Trace2Trace Maps Networks Behind Illegal Gambling Using Dataset of 620,000 Domains

Jesper Kampmann Madsen founded London-based Trace2Trace after his own gambling addiction exposed the persistence of unlicensed operators. The 35-year-old Dane started gambling as a teenager. A win of around €22,000 on a foreign unlicensed site in his early twenties altered his relationship with gambling and propelled years of addiction, according to iGaming Business.

Madsen described winning €180,000 in a single day only to lose it all the next, then winning €150,000 before losing that amount as well. The extreme swings prompted him to seek help. His parents took control of his finances, an embarrassing but necessary step that led to the creation of Spilfri.nu, a free blocking and support service for gambling problems that also serves schools.

From Support Service to Network Intelligence

Work with Spilfri.nu revealed that blocked illegal sites quickly reemerged through mirror domains, cloned URLs and replacement infrastructure. Madsen concluded the core problem lay in the networks behind individual websites rather than the domains themselves. Trace2Trace applies an existing dataset that has grown to around 620,000 entries and now receives an average of 7,000 domains daily.

The platform crawls identified sites for objective technical connections including shared hosting, DNS clusters, source-code strings, logos, favicons and redirect chains that can span ten layers. AI evaluates overall patterns only after data collection. Madsen insists findings require 100% confidence before reporting any match.

Scale of Black Market and Limits of Enforcement

Estimates of the illegal market differ sharply. One report cited by the Betting and Gaming Council estimated that illegal online gambling generated gross revenue globally in 2025. It estimated that around 5,000 operator structures were using more than 15,000 websites and apps. Separate research put the value of unregulated online gambling at $5.9 trillion in wagering value in 2025, while estimating that unregulated operators accounted for 78% of global online gaming GGR. In Europe the black market has grown at a compound annual rate of 18% since 2019.

Madsen’s team identified approximately 6,000 domains tied to one globally recognized brand and expects the actual total is at least twice as high. Trace2Trace supplies intelligence to regulators and licensed operators monitoring product misuse but does not shut down sites. Madsen stated illegal gambling cannot be eliminated outright yet can be made substantially more difficult to sustain through persistent network tracking.

Network Mapping as Enforcement Necessity

The expanding technical sophistication of offshore operators, including layered redirects and cloned infrastructure, limits the long-term effectiveness of domain blocking alone. Regulators and operators will need reliable network-level visibility to anticipate replacements and protect licensed channels as the black market continues to adapt.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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