The European Casino Association has called for coordinated cross-border enforcement measures targeting the black market as illegal operators across the EU generate €91.6 billion.
The scale of the illicit gambling market represents a serious and growing challenge for regulators, licensed operators, and governments across Europe.
Black market operators undercut licensed businesses by avoiding the taxes, compliance costs, and responsible gambling obligations that regulated operators must meet.
The ECA’s call to action reflects mounting frustration within the industry over the competitive disadvantage that licensed operators face when illegal sites go unchecked.
Cross-border enforcement has long been a sticking point in the European gambling sector, as jurisdictional boundaries limit the effectiveness of national regulators acting alone.
Illegal operators frequently exploit these regulatory gaps, targeting players in multiple EU member states while remaining beyond the reach of any single national authority.
The €91.6 billion figure underlines just how significant the black market has become, drawing revenue away from regulated channels and the public finances that depend on them.
Licensed operators contribute substantially to national tax revenues and fund responsible gambling programmes, benefits that are entirely lost when players choose unlicensed alternatives.
The ECA’s position is that a unified European response is necessary to meaningfully disrupt the black market and protect the integrity of regulated gambling frameworks.
Without coordinated action at an EU level, individual member states will continue to fight an uphill battle against illegal operators who face few real consequences for their activities.
The association’s push for enforcement collaboration adds momentum to broader conversations about harmonising gambling regulation across Europe, a debate that has gained significant traction in recent years.
Industry stakeholders will be watching closely to see whether European institutions take up the ECA’s call and move toward a more unified enforcement approach.
