EGBA Calls for Stricter Payment Controls Against Illegal Gambling in Europe

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has filed a complaint after investigating illegal gambling websites and apps targeting European consumers. The filing points to test transactions suggesting that Walletto services were used to facilitate deposits on several of these platforms, which turns this from a compliance footnote into a payments-chain issue.

1. The complaint is based on an EGBA investigation into illegal gambling websites and apps aimed at European consumers. According to the association, test transactions carried out during the investigation produced evidence indicating that Walletto services were used to process deposits on multiple illegal platforms.
2. EGBA’s point is not really about one provider. It argues that illegal gambling operators cannot scale without access to payment systems, because they rely on the same payment methods and card networks consumers use every day. As long as they can accept deposits and process transactions, they can keep operating outside EU licensing regimes and outside national regulatory oversight.
3. The association says illegal platforms do not offer the safeguards required of regulated operators. That means no strict identity checks, no responsible gambling tools, no anti-money laundering controls, and no guarantee that winnings will be paid. With no effective identity verification, minors and self-excluded players can access these sites without friction.
4. Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, said payment service providers should not be allowed to process transactions for illegal gambling operators. He also said card schemes have a crucial role in fighting illegal transactions because they set the rules for these payment networks and can see transaction flows that nobody else can see.
5. In Latvia, the Licensed Gambling Association of Latvia (LLAB) is pushing for tighter pressure on illegal gambling as well. LLAB CEO Līga Līce said licensed operators in Latvia want all available tools used to combat the shadow economy in the sector and restrict illegal websites as much as possible, including payment restrictions under the existing regulatory framework.

For PSPs, acquirers, and card networks, the practical takeaway is simple: illegal gambling enforcement is not only a licensing question, it is a payment-routing question. The weakest point is often not the website itself but the chain between PSPs, acquirers, and card schemes that lets deposits move in the first place.