Unregulated operators generated an estimated €91.6 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) from European Union consumers in 2025. This represents 72% of the EU’s €128 billion online gambling market. The figure comes from a new report from Gaming Compliance International (GCI).
Commissioned by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG), the report, Online Gambling 2024–2025: EU 27 Europe, provides key estimates. It estimates that unregulated online GGR increased 74% from €52.6 billion in 2023.
Unregulated Market Expands
GCI estimates that regulated operators generated €36.5 billion in GGR in 2025. In comparison, operators outside local regulatory frameworks generated €91.6 billion. The report attributes the gap to differences in licensing, enforcement and consumer access across EU markets.
The report also identified 6,238 unregulated operators targeting EU consumers, supported by more than 17,500 affiliates.
GCI estimates that 91% of gambling-related content encountered by consumers actively interacting with gambling content promoted the unregulated sector. This highlights the role of digital acquisition channels in reaching European audiences.
Affiliates and Digital Channels Under Scrutiny
The report places affiliates, social media, advertising, search, streaming and payment infrastructure among the channels supporting access to unregulated operators.
Separate research has also highlighted the scale of offshore gambling promotion. A 2025 European Casino Association report based on Yield Sec research estimated that illegal operators accounted for 71% of the EU online gambling market in 2024. These operators generated approximately €80.6 billion in GGR.
The differing figures reflect different research periods and methodologies. Still, both studies point to a substantial unregulated market operating alongside licensed gambling businesses.
Enforcement Remains a Challenge
The latest GCI findings raise questions about the effectiveness of existing channelisation strategies across Europe.
Unregulated operators generally fall outside national licensing and consumer-protection frameworks. They do not contribute to local gambling tax systems in the same way as licensed operators.
The report argues that enforcement therefore needs to address the wider commercial infrastructure supporting offshore operators. This approach is preferred rather than focusing only on individual gambling websites. Its analysis identifies affiliates, advertising, social platforms, payments and other digital channels as parts of the wider ecosystem.
European Market Faces Regulatory Pressure
The scale of the estimated unregulated market adds another dimension to Europe’s ongoing debate over gambling regulation, taxation, advertising and enforcement.
For operators and suppliers working in regulated markets, the findings highlight the importance of maintaining market access. This is important while competing with businesses that may operate under different regulatory and commercial conditions.
For regulators, the figures raise questions about how licensing frameworks, enforcement measures and consumer-protection policies can work together. Such collaboration can increase participation in locally regulated markets.
