EGBA report: European online GGR hits €18bn as AML and safer gambling efforts intensify

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has published its 2025 Annual Activity Report, revealing that its nine operator members collectively generated €18bn in online gross gaming revenue (GGR), a 34% year-on-year increase. The members, estimated to represent roughly 30% of Europe’s regulated online gambling market, took €275.3bn in total wagers (up 28%) and held 401 licences across 22 jurisdictions, a 25% rise from the end of 2024.

Casino games accounted for 48% of total GGR, sports betting for 46%, poker for 3%, and other verticals (including bingo, virtual sports, esports and event betting) for 3%. Within sports betting, pre-match wagers made up 63% of sports GGR. Customer winnings climbed 27% to €257.3bn, though the aggregate return-to-player (RTP) rate edged down from 93.7% to 93.4%, helping the industry margin rise from 6.3% to 6.6%.

AML and regulatory engagement

The report details the association’s involvement with the European Union’s new anti-money laundering framework, which came into force as the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) began operations in Frankfurt on 1 July 2025. “We actively engaged with AMLA to ensure the online gambling sector has a voice in the discussions shaping the EU’s new AML framework,” said Dr. Ekaterina Hartmann, EGBA Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs. She added that “achieving a proportionate, risk-based framework with consistent interpretation across Member States will be essential to ensuring the new AML framework works in practice.”

EGBA members completed their second annual reporting cycle under the association’s industry AML guidelines, with revisions scheduled to begin in 2027. The association also encouraged non-member operators to adopt the guidelines, “demonstrating our sector’s collective commitment to financial crime prevention.”

Safer gambling and sustainability milestones

The fifth European Safer Gambling Week in 2025 drew 221 partners from 24 countries (up 14% from 2024), and its social media campaign reached 4.1 million people, a 32% increase. For the first time, safer gambling messages aired during live televised football matches in Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Greece. Barry Magee, EGBA Director of Communications, said the participation showed that “safe and sustainable gambling is a key priority for the sector, with more than 220 organisations uniting in a collective commitment to enhance player protection.”

The association launched the website safergambling.eu, providing country-specific helplines and self-exclusion resources. Also during the year, the first European standard on markers of harm for online gambling (EN 18144) was approved, an initiative EGBA proposed in 2022. The standard identifies nine core behavioural markers operators can use to detect risky gambling patterns early. Additionally, a Responsible Influencer Marketing Pledge was introduced with the European Advertising Standards Alliance. The Annual Sustainability Report 2025 included, for the first time, data on members’ tax contributions to European economies.

Membership and board developments

EGBA’s membership expanded to nine full operator members during 2025 with the addition of Tipico, joining Bet365, Entain, Betsson Group, Evoke, FDJ United, Flutter, LeoVegas and Super Technologies. Yaspa joined as an associate member, and the secretariat team added three staff across policy, regulatory affairs and EU institutional engagement.

Super Technologies, which had joined EGBA in October 2024, recently took a seat on the association’s Board of Directors. Borut Petek, Super’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, said: “Joining the EGBA Board is an important milestone for Super. More importantly, it reflects our belief that a strong and trusted industry can only thrive within a robust and well-functioning regulatory framework.” He noted that Europe “has the opportunity to set the global benchmark for a well-regulated gambling and betting market” through close operator–regulator cooperation.

EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer described the year as “a landmark year for EGBA in several respects,” citing the most impactful Safer Gambling Week to date, the approval of the harm markers standard, new influencer marketing standards, and continued AML progress. He added that Finland’s transition to a multi-licensed market “validates our long-standing position that competitive, regulated markets are the most effective way to protect consumers and address the illegal market.”