25% of Europe's online gambling market is already illegal?

[Findingnemo]

It's already big numbers, and I thought that Europe is really very strict as far as online gambling goes, so I'm wrong with that as the data shows that they are gambling illegally more often?

In any case, there could be gamblers that they didn't know that they are playing illegal sites or just ignore that reasons as they might also wanted to avoid legal casinos for tax purposed. But the former could be really be hard for gamblers specially if they win big and then the casino refuse to pay.

So there is still this big burden so we might as well go with legal methods and pay what is due instead of our money being stolen by this fly by night online casinos.

Strict rules won't stop anybody from betting in illegal sites. You should wonder why despite the strict rules and regulations, people still decided to go and bet in those platforms that have no players protection. It could be there is something that those sites are offering that the regulated once are not offering. I think the regulated casinos can learn one or two from them and add it to their own. And for the tax part, I don't think they are avoiding tax. I mean if they did, that's unlawful by law and could lead to some serious problems.

I agree that strict rules alone can’t stop everyone from engaging in illegal betting sites. If people still go there irrespective of the risks involve, it simply means that those platforms offer something that regulated ones ain’t offering.

 Rather than only making rules stricter, regulated casinos can study what attracts people to those sites and improve their own services. As for tax, if any platform always avoid tax, it’s against the law and it can lead to a serious consequence.

Sometimes it's not just tax but the other things like government requires access to the entire business details and some of them can't be shared if they want to keep their business, government should not make rules that is almost impossible for the casinos to follow. It has to be on a neutral level just to make the business possible or else they will simply move to a place where the laws are more friendly.

[Nathrixxx]

The government will not support any platform that does not identify with them; this is why we keep hearing things like this, because some are still lurking around it's the operations without being identified by the government to be regulated. The whole challenge stems down to the tax they need to be remitting to the government purse. This is where we have to go back to the drawing board to checkmate and see if the term illegal is really what it is meant to be, or if it is street non-compliance with government regulations.

[Fiasem20]

The government will not support any platform that does not identify with them; this is why we keep hearing things like this, because some are still lurking around it's the operations without being identified by the government to be regulated.

They won’t support a platform that didn’t comply to their demands doesn’t mean the platform won’t function like the ones they’ve recognized.It’s quite known that the difference between the legal casino and the illegal casino is the fact that a legal gambling is supervised by the government and a regulatory body while an illegal casino fails to comply to the legal requirements from the government or a regulatory body.So you would see them lurk around because they are running their business without complying to the legal requirements and can’t you see the amount of money those illegal casinos earn because they are not paying or renewing their licenses.Most times those illegal casinos have equal customers compared to that of a legal casino that have met their legal requirements to the government.

[Grace333]

I think the trend toward illegal casinos gaining ground will only intensify over time. Users generally don't care whether they play at a legal or illegal casino. If a casino is illegal, that doesn't mean they're scammers. And generally, if a person trusts an illegal casino, and the casino itself justifies that trust, why should we deprive ourselves of the pleasure? Ultimately, I believe most casinos will become illegal, just as Bitcoin was briefly considered an "illegal" asset.

Not every illegal casinos are scammers but it is better to avoid them because they are unlicensed, based on the fact that they aren't allowed in that particular country. It is possible for such casinos to pack up any day they want and since it's an unregistered casino there is nothing that the player can do to recover the funds that would be lost.

[Cantsay]

This is where we have to go back to the drawing board to checkmate and see if the term illegal is really what it is meant to be, or if it is street non-compliance with government regulations.

It is illegal in books, as long as it doesn't follow compliance, it is illegal, but in this case, would I be willing to use it? Absolutely, this is because, unlike other things that were tagged "illegal" because of their impact on lives and society, this one is because they didn't "appeal to their mind".

It is more like saying that something is only illegal or corrupt when the government is not involved, but the moment they join, it becomes accepted.

[coinlary]

European country rules are too strict. It wouldn't be surprising if you start digging and find out that some of these casinos are only considered illegal in certain European countries. Yes, they may be illegal to operate in some country, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are entirely illegal everywhere.  In fact, i think a casino can be legal and licensed in one country while still being unlicensed in another.

