TLDR Illegal online gambling in the EU generated an estimated €91.6 billion in 2025. EU governments missed out on about €22.9 billion in tax revenue. More than 6,200 illegal gambling websites are targeting European players. The European Casino Association shared the data at a European Parliament roundtable. Officials are discussing stronger cross-border enforcement, including changes to Europol’s role.
Illegal online gambling aimed at people in the European Union brought in an estimated €91.6 billion in 2025. The figure was shared at a roundtable held at the European Parliament this week.
The data comes from the European Casino Association and was compiled by Gambling Compliance International. It shows the unlicensed market grew by roughly 14% over the past year.
The growth has a direct cost for governments. The European Casino Association estimates EU countries lost about €22.9 billion in tax revenue in 2025 alone.
That money would normally come from licensed gambling operators. Instead, it went to websites operating outside national rules.
Regulators Meet in Brussels
The report also gives a sense of how widespread the problem has become. More than 6,200 illegal gambling websites and operators are currently targeting customers across EU countries.
This is happening even though most EU nations have their own licensing systems in place. Those systems are meant to keep unregulated platforms away from local players.
The findings were presented at a roundtable hosted by Member of the European Parliament Lukas Mandl. The event brought together several groups working on the issue.
Attendees included officials from the European Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, and Eurojust. Representatives from Europol oversight bodies, national gambling regulators, and the gambling industry also took part.
Much of the discussion centered on a problem that single countries cannot easily fix alone. Illegal gambling sites often operate across multiple countries