Europe lost €80B to illegal sites in 2024 how much will be when 2025 ends?

M.Bato

M.Bato

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Read report that illegal gambling sites captured 71% of Europes online betting and casino market last year. You see ny s coming so I started to wonder how much will be next one. I mean thats €80.65b going to unlicensed operators while regulated sites only managed €33.6B.
Article said this is 53% jump from 2023 and regulators struggling with crypto casinos, offshore sportsbooks, all that.. How is this even sustainable? Governments losing €20B in tax revenue apparently
 
not surprised tbh. everyone i know uses offshore sites cause better odds, no kyc bullshit, and faster withdrawals
regulated sites make you send passport, utility bill, bank statement just to deposit £50. then they limit you if you win 🤡🤡
 
goatwack said:
not surprised tbh. everyone i know uses offshore sites cause better odds, no kyc bullshit, and faster withdrawals
regulated sites make you send passport, utility bill, bank statement just to deposit £50. then they limit you if you win 🤡🤡
Click to expand...
exactly mate betfair verification took 5 days. meanwhile stake accepted my crypto in 2 minutes and let me play. governments created this problem with their overregulation. people just want to gamble not fill out loan application
 
M.Bato said:
Read report that illegal gambling sites captured 71% of Europes online betting and casino market last year. You see ny s coming so I started to wonder how much will be next one. I mean thats €80.65b going to unlicensed operators while regulated sites only managed €33.6B.
Article said this is 53% jump from 2023 and regulators struggling with crypto casinos, offshore sportsbooks, all that.. How is this even sustainable? Governments losing €20B in tax revenue apparently
Click to expand...
This represents structural regulatory failure rather than isolated issue so it will be even worse.
 
in sweden regulations became so strict that players simply have no choice. like sweden implemented mandatory loss limits, deposit tracking, forced breaks. players just moved to malta-licensed sites or offshore 😑
c'mon when you make legal gambling worse than illegal obviously people switch
 
never had issues with withdrawals using crypto over 2 years, no verification drama, can use vpn freely
sure theres no "protection" but what protection do regulated sites actually offer? they still take your money just with more paperwork
 
look there's couple issues with offshore that people ignore like no dispute resolution if site decides not to pay, sites can disappear overnight with your balance, zero recourse if you get scammed also self-exclusion tools
seen it happen multiple times. guy wins $15k, site asks for "additional verification", stalls for weeks, then closes his account claiming bonus abuse
 
how did it get this bad tho? i guess was always some offshore action but 71% is huge
 
€20 billion lost tax revenue is catastrophic for public finances but instead going to unregulated operators in curacao or wherever
problem is regulatory arbitrage. eu has 27 different gambling frameworks creating enforcement nightmare
 
Crypto makes this inevitable. Can't regulate decentralized payments. I use Stake exclusively now. Instant btc deposits, withdrawals in 10-15 mins, no kyc under certain limits. So why would anyone choose traditional site today???
 
governments shot themselves in foot with excessive regulation then surprised when people find alternatives. same way everywhere. ban or overregulate something and black market explodes. prohibition never works whether alcohol, drugs, or gambling
 
oh dear after ukgc tightened regulations (affordability checks, stake limits, verification requirements) fellas migrated to crypto casnios
when you treat them like problem they simply leave regulated space. then you lose all oversight and tax revenue
creating worse outcome than intended
 
Crypto eliminates banking friction and chargeback risk, licence much cheaper, ads everywhere no mandatory stuff and no reality checks. Feels like licensed operators fighting with hands tied behind backs while offshore can do what they want. Market shifted towards crypto and unlikely to reverse without fundamental regulatory reform
 
What a surprise right? Stricter regulations leads to higher offshore market share - Sweden, Netherlands, UK all show same trend after tightening rules. In 2024 had perfect storm: major sporting events (euros, olympics) plus crypto mainstream adoption plus regulatory crackdowns
Obviously creates massive arbitrage opportunity for offshore operators
 
Theres valid points both sides. Of course regulations can be excessive and push people offshore but offshore also has real risks like @vogafox mentioned. Difficult balance between protecting vulnerable people and keeping players in regulated space with actual oversight
Crypto casinos dont have responsible gambling tools, consumer protection or dispute resolution that regulated sites must provide
 
i wonder if anyone actually get caught using vpn for offshore sites? or is enforcement basically non-existent
because i feel like it is
 
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