New measures to strengthen the fight against gambling addiction in Europe

Preventing gambling addiction is one of the most pressing issues in the gambling industry. Although its scale is often exaggerated by populists, for thousands of players, gambling addiction remains the factor that turns the game from entertainment to addiction. Modern technologies also make it easier to spread, which means that regulators have to find new, more modern methods of combating gambling addiction, particularly in the online segment. The most interesting and progressive in this regard is the experience of European countries where gambling is legalised.

On the one hand, the development of online gambling creates new opportunities for gambling businesses and players, and on the other hand, it makes access to gambling virtually unlimited, allowing anyone to play anywhere and everywhere. This is often abused by illegal operators who use any method to attract players to their platforms. At the same time, they ignore any regulatory restrictions, including player verification, limiting the volume and number of bets, etc. This leads to the spread of gambling addiction, as illegal operators are interested in uncontrolled spending by players.

Such a situation requires regulators to respond quickly, as in countries where gambling is legalised, they are tasked with combating the spread of gambling addiction. In this context, it is interesting to take a look at the initiatives that European countries have recently introduced.

1. Financial limits on the first deposit. From 31 October 2025, the British national regulator UKGC will require casinos to introduce financial limits on the first deposit.

2. Betting limits for players. Since October 2024, the Netherlands has introduced limits on gambling bets: €300 per month for players aged 18-25 and €700 for others. Although the number of players losing more than €1,000 has decreased from 4% to 1%, at the same time, bets on illegal platforms have increased to 50%. This again suggests that if restrictions are imposed on legal organisers, it should always be remembered that illegal operators can take advantage of them, and this should be avoided.

3.Limit on monthly deposit replenishment depending on the amount of income. The Romanian government plans to set a monthly limit for replenishment of online casino accounts - no more than 10% of the official income of players.

Although on a small scale, the problem of gambling addiction exists in Ukraine. As of 01.03.2025, 12807 people were included in the Register of persons with restricted access to gambling facilities and/or participation in gambling, which, according to the most pessimistic estimates, is approximately 0.92% of the total number of potential gamblers in Ukraine.

Even with such a small number of gambling addicts, Ukraine has introduced mechanisms aimed at reducing the rate of its spread. These mechanisms are partly similar to those described above. However, it is worth continuing to monitor the effectiveness of the measures currently being implemented in the EU. After all, the Western gambling market is more developed, which means that the trends that are emerging there today, including in the regulatory environment, will be relevant for the Ukrainian market in the near future.