The nine operators that make up the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) reported combined online gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €18.0 billion in 2025, up 34% on the previous year, according to the association’s Annual Activity Report 2026.
EGBA attributes the increase to two things: a larger membership after Tipico joined during the year, and organic growth across its existing operators. Together, the group’s members account for around 30% of Europe’s online gambling GGR, which makes the figures a useful proxy for the direction of the wider regulated market.
Stakes and customer numbers climb
The volume of betting rose faster than revenue. The number of online stakes placed grew 40% to 248.7 billion, while their total value rose 28% to €275.3 billion. Customer winnings reached €257.3 billion, up 27%.
The average stake fell 9%, from €1.21 to €1.11. EGBA links the drop to a wider shift towards higher-frequency, lower-value betting, a pattern that shows up across regulated online markets as live and in-play products take a larger share of activity.
Active online customer accounts grew 13% to 43.8 million. The aggregate return-to-player rate eased to 93.4%, from 93.7% in 2024, a fall of 0.3 percentage points.
Members held 401 online gambling licences across 22 European jurisdictions at the end of the year, up 25% from 321 in 2024. EGBA also reported €3.8 billion in tax paid to European economies, a 2024 figure it says is the first it has tracked comprehensively.
Safer gambling programme expands
The report frames the fifth European Safer Gambling Week, held 17 to 23 November 2025, as its largest to date. It drew 221 partners from 24 countries, a 14% increase on 2024, with a social media reach of 4.1 million people, up 32%. The week ran 23 events with 4,000 registrations and 120 speakers, and for the first time carried safer gambling messaging at live televised football matches in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece and Italy.
European Safer Gambling Week 2025 was the biggest and most impactful edition yet. The record participation demonstrates that safe and sustainable gambling is a key priority for our sector, with more than 220 organisations uniting in a collective commitment to enhance player protection.
That assessment came from Barry Magee, director of communications at EGBA. The report also points to the approval of EN 18144, described as the first European standard on markers of harm for online gambling, by the European Committee for Standardisation in September 2025. The standard, an EGBA initiative launched in 2022, sets out nine core behavioural indicators and was formally published in May 2026.
Court win and Finland’s monopoly ends
EGBA reports a legal result in October 2025, when the Court of Justice of the European Union dismissed the Netherlands’ appeal in a long-running state aid dispute and ruled in the association’s favour. The case dates back to EGBA’s original complaint to the European Commission in 2016. As a result, the Commission is now required to open a formal investigation into whether the Netherlands’ 2014 extension of gambling licences, granted without a competitive tender, amounted to illegal state aid. Questions over how national courts and EU law interact on gambling have run through several cases this year.
Separately, Finland’s parliament voted in January 2026 to end the country’s online gambling monopoly, with 95% of members in favour. The multi-licensing framework takes effect on 1 July 2027, making Finland the last EU country to move away from a fully exclusive system. The shift continues a trend seen elsewhere, including Austria’s move to open its own monopoly to competition.
In Europe, governments have concluded that public policy objectives, particularly related to consumer protection, are more effectively met through well-regulated online competition fostered by multi-licensing.
That comment came from Maarten Haijer, secretary general of EGBA.
Membership and staffing
Tipico joined as EGBA’s ninth full operator member during the year, alongside bet365, Betsson Group, Entain, evoke, FDJ United, Flutter, LeoVegas and Super Technologies, several of which feature among the sector’s largest companies by revenue. Yaspa joined as an associate member in July 2025, adding to associate members Aircash and Sumsub. The secretariat also grew, with Pierre Tournier joining as senior director, Irina Kubinschi as senior manager of EU affairs and Zeïneb Haouachi as manager of EU affairs.
With multi-licensing set to cover every EU member state once Finland’s market opens in 2027, EGBA’s 2026 figures point to a regulated online sector that is still growing on revenue and account numbers while its members absorb tighter anti-money laundering scrutiny and a new European harm-markers standard. The next report will show whether the 34% jump reflects a durable trend or a one-off boost from a larger membership.
Source: European Gaming and Betting Association
