Roundtable: AGA, ECA, BGC agree ‘Illegal gambling is a global threat’  | Gambling Insider

Representatives from the American Gaming Association (AGA), European Casino Association (ECA) and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) sent a shared message of tackling the illegal gaming market. 

Key points:

– Following a MOU signed between the AGA, ECA and BGC last October, execs from the three bodies sat down at a roundtable at the IAGA Conference in Berlin to discuss the global threat of grey markets

– The roundtable was chaired by Gambling Anti-Money Laundering Group Chair Keith Bristow

The IAGA Conference in Berlin on 10 June 2025 hosted a roundtable on the topic of the gaming black market. 

Chaired by Keith Bristow, others on the panel included American Gaming Association President Bill Miller and European Casino Association (ECA) Chairman Erwin Van Lambaart, as well as Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) CEO Grainne Hurst. 

The panel follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the three agencies last October, with the three committing to tackle illegal gaming, undertake joint research and bring together staff to share their knowledge.  

During the roundtable, Hurst said: “It was a privilege and honour to address this Enforcement Roundtable and hear from my fellow CEO’s who lead trade bodies in Europe and America. 

“The growing, unsafe, illegal gambling black market poses a shared challenge to all our members, and their millions of customers. 

“These illegal operators do not pay tax, do not support sport and don’t care about player protection measures. Instead, they target those vulnerable to harm, hurt the economy and threaten regulated businesses.”  

This sentiment was carried by both Miller and Lambaart. Miller stated: “Illegal gambling is a global threat that undermines consumer protections, siphons revenue from legal operators who follow the rules and jeopardises the integrity of our regulated markets. This roundtable marks an important step toward stronger global collaboration.  

“Together, we’re sending a clear message: The legal gaming industry stands united with regulators and law enforcement in confronting the illegal market and protecting consumers worldwide.” 

Laambart also noted that “illegal gambling has reached crisis levels across all 27 EU member states,” and added that “regulators, governments, EU institutions and national enforcement bodies must unite with the licensed industry to combat this growing threat before more damage is done to our economies and communities.”