EU unlicensed gambling market grows by 10% in 2025, passes €90bn

• Unlicensed online gambling has grown by 14% year-over-year to €91.6m in 2025, newly released data reveals
• The topic of the expansion of the unregulated gambling sector was discussed by stakeholders in the European Parliament earlier this week
• Unlicensed gambling not only deprives EU member states from tax revenue, but creates risks for the consumers

Recording a growth of more than 10% year-over-year, in 2025, the illegal online gambling market across Europe has surpassed the mind-blowing sum of €90bn.

Besides threatening the safety of the consumers, the unlicensed online gambling sector results in significant losses to European Union member states.

Tax losses to unregulated gambling grows and so do the sector

Data by the European Casino Association and research by Gambling Compliance International was presented in front of the European Parliament earlier this week.

The discussion featured stakeholders from the gambling sector, as well as regulatory bodies like Europol and the European Commission, among others.

Notably, the data revealed that while European countries failed to collect nearly €23bn in tax revenue throughout 2025, the unlicensed online gambling sector continued to expand.

As of 2025, the unlicensed online gambling sector was valued at €91.6m, a figure that suggests a 14% increase year-over-year.

The size of the illegal online gambling vertical on the Old Continent is significant, considering that the aforementioned sum represents more than three times the GDP of a smaller European country like Malta, for example, which recorded $27.8bn GRP in 2025.

Thousands of unlicensed gambling companies target European customers

The newly released data also pointed to the significant number of unlicensed gambling operators that are actively targeting customers across Europe.

In particular, more than 6,200 unlicensed gambling operators are actively trying to engage, or have already engaged customers in countries across the Old Continent.

The European Casino Association acknowledged that unlicensed online gambling has grown from a minor to a major issue.

Consumers using illegal gambling operators are at risk of having their identity and/or bank information stolen.

At the same time, unlicensed companies do not adhere to the gambling laws established by EU member states, which is why their users can get denied jackpots or bonuses.

In some cases, players see their accounts permanently suspended for no valid reason, and there isn’t much they can do, considering that unlicensed gambling operators cannot be forced to comply with local laws.

The size and growth of unlicensed gambling also sounded the alarm about the importance of collaboration between EU member states to combat such activities.

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