EU Gambling Sector Moves Toward Common AML Standards

Europe’s gambling sector is becoming more aligned on anti-money laundering requirements, but the development should not be confused with the creation of a single European gambling licence.

Gambling regulation remains primarily a national responsibility. Individual countries continue to determine which operators can enter their markets, which gambling products may be offered, how gambling activities are taxed and what requirements apply to advertising, consumer protection and player safety.

However, EU legislation is gradually creating greater consistency in one specific area: anti-money laundering (AML) compliance.

The change is being driven by the EU’s new Anti-Money Laundering Regulation rather than by a unified gambling framework.

A Common AML Standard Is Taking Shape

There is still no EU-wide gambling licence.

An operator holding a licence in one EU member state cannot automatically use it to provide gambling services throughout the bloc. Markets such as Germany, France and Sweden continue to operate their own licensing frameworks and impose individual requirements and restrictions.

The reasons for maintaining national control are well established. Gambling regulation involves areas such as consumer protection, public health, taxation and wider public policy. EU member states have therefore retained significant powers over how gambling is regulated, while European court decisions have recognised national restrictions where they pursue legitimate public-interest objectives and remain proportionate.

This has left Europe with a fragmented gambling market.

That situation remains unchanged in 2026. Finland is preparing to move toward a competitive online gambling model, with licence applications opening this year ahead of the planned market launch in July 2027. Italy has also recently concluded a new process for remote gambling concessions.

The EU’s new AML framework does not alter those national gambling systems.

Instead, it introduces greater consistency around AML obligations.

Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, known as the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation, was adopted in 2024 and is scheduled to become directly applicable throughout the EU on July 10, 2027. It is part of a broader AML package that also includes the sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive and the establishment of the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA).

For gambling operators subject to the framework, one of the main changes is that key AML requirements will rely less heavily on the way individual countries implement EU directives into domestic legislation.

Businesses covered by the regulation will need to carry out customer due diligence, verify customers, evaluate business relationships and monitor money-laundering risks.

Customer checks remain particularly important for gambling transactions of €2,000 or more, including transactions that are connected to one another.

Member states will continue to have the ability to introduce stricter requirements. Certain gambling services considered lower risk may also receive exemptions where the relevant conditions are met.

The framework therefore does not create complete harmonisation.

Instead, it establishes a shared baseline.

AMLA’s Role in Europe’s AML Framework

AMLA began operations in Frankfurt in July 2025. It is not intended to function as a European gambling regulator.

Its responsibilities include developing technical standards, coordinating national supervisory authorities and promoting a more consistent approach to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist-financing requirements.

That process is already underway.

In July 2026, AMLA completed draft standards establishing a common four-level classification system for assessing the seriousness of AML and counter-terrorist-financing breaches.

For gambling companies, an important distinction is the scope of AMLA’s direct supervisory powers. Those powers focus on a limited number of high-risk credit and financial institutions rather than gambling operators generally.

As a result, gambling businesses will largely experience the effects of the new framework through national authorities and the financial sector.

That indirect impact could still be commercially important.

Banks and payment providers serving gambling businesses will themselves operate under a more consistent European AML framework. As a result, operators active across multiple markets could increasingly encounter similar AML expectations from the financial institutions handling their transactions, even though their gambling licences remain tied to individual countries.

The scale of Europe’s gambling industry adds significance to the development. The European gambling market generated around €123.4 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2024, while online gambling accounted for almost 40% of the total.

The EU is not introducing a single regulatory framework for gambling.

Instead, it is strengthening one particular layer surrounding the sector.

For operators, national licensing requirements will therefore remain central to their market strategies, while AML compliance is developing into a separate European-wide obligation.

Europe’s gambling markets remain divided along national lines.

Its approach to money-laundering compliance is becoming increasingly aligned.