ECA report warns illegal online gambling diverted €20bn in EU tax revenue in 2024
A new Yield Sec study commissioned by the European Casino Association shows illegal operators now dominate 71 per cent of the EU’s online gambling market, costing member states an estimated €20bn in lost tax revenue last year.
The European Casino Association (ECA) has published a new analysis by intelligence platform Yield Sec revealing the scale of illegal online gambling across the European Union in 2024.
According to the study, unlicensed operators accounted for an estimated €80.6bn in gross gaming revenue – more than double the legal market’s €33.6bn – and now represent 71 per cent of all online gambling activity in the EU. Yield Sec identified more than 6,200 illegal operators actively targeting EU consumers, with around 81 million Europeans exposed to or interacting with illegal gambling services.
Based on an assumed average EU online gaming tax rate of 25 per cent, the report estimates that more than €20bn in tax revenue was lost to illegal operators in 2024.
Erwin van Lambaart, Chairman of the ECA, said: “These findings confirm what the ECA has warned about for years: illegal online gambling is not a marginal issue; it is an economic and societal threat. Every euro lost to criminal operators is a euro stolen from European citizens, from legitimate and licenced businesses, and from our communities.”
The report covers all 27 EU Member States and details how unlicensed operators use online advertising channels, including those regulated under the Digital Services Act, to target vulnerable consumers. Yield Sec found that illegal platforms impersonate licensed casinos, operate without safeguards, and attract players with fake bonuses, unrestricted betting limits and anonymous payments.
Ismail Vali, Founder & CEO of Yield Sec, said: “Our approach to assessing the online gaming marketplace is unique because of our clear and rigorous methodology across all of the audience and their activity for measuring the true nature of online gambling: every jurisdiction features both a legal and illegal sector.”
The ECA said the findings reinforce the need for coordinated EU and national enforcement measures to protect consumers and ensure fair competition.