Strict regulations, cann also make things harder for gamblers who want to use legal operators, especially with the restrictions and requirements involved. I guess some people simply avoid the stress and go for those  offshore Casino instead, which at the end may be considered illegal on record.

[Dogedegen]

The government will not support any platform that does not identify with them; this is why we keep hearing things like this, because some are still lurking around it's the operations without being identified by the government to be regulated. The whole challenge stems down to the tax they need to be remitting to the government purse. This is where we have to go back to the drawing board to checkmate and see if the term illegal is really what it is meant to be, or if it is street non-compliance with government regulations.

This kind of post is a bit misleading, platforms do not identify with large governments. The average casino or platform is very small, they do not have the money that is required for direct line corruption with a government. Europe is a large place and the European Union is much harder to corrupt. They do not care about these platforms individually, you must look at the data at the number of casinos and platforms that are operating legally across Europe but also illegal. It is a very large number, so it is impossible to care about them individually like that. They make regulations how they want to, good or bad, and expect the others to keep to the rules. The rules may be complicated or difficult at times, but platforms that want to comply are able to comply without any kind of corruption. It is a low and rigorous process, but there is no adherence to a single government. If you look actually at the European Union, its government consists of many different groups that have each their own interests so to imply direct corruption and identification with this government as a single group is a mistake.

[Nheer]

This is where we have to go back to the drawing board to checkmate and see if the term illegal is really what it is meant to be, or if it is street non-compliance with government regulations.

It is illegal in books, as long as it doesn't follow compliance, it is illegal, but in this case, would I be willing to use it? Absolutely, this is because, unlike other things that were tagged "illegal" because of their impact on lives and society, this one is because they didn't "appeal to their mind".

It is more like saying that something is only illegal or corrupt when the government is not involved, but the moment they join, it becomes accepted.

Exactly and it's strange how somethings are not termed illegal based on how it affects the society but because it just doesn't fit into the government rules or because it's not in their control and funny how narrative suddenly change when they get involved in the same thing. That's just the cunny thing about the government that I don't like, they make it very clear that rules are made by people and when things don't favor them they try to rule it out.

European country rules are too strict. It wouldn't be surprising if you start digging and find out that some of these casinos are only considered illegal in certain European countries. Yes, they may be illegal to operate in some country, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are entirely illegal everywhere.  In fact, i think a casino can be legal and licensed in one country while still being unlicensed in another.

Strict regulations, cann also make things harder for gamblers who want to use legal operators, especially with the restrictions and requirements involved. I guess some people simply avoid the stress and go for those  offshore Casino instead, which at the end may be considered illegal on record.

It true some casinos can be illegal in one country and be legal in another. There have been several cases like that and it doesn't mean the casino is illegal completely everywhere. Some might just choose not to operate in certain country because of the some gambling restrictions by the government and try to avoid any unnecessary problems.
One thing I know is that the more strict the regulations are, gamblers become forced to look for other means to gamble outside. This is really common. Regulations doesn't completely restrict gamblers.

[Muba20]

So imagine how much the government is also losing from that 25%, because if those players are using regulated casinos then probably they could collect millions or even billions in taxes, though im not sure how much their tax rate is.

If 25% of the total gambling goes outside the regulated casinos, then it is definitely a matter of concern for the government. Because 25% is not less. In this situation, the government certainly has no alternative to be strict. Such a large number of illegal casinos take a lot of money, which is a huge loss for the government. Although it is not easy to identify illegal casinos and those who conduct their betting activities on those platforms at present, if the government shows its strictness in this regard and monitors it regularly, then it is possible to reduce the number of such unregistered casino sites to a large extent. But the government should also remember why people are entering those sites. What facilities are being provided there that regulated casinos are not able to provide them. If ordinary gamblers get good facilities like other sites, then they will definitely gamble on regulated sites and the governments will get a large amount of revenue from it.

[Orpichukwu]

The government will not support any platform that does not identify with them; this is why we keep hearing things like this, because some are still lurking around it's the operations without being identified by the government to be regulated. The whole challenge stems down to the tax they need to be remitting to the government purse. This is where we have to go back to the drawing board to checkmate and see if the term illegal is really what it is meant to be, or if it is street non-compliance with government regulations.

