Report Finds Unregulated Operators Generate 72 Percent of EU Online Gambling Revenue
Unregulated operators generated €91.6bn GGR in the EU in 2025, equaling 72% of the €128bn market and a 74% rise since 2023. 91% of engaged consumer content promoted illegal operators via a broad ecosystem. The report calls for enforcement beyond single sites to target supporting infrastructure.
SCCG Take — National enforcement cannot match cross-border operations. Regulators must adopt unified ecosystem measurement and action to close the documented gap.
A new report concludes that unregulated operators account for the majority of online gambling revenue in Europe. Gross gambling revenue from these operators in the EU 27 reached €91.6bn in 2025. This activity falls outside national regulatory frameworks and creates gaps in consumer protection, taxation and oversight.
The study titled Online Gambling 2024–2025: EU 27 Europe was produced by Gaming Compliance International for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling. It was covered by Focus Gaming News.
Revenue Growth and Market Share
Unregulated GGR increased from €52.6bn in 2023 to €91.6bn in 2025. That rise equals 74 per cent growth over two years. The total European online gambling market stands at €128bn, making the unregulated share 72 per cent.
The report states this scale sits beyond local regulatory boundaries. It also examined consumer exposure. In 2025, 121 million people across Europe encountered online gambling content. 88 million of them were reached by material linked to unregulated operators. Among those who actively engaged with such content, 91 per cent of the material promoted the unregulated sector.
The Enforcement Gap
Affiliates, social media platforms, advertising networks, search services, mobile applications, payment systems, peer-to-peer communications and illegal streaming services form the infrastructure that sustains unlicensed activity. The report argues that enforcement efforts should target this wider ecosystem rather than individual operators alone.
Derek Webb, founder of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, said: “Europe has an enforcement failure occurring in plain sight. €91.6bn in online gambling revenue was generated outside the local regulatory perimeter in 2025. That scale should focus attention on enforcement – on operators evading local rules and the infrastructure that enables them to reach European consumers.”
Webb added that the answer is not weaker regulation or tax concessions for licensed operators. Enforcement remains overwhelmingly national while unregulated gambling operates across borders.
Ismail Vali, president of Gaming Compliance International, said: “By the time the bet is placed, the battle for the customer may already have been lost. Unregulated gambling is winning audience attention before the consumer ever reaches a gambling site. Six thousand unregulated operators are not six thousand separate problems. They rely on the same ecosystem to advertise, find consumers, distribute products, move money, and stay online. That is also their vulnerability.”
Vali concluded that Europe needs to see the whole marketplace and enforce across the ecosystem that sustains it. The findings show measurement of the full market is required before effective optimisation of enforcement can occur.
Reporting: Focus Gaming News
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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