Unregulated Online Gambling is beating regulated online gambling

[Yurkov]

Based on this article :

New research from Gaming Compliance International (GCI) shows that unregulated online gambling grew to $5.9 trillion in global wagering value in 2025, up from $5.7 trillion in 2024.

I'm wondering how they're able to precisely calculate the amount of illegal online gambling, but don't prevent it.  I wonder how they have this information but do nothing with it.
What's more, the amount is even increasing. I have a strange feeling that more people are making money from this business than we realize.. Of course, what I mean is that those who should be fighting all this are probably also making money under the table.

[Nrcewker]

What people care mostly of is reputation. If they know a gambling site that has been existing for a long period of time and people are not complaining about the gambling site or people that they know are using it without complaining, they will not care if it is regulated or not regulated.

As long as the casino pays the gamblers without any complaints, the gamblers will remain loyal to that casino only. I have also come across people who do not care whether a casino is licensed or not. They just want a good user experience. That’s all that matters.

I have also come across people who prefer unlicensed casinos because they do not ask for KYC, and in this way, gamblers can avoid paying additional taxes to the government. Hence, there has been a sharp increase in the number of unregulated casinos and gamblers.

[Wind_FURY]

I'm not surprised that's the case, because aside from having a solid reputation, these unlicensed casinos can also be competitive in their offerings and services. These verified licenses alone won't be enough to convert other players and i'd probably do the same if I end up in the same situation because there's no need to settle for less and inconvenience myself when the better option is obvious.

Although, which of those unlicensed casinos have a "solid" reputation? I believe BitcoinTalk should have a self-moderated topic strictly just for rating unlicensed casinos. The topic should only allow posts from familiar users who are trustworthy. All posts from unknown newbies/brand mew accounts will be deleted.

That will definitely help the community.

[Cointxz]

I'm not surprised that's the case, because aside from having a solid reputation, these unlicensed casinos can also be competitive in their offerings and services. These verified licenses alone won't be enough to convert other players and i'd probably do the same if I end up in the same situation because there's no need to settle for less and inconvenience myself when the better option is obvious.

Although, which of those unlicensed casinos have a "solid" reputation? I believe BitcoinTalk should have a self-moderated topic strictly just for rating unlicensed casinos. The topic should only allow posts from familiar users who are trustworthy. All posts from unknown newbies/brand mew accounts will be deleted.

That will definitely help the community.

I believe some of the unlicensed casino being described here are those Curacao licensed casino that doesn’t have local license to operate in specific country that has their own license provider.

Like in my country, We have our own license provider called PAGCOR while all casino including big one like Stake still considered as unlicensed/unregulated in my country if they don’t acquire separate license from PAGCOR.

[NurseHub]

‎Most gamblers don't look out for licensed or unlicensed casinos. They don't really care about all that, what matters is their reputation in the community and how easy it is to withdraw their win too. And others assume, as long as it's operating publicly, that it must have been licensed to do so.
So they don't really bother looking out for it. Especially when the casino is giving out good customer service and gamblers aren't getting issues when they gamble, it's okay for them. Most regulated gambling asks for KYC, which some gamblers don't like, so they still fall back to the unregulated casino.

[Wind_FURY]

I'm not surprised that's the case, because aside from having a solid reputation, these unlicensed casinos can also be competitive in their offerings and services. These verified licenses alone won't be enough to convert other players and i'd probably do the same if I end up in the same situation because there's no need to settle for less and inconvenience myself when the better option is obvious.

Although, which of those unlicensed casinos have a "solid" reputation? I believe BitcoinTalk should have a self-moderated topic strictly just for rating unlicensed casinos. The topic should only allow posts from familiar users who are trustworthy. All posts from unknown newbies/brand mew accounts will be deleted.

That will definitely help the community.

I believe some of the unlicensed casino being described here are those Curacao licensed casino that doesn’t have local license to operate in specific country that has their own license provider.

Like in my country, We have our own license provider called PAGCOR while all casino including big one like Stake still considered as unlicensed/unregulated in my country if they don’t acquire separate license from PAGCOR.

OK, then I believe calling them "unregulated", and/or "unlicensed" is disingenuous misinformation, no? Because it could also be debated that a Curacao licensed casino is better regulated than your regulator called "PAGCOR", especially if it's from a government of a nation-state that's known for dishonesty and fraudulent conduct.

  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Die_empty]

I played at an unlicensed casino for a couple of years. You know what its advantage was? It always paid out money without any problems, and you could even withdraw the minimum deposit. If I'm not mistaken, it was only $10. So I didn't care that it was illegal. You always need to check the information about the site. I read reviews, and there were more positive ones than negative ones. Yes, in some cases you could have thought they were paid, but experience has shown otherwise.

The reasons you gave why people don't care about registered casinos are valid. Another reason is that people are attracted to non-KYC casinos. They don't want to give out their details to centralized platforms. And many unregistered casinos don't ask for personal information. I don't think there is much need ro be concerned about the registration status of a casino since we gamble with few dollars. Maybe the high roller will have to consider the reputation of casinos before depositing.

[Cointxz]

I'm not surprised that's the case, because aside from having a solid reputation, these unlicensed casinos can also be competitive in their offerings and services. These verified licenses alone won't be enough to convert other players and i'd probably do the same if I end up in the same situation because there's no need to settle for less and inconvenience myself when the better option is obvious.

Although, which of those unlicensed casinos have a "solid" reputation? I believe BitcoinTalk should have a self-moderated topic strictly just for rating unlicensed casinos. The topic should only allow posts from familiar users who are trustworthy. All posts from unknown newbies/brand mew accounts will be deleted.

