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France’s leading online gambling trade association AFJEL has escalated its campaign against the rise of black-market gambling, urging authorities and media to confront the growing risks of an unregulated online casino sector that continues to erode consumer protection and state revenues.

The warning marks a renewed call from AFJEL for the French government to end the structural liabilities of the country’s gambling framework by regulating online casino gaming (iCasino) — a reform the association has pushed for since the relaunch of France’s regulated online gambling market in 2011.

The trade body has now taken its campaign directly into the French mainstream press, with its PwC-commissioned study published by Le Parisien and Libération, two of the country’s most prominent national newspapers.

According to the findings, 5.4 million French players are now active on unlicensed gambling sites, surpassing the 3.5 million users in the legal market and representing a 35% surge in two years. PwC estimates that the illegal market generated €2 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2025, causing fiscal losses of more than €1.2 billion annually.

AFJEL warns that France faces a “digital sovereignty crisis” as unregulated offshore operators — often tied to criminal networks — continue to capture consumers through aggressive social media marketing, oversized bonuses, and influencer sponsorships, all while avoiding taxes and player-safety obligations.

“These illicit platforms lure customers with outsized inducements, flood Facebook and Google with ads, and even manipulate search engines to make themselves look legitimate,” said Nicolas Béraud, CEO of Betclic Group and President of AFJEL.
“The magnitude of this problem proves that prohibition is not protection. The only solution is a regulated and controlled iCasino offer that restores trust, protects players, and ensures fair competition.”

AFJEL maintains that the continuing ban on online casinos represents a “structural liability” for France — one that undermines consumer safety and deprives the state of significant tax revenue.

“France cannot allow a sector that could be safely regulated to remain dominated by illegal sites,” Béraud continued. “We are demanding a swift and decisive response — to end this French anomaly and restore order to the market.”

The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) — France’s gambling regulator — has adopted a cautious stance, warning that any potential opening of the iCasino market must be “carefully considered given the highly addictive nature of such products.”

While the ANJ has expanded enforcement powers and blocked over 1,000 illegal websites in 2025, AFJEL argues that regulatory measures alone are not enough.

“Despite ANJ’s commitment, the illegal market continues to grow,” Béraud added. “This is no longer a question of enforcement — it’s a question of political will.”

Dutch operators must accept “the human cost of gambling addiction” as the defining factor in strengthening consumer safeguards, according to Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) Chairman Michel Groothuizen.

Reflecting on his recent visit to Anonieme Gokkers (Gamblers Anonymous NL), Groothuizen revealed that the charity had tracked 113 suicides directly linked to gambling debt, underscoring the deep personal and social harm that can follow gambling addiction.

“If there’s one thing I took away from that evening, it’s the certainty that the appeal of gambling for former addicts will always remain and that perseverance is a daily struggle,” he said.

Dutch health authorities report 1,878 suicides annually from roughly 50,000 attempts, with loneliness, family breakdown, and mental-health issues among the key factors. Citing Swedish research, Groothuizen stressed that gambling addicts face a 15-times higher suicide risk than the general population, adding that “loneliness and lack of perspective often play a major role — in a phenomena with which gambling addicts are so familiar.”

CRUKS– 100,000 registrations

Groothuizen’s comments follow confirmation that the CRUKS (Central Register for Self-Exclusion from Gambling) system has surpassed 100,000 registrations.

While acknowledging that the number reflects a worrying level of dependency, he described the milestone as “a sign that self-protection tools are working” and providing at-risk consumers with “a tangible route back to control.”

Under Groothuizen’s leadership, the KSA is widening its focus beyond market oversight to include consumer education, early intervention, and addiction prevention as equal priorities. The regulator has launched public awareness campaigns to promote the Gambling Counter helpline and to encourage wider use of CRUKS as part of a proactive harm-reduction strategy.

The KSA continues to refine its approach to player protection and operator compliance, taking on feedback about involuntary Cruks registration and improving communication around exclusion procedures. Groothuizen emphasised that effective supervision “depends on empathy and consistency — not only enforcing the rules but understanding what drives people to harm.”

Since beginning his chairmanship, Groothuizen has prioritised stronger duty-of-care obligations for all licence holders urging operators to move beyond box-ticking compliance and demonstrate genuine accountability for player welfare. The regulator expects operators to conduct one-to-one checks with customers, assess risk behaviours in real time, and ensure customer service teams receive targeted training to identify signs of vulnerability and potential harm.

This renewed focus, Groothuizen said, reflects the KSA’s intent to build a culture of proactive intervention, where operators act as the first line of defence in preventing gambling addiction and related harms.

A call for holistic support

The Netherlands’ emerging gambling regime aims to bridge regulation, prevention, and recovery through a coordinated support network involving health bodies, addiction charities, and state agencies. Groothuizen said the KSA will intensify cooperation with organisations such as 113 Suicide Prevention and Anonieme Gokkers, ensuring that gamblers in crisis are not left isolated.

