Europe’s gambling sector is actively participating in the European Commission’s (EC) action to take down online fraud across the continent.
At the start of the year, the EC began the development of an action plan that would unlock a stronger cross-border collaboration between member states in the fight against online organised crime.
To construct a comprehensive strategy, the EC invited interested parties to submit feedback and best practices of countering fraud schemes, which also includes gambling stakeholders that have been pushing back against the black market for years.
As a representative of that sector, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) responded to the EC’s call for feedback by highlighting the dangers of illegal gambling providers preying on unsuspecting players by posing as licensed operators.
To back its claim, EGBA’s supporting evidence included examples of websites using domain names that closely resemble those of legitimate operators, abusing the reputation of the regulated market.
Other evidence showed illegal mobile gambling apps across Google and Apple devices, black market campaigns on social media, and phishing scams.
Furthermore, the trade association reminded the EC that illegal gambling platforms represented around 27%, or €18bn, of Europe’s total online gambling market GGR in 2025.
This puts players at a significant risk, given that these platforms do not offer the same protections as licensed operators, but rather increase the chance of identity theft, financial loss, and developing a problem gambling behaviour.
Dr Ekaterina Hartmann, Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at EGBA, commented: “The evidence we’ve gathered shows how fraudsters are systematically exploiting the trust consumers place in the licensed gambling environment, putting European consumers at risk and allowing the illegal online gambling market to grow.
“From fake websites and fraudulent apps to phishing campaigns and social media scams, these threats reappear as quickly as they’re taken down. Fragmented national approaches to these types of fraud are not enough – we need coordinated EU-level action to ensure consumers and legitimate operators aren’t left fighting an uphill battle against fraud.”
The EC’s Action Plan on Fighting Online Fraud is expected to be adopted sometime in the second quarter of 2026.