Unregulated online gambling operators generated €91.6 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) from EU27 consumers in 2025, accounting for 72% of the region's total online gambling market. This figure represents a 74% increase from €52.6 billion in 2023, exposing a significant enforcement gap across the continent.

The findings come from the report Online Gambling 2024–2025: EU 27 Europe, produced by Gaming Compliance International (GCI) for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG). The data indicates that nearly three-quarters of online gambling activity occurs outside local regulatory perimeters, raising concerns regarding consumer protection, taxation, and licensing oversight.

Enforcement Gap Extends Beyond Revenue

The scale of unregulated activity is mirrored by consumer exposure to non-compliant content. In 2025, 121 million Europeans were reached by online gambling content, with 88 million exposed specifically to promotions from unregulated operators. Among consumers actively interacting with online gambling, 91% of the content they encountered promoted the unregulated sector.

This suggests that the enforcement challenge begins before a bet is placed. The report identifies an interconnected ecosystem involving affiliates, social media, advertising, search engines, apps, payment processors, and illegal streaming services that enable these operators to reach and monetize European audiences.

Market Structure and Infrastructure

The report highlights that unregulated gambling relies on shared commercial infrastructure rather than isolated websites. While domains may change or move, the underlying support systems for advertising, distribution, and payments remain consistent, allowing the business model to persist despite regulatory pressure.

What the Numbers Show

A critical divergence exists between market share and consumer influence. While unregulated operators account for 72% of total GGR, they dominate 91% of the content encountered by active users. This disparity indicates that unregulated entities are disproportionately effective at capturing audience attention and driving engagement compared to their regulated counterparts, suggesting that marketing and affiliate networks are more aggressive and widespread in the unregulated space.

Leadership Commentary

Derek Webb, Founder of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, stated that Europe faces an enforcement failure occurring in plain sight. He emphasized that the solution lies in strengthening enforcement against operators evading local rules and the infrastructure enabling them, rather than weakening regulation or offering tax concessions.

Ismail Vali, President of Gaming Compliance International, noted that six thousand unregulated operators rely on the same ecosystem to advertise and move money. He argued that this shared vulnerability is also the key to effective enforcement, urging authorities to view the marketplace holistically and enforce across the entire ecosystem sustaining unregulated activity.