Efforts to combat illegal gambling are advancing to a new level

The gambling industry is developing rapidly, especially in the online space, where digital technologies open up new opportunities for gambling organisers, but also create a favourable environment for illegal gambling. Therefore, the fight against illegal gambling is becoming a global challenge that requires a comprehensive approach, adaptation to technological changes, and cooperation between government regulators, IT companies, and international organisations.

With the proliferation of digital technologies, the gambling market is actively moving to the online space, where illegal platforms take advantage of anonymity, cryptocurrencies, and social networks to attract users. According to The Business Research Company, the global iGaming market will reach $618.69 billion in 2025, but a significant share of this market is accounted for by illegal operations that avoid licensing and taxation. Illegal sites often operate through offshore accounts, use cryptocurrencies (primarily Bitcoin and Ethereum) for transactions, and actively advertise on social media, making them difficult to detect and block.

To counter these challenges, countries around the world are implementing innovative approaches that combine technological, regulatory, and social measures. In particular, Argentina is restricting access to gambling websites via public Wi-Fi networks. For this purpose, enhanced authorisation, identification, and verification procedures (KYC – Know Your Customer) are used, which require confirmation of age and identity before accessing platforms. Public Wi-Fi providers are required to block illegal websites using filters based on blacklists provided by the regulator. This approach reduces the accessibility of illegal platforms in public places, such as cafes or libraries, where minors are often present. The Argentine experience demonstrates the importance of cooperation between regulators and ISPs to limit access to illegal content.

In Indonesia, where gambling is prohibited by law, the government is taking drastic measures to combat illegal online gambling through the use of financial supervision tools. In 2024, 26,000 bank and electronic accounts were blocked due to suspicious online gambling transactions identified through the monitoring of financial transactions using artificial intelligence systems. Indonesia demonstrates the effectiveness of combining financial monitoring and technological solutions to combat illegal gambling.

In the United States, where gambling regulation is decentralised and depends on the laws of individual states, illegal websites are multiplying twice as fast as licensed ones (+64% vs. +36% as of 2024). More than 80% of users see ads for illegal platforms, which often operate through offshore companies and use cryptocurrencies for transactions. To combat these challenges, the United States is working to regulate cryptocurrencies, impose restrictions on the use of offshore companies for the registration of gambling business organisers, and require IT giants to strengthen advertising moderation to limit the promotion of illegal sites in search engines and social networks. The US experience shows that the decentralised model of countering illegal gambling requires coordination at different levels: between the federal centre and the states; directly between the states; and between the federal centre, states, and IT companies.

Ukraine's national regulator, the PlayCity agency, cooperates with IT giants such as Meta to fight illegal gambling. For example, PlayCity and Meta block Instagram accounts of bloggers who advertised illegal online casinos through stories, showing fake "winnings" and leaving active links to banned sites. AI helps to identify such activities of influencers.

As seen from these examples, the fight against illegal gambling is reaching a new level through comprehensive measures that combine technological, regulatory, and social tools. The success of this effort depends on the ability to adapt to technological changes and to strengthen international cooperation.