European Regulators Step Up Joint Action Against Illegal Gambling

Gambling regulators from seven major European markets have agreed to coordinate their response to illegal online gambling, marking one of the most structured cross-border efforts in the sector to date. Authorities from Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal and Spain formalised the cooperation during a meeting hosted by Spain’s Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) on 12 November.

The regulators said the rapid pace of technological change and the borderless nature of digital gambling are making national oversight harder to enforce. Illegal operators can shift infrastructure and marketing tactics to bypass local rules, often reaching customers across several jurisdictions at once.

Unauthorized Activities

A growing volume of unauthorised gambling advertising—particularly on social media, video platforms and affiliate networks—has become a primary concern. Regulators say this environment exposes vulnerable groups, including minors, to gambling risks and undermines legal operators that comply with consumer-protection standards.

Under the new agreement, authorities will pursue three coordinated tracks: exchanging information on illegal operators, filing joint complaints to major online platforms to restrict illicit advertising, and sharing investigative methods and best practices to improve enforcement. Officials described the plan as a practical framework rather than a new regulatory body, designed to speed up responses and reduce duplication across countries.

The cooperation aligns with the broader debate at the 1st International Gaming Congress in Madrid, where regulators from Italy, Germany, the UK and Spain outlined diverging national models but common challenges: rising digital exposure, the growth of offshore operators and the need for clearer evidence on what works in harm prevention.

Recent moves outside the meeting underline the direction of travel. In the UK, GambleAware has urged governments to introduce stricter rules and mandatory health warnings across all gambling content. At the EU level, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomed the approval of a new European standard on “markers of harm,” intended to help identify risky gambling behaviour across platforms. The standard, approved by national standardisation bodies, is expected to be published in early 2026 and will be voluntary for operators and regulators.

European gambling regulators from seven countries have agreed to share data, coordinate enforcement, and target illegal online gambling to protect consumers.

Outlook for iGaming in Europe

While the joint declaration does not signal any immediate regulatory overhaul, it points to a more coordinated enforcement landscape. Three trends stand out:

1. Convergence on harm-reduction frameworks.
The voluntary European markers-of-harm standard could become a de facto baseline if adopted widely, especially by larger operators active in several markets. Even without EU-level legislation, alignment on risk indicators may pressure national regulators to raise expectations for monitoring and intervention.

2. Greater scrutiny of online marketing.
The decision to jointly escalate complaints to social networks and digital platforms suggests that advertising controls will tighten. This could affect affiliates and tipsters, which remain loosely regulated in many jurisdictions.

3. Pressure on unlicensed operators.
Cross-border intelligence sharing will likely make it harder for offshore sites to sustain large customer bases in Europe. While enforcement varies, the coordinated approach may lead to more domain blocking, payment interference or platform-level takedowns.

The European iGaming market remains fragmented, but the new cooperation indicates a shift toward collective enforcement on issues that individual regulators struggle to manage alone. For the industry, the direction is clear: higher expectations on consumer protection, closer scrutiny of marketing practices and fewer safe havens for unlicensed operators.