Brussels reviews Europol’s mandate. For licensed operators, the risk goes beyond unfair competition: a weak enforcement record could trigger tighter rules for everyone, licensed or not. Affiliates that still route traffic to unlicensed EU-facing brands should reassess now, before payment scrutiny and regulator attention catch up with them. The real test is whether Europol, AMLA and national regulators turn this data into coordinated action rather than another annual warning.
