Unregulated online gambling operators generated an estimated €91.6 billion in gross gambling revenue (GGR) from consumers across the EU 27 in 2025. This accounted for 72% of the region’s online gambling market, according to a new report.
The study, Online Gambling 2024–2025: EU 27 Europe, was produced by Gaming Compliance International (GCI) for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG). It estimates that unregulated GGR increased from €52.6 billion in 2023 to €91.6 billion in 2025. This reflects a 74% increase over two years.
Unregulated Market Reaches €91.6 Billion
The report estimates the total EU online gambling market at €128 billion in 2025. According to its methodology, €91.6 billion came from operators operating outside national regulatory frameworks.
The findings highlight challenges for regulators. They must maintain licensing standards, collect gambling taxes and apply consumer protection requirements across national markets.
The report also estimates that 121 million Europeans encountered gambling-related content online during 2025. Of these, 88 million were exposed to content associated with unregulated operators.
Among consumers who actively engaged with gambling-related content, 91% of the material they encountered was linked to the unregulated sector, according to the study.
Wider Ecosystem Supports Unregulated Gambling
GCI identified a broad network of services supporting unregulated operators. This includes affiliates, social media platforms, advertising networks, search engines, mobile applications, payment systems, peer-to-peer communications and illegal streaming services.
The report argues that these channels allow operators to reach consumers, acquire customers, process transactions and maintain visibility. This happens even when authorities block individual websites or domains.
This creates a wider enforcement challenge for regulators. The reason is that operators can change domains while continuing to use the same supporting infrastructure.
Report Calls for Broader Enforcement
CFG founder Derek Webb said the scale of the estimated unregulated market demonstrates the need for greater enforcement against both operators and the infrastructure supporting them.
Gaming Compliance International president Ismail Vali similarly argued that regulators need greater visibility across the wider gambling ecosystem. They should focus on more than just individual websites.
For European operators and suppliers, the findings highlight the growing importance of market monitoring, compliance and enforcement. This is necessary as regulators attempt to distinguish licensed activity from unregulated competition across increasingly fragmented digital channels.
