At the IAGA conference held in Berlin, the three major global gambling industry organizations—the American Gaming Association (AGA), the European Casino Association (ECA), and the British Gambling and Gaming Council (BGC)—gathered at a roundtable and issued a unanimous call: Illegal gambling is becoming a serious threat to the global gambling ecosystem and consumer safety, urgently requiring a collective international response.
This roundtable on the gray gambling market was chaired by Keith Bristow, chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Group in gambling. Participants included AGA Chairman Bill Miller, ECA Chairman Erwin Van Lambaart, and BGC CEO Grainne Hurst.
The convening of this roundtable stemmed from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the three parties in October 2024. According to the memorandum, the three major institutions committed to jointly combat the illegal gambling market, conduct joint research, and share experiences through training, thereby promoting the establishment of a global compliant gambling ecosystem.
In her speech, Hurst emphasized, "I am honored to discuss the issue of illegal gambling with industry leaders from the United States at this enforcement roundtable. The expanding underground gambling networks are severely threatening the sustainable development of our industry. These illegal platforms do not pay taxes, offer no consumer protection, and specifically target vulnerable groups, bringing both social and economic risks."
AGA Chairman Bill Miller also expressed strong concerns: "Illegal gambling undermines the foundation of legal operations, squeezes the space for law-abiding operators, weakens market regulatory mechanisms, and exposes consumers to high-risk environments. This meeting is a crucial step towards strengthening global coordination and cooperation."
ECA Chairman Lambaart further pointed out, "Illegal gambling in Europe has reached a critical level, especially as almost none of the 27 EU member states are spared. It is no longer a problem that can be solved by a single regulatory body. Governments, EU institutions, and national law enforcement agencies must work closely with licensed enterprises, otherwise this spreading trend will cause profound damage to our economies and communities."
The representatives unanimously called for global regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies to strengthen coordination, form a united front with legal gambling operators, jointly protect consumer rights, combat illegal platforms, and rebuild public trust in the gambling market.
This roundtable not only represents the industry's collective response to the issue of illegal gambling but also heralds a new phase of transnational compliance and crackdown on the black market gradually unfolding.
