Means to tackle the global black market were placed front-and-centre at this year’s International Association of Gaming Attorneys (IAGA) Conference.

A roundtable based in Berlin and chaired by Keith Bristow, former Director-General of the UK National Crime Agency, brought together international representatives from state regulators and law enforcement to exchange best practices against illegal providers.

What led to the expert talks was a Memorandum of Understanding signed by three of the biggest gambling trade associations of the West – the American Gaming Association (AGA), the European Casino Association (ECA), and the UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

Commemorating the landmark meeting, Grainne Hurst, CEO of the BGC, said: “It was a privilege and honour to address this Enforcement Roundtable and hear from my fellow CEO’s who lead trade bodies in Europe and America.

“The growing, unsafe, illegal gambling black market poses a shared challenge to all our members, and their millions of customers.

“These illegal operators do not pay tax, do not support sport and don’t care about player protection measures. Instead, they target those vulnerable to harm, hurt the economy and threaten regulated businesses.

“These criminal organisations don’t recognise the rules, or international borders, so it was vital we joined today alongside a host of international regulators and representatives from the relevant law enforcement agencies, to share knowledge and understanding of the threat we all face.

“I hope this event will pave the way to further collaborative efforts against the unregulated illegal black market, as we continue working hard to ensure our sector stays crime free.”

Limitless black market

It is difficult to grasp just how expansive the global black market is in reality. 

Gambling conglomerates such as Entain, as well as international crime fighting organisations like the UNODC, are consistently placing the money lost to illegal operators annually in the trillions.

However, no one can say for certain as crime syndicates operate in the shadows, with the likelihood being that the value of their operations exceeds official estimates by many times.

According to the experts at the IAGA conference, in 2024 alone illegal online gambling represented 71% of total iGaming revenue in all 27 EU states – or €80.6bn (£68bn) in numbers.

Erwin Van Lambaart, Chairman of the ECA, added: “Even more concerning, there’s currently a 92% probability of encountering an advertisement for illegal gambling products online rather than licensed offerings.

“Regulators, governments, EU institutions, and national enforcement bodies must unite with the licensed industry to combat this growing threat before more damage is done to our economies and communities.”

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