Should suppliers be doing more to combat the black market?
Once removed from the front line, suppliers are now being pulled into the centre of the gambling industry’s black-market debate. Should they play a bigger role in the fight against illegal gambling? Jack Found explores…
The scale of the illegal gambling market is difficult to overstate. A report from Gaming Compliance International (GCI) published in May 2026 estimated that unregulated online gambling reached $5.9trn in global wagering value in 2025 – a figure the firm likened to the world’s third-largest economy.
While that number reflects total handle rather than gross gaming revenue, the underlying picture is stark: unregulated operators seemingly account for about 78% of global online gaming GGR, with licensed platforms making up just 22%. In the EU specifically, research commissioned by the European Casino Association found that illegal operators generated approximately €80.6bn in revenue in 2024 alone, representing 71% of total EU gambling market turnover.
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