Illegal, like the op already explained and pointed out, doesn't mean the casino is not licensed anywhere, but if they are operating in a foreign country where they don’t have approval to operate, they are illegal in that place. For instance, Stake is a well-known casino, but they are operating in places like Cuba and Syria, which can be considered illegal because it’s not permitted, and most of these offshore casinos are places where some people consider them safe for them to play even if their government doesn't want to recognise them due to licensing or whatever.

[qwertyup23]

I think the trend toward illegal casinos gaining ground will only intensify over time. Users generally don't care whether they play at a legal or illegal casino. If a casino is illegal, that doesn't mean they're scammers. And generally, if a person trusts an illegal casino, and the casino itself justifies that trust, why should we deprive ourselves of the pleasure? Ultimately, I believe most casinos will become illegal, just as Bitcoin was briefly considered an "illegal" asset.

I agree with what you said.

The problem with these casinos whose license exist outside Europe is that they offer better rewards, privileges, and convenience to the general public. Even if a licensed casino exists inside such country, people would still choose the illegal ones if the latter offers better rewards overtime.

Given that this kind of trend has been increasing over the years, expect many gamblers to repeat the same cycle. Unfortunately, with regulation comes limitation- deduction of rewards, more stringent requirements, and other inconveniences that dissuade people into playing to it.

[mak013]

Some countries have laws restricting or banning gambling and casinos, so they can't set up their own casinos under the same conditions as those licensed in places like Curacao.
In other countries gambling is legal, but taxes are so high that no one wants to open a casino there.
And today's gamblers don't care where they play - they often don't even know if their casino is licensed.

As a result, countries can't offer casinos better conditions than they'd find abroad, and gamblers don't care that their country is missing out on tax revenue from gambling.

[X-ray]

This is the real implication when they are EU is more stricter to gambling, then their share in the black market is gonna be grow up. So potential money that may be coming to the tax will be gone to the illegal gambling.

If they still do this approach, then we will see it the percentage of money goes to the illegal gambling site to grow even higher, maybe double or triple in the future. They have to think the different approach to ensure all of money back to their countries, and the best thing to stretch the regulation.

When they tightening the rules, the gambling site only need to staying away as an illegal gambling site, and it's obviously giving 0 tax revenue because all of money went to the sites that can't be taxed by them.

They can't also enforce the regulation to protect their residents too. So they have to think twice before try to get rid gambling off their territory.  

This find must make them aware their solution by stricting the regulation is hitting them back.

[danadc]

Licenses are important, yes, very good if they're up to date, but the problem with licenses is that they don't prevent scams.

Prevent > no.  Minimize >yes.
That's the realistic purpose of it.

A casino can have everything in order, but if they end up being scammed, it's something that gets out of hand. That doesn't make sense. There are honest casinos that aren't accepted because they don't have licenses.

Regulators does not care if a casino is honest, because if they don't have  a license, they are risky to use. And how long will they be honest?
It's to argue this on them as they are regulators, all they think is license and they will implement the rules. in short they are just doing their job, their decision is based on papers they see.

In Malta, they require licenses, so why aren't they accepted? And are they seen as illegal? There are high-profile cases that I can't understand because of the bureaucracy.

Yes illegal because we are talking about Europe license. you operate in this country with Malta license, you are considered Illegal.

Yes, it's true, that happens a lot. When we start winning and winning, things become more confident, and we start taking more risks. In this respect, we have to be very consistent. We can't assume that we're going to win all the time and therefore put more money into each operation. That's something that can take us away from the most logical things and can make us lose money. That's what must be avoided.

[YOSHIE]

What are your thoughts on this?

Yes, some data does state that 25% of the online gambling market in Europe has illegal status, but despite this illegal status, it doesn't mean that gamblers in Europe are actually growing and increasing, This does not happen without reason or reason, there are internal and external factors that make gamblers run away and turn to illegal gambling sites.