That will definitely help the community.

I believe some of the unlicensed casino being described here are those Curacao licensed casino that doesn’t have local license to operate in specific country that has their own license provider.

Like in my country, We have our own license provider called PAGCOR while all casino including big one like Stake still considered as unlicensed/unregulated in my country if they don’t acquire separate license from PAGCOR.

OK, then I believe calling them "unregulated", and/or "unlicensed" is disingenuous misinformation, no? Because it could also be debated that a Curacao licensed casino is better regulated than your regulator called "PAGCOR", especially if it's from a government of a nation-state that's known for dishonesty and fraudulent conduct.

  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[bakasabo]

‎Most gamblers don't look out for licensed or unlicensed casinos. They don't really care about all that, what matters is their reputation in the community and how easy it is to withdraw their win too. And others assume, as long as it's operating publicly, that it must have been licensed to do so.
So they don't really bother looking out for it. Especially when the casino is giving out good customer service and gamblers aren't getting issues when they gamble, it's okay for them. Most regulated gambling asks for KYC, which some gamblers don't like, so they still fall back to the unregulated casino.

Addition to what you have said, there are more who lose in gambling than those who win. This makes imbalance between those who were scammed in unregulated/unlicensed casino with those who have managed to withdraw from there. If you dont have anything to withdraw and lost everything, you cant complain that you were asked for KYC, got withdrawal frozen, were scammed from very beginning.

[Insanity]

‎Most gamblers don't look out for licensed or unlicensed casinos. They don't really care about all that, what matters is their reputation in the community and how easy it is to withdraw their win too. And others assume, as long as it's operating publicly, that it must have been licensed to do so.
So they don't really bother looking out for it. Especially when the casino is giving out good customer service and gamblers aren't getting issues when they gamble, it's okay for them. Most regulated gambling asks for KYC, which some gamblers don't like, so they still fall back to the unregulated casino.

Addition to what you have said, there are more who lose in gambling than those who win. This makes imbalance between those who were scammed in unregulated/unlicensed casino with those who have managed to withdraw from there. If you dont have anything to withdraw and lost everything, you cant complain that you were asked for KYC, got withdrawal frozen, were scammed from very beginning.

I believe your both raised valid points. Some gamblers would prefer a casino with a good reputation that offers. Timely withdrawals and an easy experience rather than one that is regulated or not. They generally trust the platform when they see positive feedback from other players. But there's a dark side to it, too. Players lose money in most cases and never go to the withdrawal step where they get requests for KYC and frozen accounts and such. Reliability may become more apparent when a player hits a winning streak and attempts to withdraw substantial amounts from the casino. As this is when it is tested most rigorously.

[maydna]

‎Most gamblers don't look out for licensed or unlicensed casinos. They don't really care about all that, what matters is their reputation in the community and how easy it is to withdraw their win too. And others assume, as long as it's operating publicly, that it must have been licensed to do so.
So they don't really bother looking out for it. Especially when the casino is giving out good customer service and gamblers aren't getting issues when they gamble, it's okay for them. Most regulated gambling asks for KYC, which some gamblers don't like, so they still fall back to the unregulated casino.

Addition to what you have said, there are more who lose in gambling than those who win. This makes imbalance between those who were scammed in unregulated/unlicensed casino with those who have managed to withdraw from there. If you dont have anything to withdraw and lost everything, you cant complain that you were asked for KYC, got withdrawal frozen, were scammed from very beginning.

If you want to withdraw not too big, that will not alarm them to investigate your account before they finish the transaction. People wants to have fast withdrawal process whether that is in licensed or unlicensed casinos so they will still play on that casino maybe until casino asking them to do KYC then they will moves to others. But if they trust casino, they will not bother doing KYC, that means they can withdraw in a large amount without a problem

[hedgeh0g]

If you want to withdraw not too big, that will not alarm them to investigate your account before they finish the transaction. People wants to have fast withdrawal process whether that is in licensed or unlicensed casinos so they will still play on that casino maybe until casino asking them to do KYC then they will moves to others. But if they trust casino, they will not bother doing KYC, that means they can withdraw in a large amount without a problem

I still think problems can arise in some cases, because sometimes casinos may still require a CIC to put pressure on a player. Even if they risk their reputation, I've seen such casinos take this risk many times to avoid paying out winnings. Of course, I haven't personally encountered this, but I read many players' reviews. Certainly, some of them may be paid-for negative reviews from competitors, or a player may simply be tilted, having lost their bankroll and expressing a negative experience at the casino. And sometimes, they may portray themselves as the victim.

[Hispo]

...

. And sometimes, they may portray themselves as the victim.

In my experience, it is very rare when a gambler does not portrait himself as the victim of his own situation when they lose a significant amount money to their favorite casino, regardless we are talking about a service which is fully regulated or actually unregulated and non-KYC.
There are a very honorable exceptions who take full responsibility and bite the bullet.

The important thing when comes to regulated services and casinos is the fact reputable, liquid and long-standing services do not have any need to weaponize KYC, they pay quickly to their lucky winners and when they ask for information it is actually in order to comply with regulations, not to rip their gamblers off.

[Peanutswar]

This could depend on the casino this is the reason why most of the gamblers keep shifting and jump into other casino because they are looking for something, they are seeking for more than what the current casino offered to them and it seems most of them seen into the unregulated online casino and not they become unregulated because they arent license yet which is this madate to submit a formal form to operate into a particular countries. Now its your risk if you are willing to play to a casino that is not license so possible they may runs out of your money or even file for bankruptcy, you dont have any claims against their platform.