“Regulation alone cannot restore lives,” he concluded. “Our responsibility is to ensure that every person who struggles with gambling knows there is help, hope, and a path forward.”

Groothuizen further believes that compassion and understanding must guide the next phase of revisions to the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), which will be undertaken by the incoming government. He urged policymakers to look beyond political ideology and ensure that any reform “carries the ultimate objective of protecting those at risk of suicide and the most vulnerable from gambling — the greatest human cost of any gambling regime.”

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has revealed the significant lengths that EU Courts could extend to in a bid to strengthen action against Malta operators.

It’s a case that may shift the tide in terms of governance and regulation across Europe and Malta – with EU courts taking on the regulatory ringfencing of Bill 55.

According to the Advocate General (AG) of the ECJ, the framework could shift to dilute the effectiveness of Bill 55 when it comes to Malta safeguarding its domestic operators.

In a significant referral, the Advocate General has put forward the case to enable international authorities to freeze the assets of Malta-based companies in the event of local breaches.

The Advocate General has outlined that the European Account Preservation Order (EAPO) Regulation could well be utilised to enforce asset freezes

The focus on the bill was enhanced by the case of the two Austrian players who filed claims against Malta-based and licensed firms. A Maltese court sought to overrule the decision of an Austrian court over whether gaming operators in Malta should compensate Austrian players.

Courts in Austria both backed the players, with the Austrian framework currently citing any overseas operator as being illegal in the country if it does not hold a local licence.

Maltese courts and the two operators emphasised the free market and EU laws enabling free movements of services, illegitimising the original Austrian decision in the eyes of the Maltese legal system.

The MGA has consistently argued that the bill is in place to protect Maltese operators from “baseless legal challenges”.

Malta’s regulatory body has previously stated that it wants to ensure “its licensees are allowed to operate where they have a justifiable legal reason to do so, and always in a compliant manner.”

The latest statement from the Advocate General does underpin growing tension from Europe towards the way Bill 55 is utilised as it looks to change the framework around its implementation.

The Advocate General is seeking to implement tweaks to the bill to strengthen the ability of domestic EU courts to ensure their citizens can take legislative action against Maltese operators.

Central to the recommended changes is the ability of EU courts to be allowed to freeze the assets of Maltese gambling companies to aid debt recovery and bypass Bill 55.

Some of the most vocal disdain towards Bill 55 has come from Germany, with the national regulator, the GGL consistently calling for a reassessment of the impact it has on the sector.

Previously, the GGL has stated: “We are of the opinion that this law should not be compatible with European requirements for the recognition of decisions (Regulation (EU) 1215/2002).

“However, the final assessment of this question is not the responsibility of the GGL. We have informed the federal states of our assessment and are otherwise in contact with the relevant authorities.”

The court battles over the future of Bill 55 now look set to rumble on into 2026, in what could prove to be a decisive year for the future of the regulation and its impact on the gambling industry.

The Spanish government is moving forward with its plans to overhaul player protection measures for online gambling users.

The Directorate General of the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) is seeking to establish a centralised deposit limit system for players, set at €600 per day, €1,500 per week and €3,000 per month.

This would shake up current measures, which requires each operator to manage limits independently.

The regulatory project began in 2023 and is still pending final approval.

The plans include the ability for users to reduce limits or eliminate them, although the changes will not take effect until three days have passed and can only be modified once per quarter.

Alongside deposit limits, the DGOJ is also spearheading a new approach to monitoring problem gambling behaviours as part of the Royal Decree of gambling environments.

The regulator is working on the development of an AI-led responsible gambling algorithm that aims to trace live variable indicators of problem gambling risks.

The algorithm, which the DGOJ’s Directorate General Mikel Arana expects to be completed by March 2026, will be mandatory for all operators in the Spanish market. The DGOJ believes the project will make it the first European regulator to apply AI to customer interventions around gambling harm.

Balancing regulation and player experience

Although player protection measures are essential for operating within a regulated market, industry experts in Spain have warned that changes must be complemented by an efficient player experience.

Speaking at June’s Gaming in Spain conference, Jorge Hinojosa, Director General of Jdigital, said: “[Player protection reforms] have not been complemented, in my opinion, by policies to keep the market more competitive.”

Hinojosa emphasised that there needs to be recognition that operators, the DGOJ and the wider industry have a “common job” to ensure that Spain develops a stronger gambling market through measures such as allowing new modalities like live casino.

Esther Martin-Ortega, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Flutter, echoed these sentiments, reiterating the need to keep the regulated Spanish market attractive given the looming threat of the black market – especially for young players using social media.

“There are influencers on gaming, and they always find a way of putting the advertising in front of you, and then they get the visibility they need,” she said.

“We have a generation of smartphone natives who check what’s going on on social media. Access for a consumer to the black market is much broader than ever.”