One common factor is that official gambling regulations are considered too strict, thus making many gamblers return to illegal casinos. Another reason is Crypto Integration, this is the biggest problem currently in Europe, Crypto assets make it easier for gamblers to carry out transactions and gambling activities. Radar deposits/withdrawals do not work for users carried out by government authorities.
And many other factors actually increase gamblers in Europe even though there are many illegal online gambling markets.

[AmaGold70]

This is surprising because its quite big, and we are talking about €12 billion in 2025. That was already in 2025 so probably it has already increased now.. but lets just look at that 25% number and try to analyze what could be the reason.

Heres what I think.

People still trust illegal casinos, not literally illegal but casinos licensed somewhere else, because their withdrawal process is usually easier, not too many KYC requirements just like some popular casinos here in the forum.

So imagine how much the government is also losing from that 25%, because if those players are using regulated casinos then probably they could collect millions or even billions in taxes, though im not sure how much their tax rate is.

What are your thoughts on this?


source https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2026/09/16/214175/europe-illegal-online-gambling-market-12bn-euromat-study/

This percentage is very huge anyway, and they are really denying the European countries from their due benefit from these illegal gambling companies. When a casino or gambling company is not licensed, placing trust on such platform can be dangerous because they can scam gamblers. However, on the side of the gamblers they may not report these illegals gambling platforms because they seem to be benefiting from them by the services they render to them, but it is in the hands of the gambling regulatory body to ensure these illegal gambling sites are being fished out , and make sure they don't operate without proper licencing. As it is , the country is being cheated because they are not really generating the required revenue from these gambling platforms.

[red4slash]

This should go back to the government because when they have made gambling as a legal thing in their country then they should be concerned to tighten in several ways including regulation because in this case the policy of a country to accept gambling basically for the benefit of the taxes they will get but when many illegal sites in the country then they will not get anything.
This should also be a concern for gamblers because being on illegal sites may not guarantee them in fraud problems and some other things that can be detrimental because when there is a case of illegal casinos that are proven to be cheating they also cannot investigate this to the end because from the beginning the casino is not included in the criteria that the government legalizes.

This will be a double loss for the gamblers but it seems like most of the gamblers who don't notice this in the first place make illegal gambling an option compared to licensed casinos.

[Grace333]

European country rules are too strict. It wouldn't be surprising if you start digging and find out that some of these casinos are only considered illegal in certain European countries. Yes, they may be illegal to operate in some country, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are entirely illegal everywhere.  In fact, i think a casino can be legal and licensed in one country while still being unlicensed in another.

Strict regulations, cann also make things harder for gamblers who want to use legal operators, especially with the restrictions and requirements involved. I guess some people simply avoid the stress and go for those  offshore Casino instead, which at the end may be considered illegal on record.

That's right, every country has their rule and policies, just because a casino is licensed in another country doesn't mean that it can be accepted in every country and this brings me to a question I keep asking myself. If a country clearly states that any casino operation is illegal in their country, why do most of these casinos still try to go to such countries to establish their business? What's the point when they have already been licensed in other countries, to me I see this as greed.

[Nwada001]

That's right, every country has their rule and policies, just because a casino is licensed in another country doesn't mean that it can be accepted in every country and this brings me to a question I keep asking myself. If a country clearly states that any casino operation is illegal in their country, why do most of these casinos still try to go to such countries to establish their business? What's the point when they have already been licensed in other countries, to me I see this as greed.

Those casinos don’t directly come to the country to operate; they don’t have an office in those countries. What they do is have their service and allow others from the country to patronize them. They are considered offshore casinos; the players are the ones who go after the casinos and not the other way round. Some casinos block them access, while some just allow free access irrespective of which country the player is accessing it from.

[Agbe]

This is the situation that we have all over the world, with casinos because you see casinos operating outside of the country that gamblers are accessing their services and they don't pay tax to such countries. The reason is that they are not operating directly from the country, so in terms of tax payment they don't pay tax to the government of such countries were their customers resides. This is not only particular with Europe because almost all online casinos which gamblers access maybe considered illigal by different countries. The reason is that they are not operating in their area and doesn't pay tax. But if there is any contintent that is strict and and regulations minded is Europe and I believe that they have the capacity to deal with these types of situations.