Illegal gambling: EU takes action with ProtectEU strategy
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8 Apr 2025 •
Reading time: 4 minutes The ECA fully supports the European Union’s ProtectEU strategy, which aims to strengthen security against threats such as illegal gambling. This initiative includes an expanded role for Europol, better regulation of online content through the Digital Services Act, and the creation of an anti-money laundering authority. The ECA welcomes these measures, underlining the urgent need for action in the face of the scale of the illegal market and its links with organised crime.
The European Union recently unveiled its new security strategy, ProtectEU, aimed at combating various transnational threats, including illegal gambling. This initiative was immediately endorsed by the European Casino Association (ECA), a major player in the gaming sector. According to the ECA, extending the EU’s internal security, particularly against illegal online gambling, is essential to protect both consumers and the European economy. In support of this strategy, the ECA has highlighted several key aspects that it considers crucial to countering this growing threat.
Illegal gambling: a persistent problem for the EU
Illegal gambling remains a persistent problem in the European Union, despite regulatory efforts. The ECA points out that this activity not only destabilises the legal market, but also exposes consumers to increased risks of fraud and manipulation. It is also a major source of funding for criminal networks. Illegal operators escape national regulations, which makes it difficult to combat their harmful activities.
The ECA has expressed its support for the European Commission’s ProtectEU strategy, which seeks to strengthen security on EU territory. Among the threats identified, illegal gambling, whether online or physical, represents a major challenge to the stability of the European area. The ECA is therefore calling for increased repression and more rigorous preventive measures.
ProtectEU’s key measures against illegal gambling
Strengthening the role of Europol
One of the central pillars of the ProtectEU strategy is to strengthen the capabilities of Europol, the European police agency. The extension of its mandate is seen as a major turning point in the fight against illegal gambling, which is often a cross-border activity. By giving Europol greater operational powers, the EU hopes not only to better coordinate the actions of national police forces, but also to dismantle illegal gambling networks operating on a European scale.
The ECA welcomes this initiative, describing it as a necessary response to the internationalisation of illegal gambling. Many illegal operators operate across national borders, making them particularly difficult to detect and dismantle. Europol, being better equipped, could now provide more direct support to local authorities in pursuing these criminals on a European scale.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the fight against illegal content
The Digital Services Act (DSA), another central measure of the ProtectEU strategy, aims to regulate illegal content on the internet, including illegal gambling advertisements and promotions on social networks. The ECA strongly supports this legislation, believing that it would better protect European consumers from the risks associated with these platforms.
Social networks have become a major vector for the promotion of illegal games. Millions of consumers, often vulnerable, are exposed to these unregulated offers, fuelling the online gambling black market. The DSA now gives national authorities more resources to track down and remove this illegal content.
Combating money laundering in the gambling industry
Another aspect of the ProtectEU strategy that has caught the ECA’s attention is the establishment of a European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA). The ECA believes that this new entity could play a key role in combating money laundering through illegal gambling activities.
Casinos and illegal gambling platforms are often used to launder funds from various forms of organised crime. The ECA is ready to work with the AMLA to put in place effective strategies to neutralise this scourge. By strengthening controls and improving the transparency of financial flows, the AMLA should make it possible to identify money laundering circuits more quickly and to dismantle them.
International cooperation against illegal gambling
The ECA is not content to focus solely on the EU’s efforts. In 2024, it entered into a strategic partnership with the American Gaming Association (AGA) and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) to work together to combat illegal gambling and promote responsible gambling practices. This international collaboration reflects the scale of the threat and the need for a global response.
Through these alliances, the ECA and its partners seek to raise public awareness of the risks of illegal gambling and promote safer gambling behaviour. Joint efforts are also aimed at sharing information on illegal practices and implementing more effective prevention actions on a global scale.