Online gambling in Europe: why unity is still far off
Europe’s long-running debate over whether the gambling sector needs unified rules has intensified in recent years, fuelled by legal disputes, growing pressure to strengthen player safeguards, and mounting frustrations with unlicensed operators. Two arguments in particular have pushed the issue up the agenda: the EU’s principle of freedom to provide services across the single market, and the practical difficulty of applying national gambling laws to online platforms that operate effortlessly across borders. Yet for Janis Ungurs, director of the Legal Department at Latvia’s Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspectorate, the EU is still far from ready for unified reform.
Speaking to SiGMA News, Ungurs warned that EU lawmakers should not rush into the idea of a single regulatory framework. “Harmonisation… I think it’s too soon to use that word at this time, because we are not close to total harmonisation,” he said.
Ungurs argued instead for a step-by-step approach rooted in practical cooperation. “We have to move forward with a deeper cooperation between regulators, between legislators, between national jurisdictions,” he added.
That cooperation, he suggested, must begin with a shared baseline of trust. “The most important issue is how we start this cooperation, and that begins with mutual agreement between all EU regulatory authorities. That can then create a level of trust so we can share information and be sure that the level of player protection is the same as in other jurisdictions.”
A fragmented landscape across the bloc
Ungurs’s position sits within a wider European discussion already dividing regulators, governments and industry groups. Malta’s Ambassador to the EU, Chris Farrugia, recently told SiGMA News that while gaming is “a vital pillar of the EU’s digital economy”, “we cannot always have a one size fits all when it comes to every specific sector,” calling instead for “targeted harmonisation” only where appropriate. He pointed to the importance of national sandboxes, consumer protection tools and proportionate regulation.
Belgium’s BAGO association, representing the country’s largest gaming operators, has taken an even firmer stance. It argues that Europe needs “a unified, outcome-driven approach to player protection” but rejects calls for a pan-European gambling licence, warning it would trigger “a race to the bottom” and undermine national standards.
In contrast, the EGBA has championed the creation of a shared European standard on gambling harm indicators, saying it would be a pragmatic step toward cross-border consistency without imposing a single regulatory regime.
Ungurs’s comments fit somewhere between these positions: supportive of shared objectives, wary of premature legislative harmonisation, and insistent that cooperation must be built on institutional respect.
Technology outpacing legislation
Ungurs also highlighted a regulatory challenge shared by nearly every EU authority: the rapid transformation of online gambling technology.
“Nowadays, gambling, especially online gambling, is driven purely by technology,” he said, pointing to the growing complexity of payments, cryptocurrencies, and emerging formats such as esports betting.
He called for clearer EU-level definitions of what counts as gambling, betting, e-gaming, or skill-based play. “This is one of the issues that I strongly believe needs to be regulated on the EU level, the common interpretation of words like gambling, e-gaming, betting, gaming, where gaming ends, where gambling starts,” he told SiGMA.
But Ungurs warned that lawmakers must also acknowledge that legislation inevitably lags behind innovation. “Law is never fully fit for this. We have to explain to politicians that it’s important to amend the laws when a problem arises. It would be very good if we could do this proactively, but in general we are just reacting,” he said.
Cooperation as the path forward
While dismissing the idea of swift harmonisation, Ungurs did address what closer cooperation could eventually look like. One possibility, he said, is linking regulatory actions across borders. “A breach of gambling regulation in another jurisdiction could be grounds to revoke the licence or cancel the licence in other jurisdictions,” he suggested.
Some EU states already explore similar mechanisms informally, particularly in anti-money-laundering supervision, where Ungurs says coordination is essential. “This is our priority. It takes a lot of our attention and a lot of our efforts,” he said, adding that regulators must be prepared through “technology, funding, staff training, and support from the politicians.”
His own country, Latvia, has taken an assertive stance against unlicensed operators: “We have a blocking system. We block every illegal webpage. We also block the financial transactions,” Ungurs said, noting that Latvia has already blacklisted “more than 3,500 blocked webpages.”
A European future, but not yet a European framework
Ungurs’s message adds another layer to Europe’s ongoing gamble over harmonisation: the drive for shared standards is growing, but political, legal and cultural obstacles remain. A common framework may come eventually, Ungurs suggests, but only once trust is built, definitions are clarified, and cooperation is already functioning in practice. Europe, however, may not be ready for harmonisation, but the challenges posed by a borderless online market are unlikely to fade.
Subscribe HERE to SiGMA’s Top 10 News countdown and SiGMA’s weekly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest iGaming News from the biggest iGaming community in the world and benefit from subscriber-only offers.
