The European Gaming and Betting Association has asked the Bank of Lithuania to intervene over Walletto, a registered payment service provider, as it pushes for tougher action against the financial plumbing that allows illegal online casinos to operate.
According to the report on the complaint, EGBA said its own investigation found signs that payments in favour of illegal gambling operators may have been processed through Walletto. The association said the issue extends beyond one company.
EGBA argued that illegal gambling sites could not operate at scale without access to bank cards, payment services and other financial instruments that Europeans use every day. As long as those platforms can keep accepting money from customers, it said, they remain outside the licensing and control of European regulators.
The association also set out the consumer risks. It said illegal sites are not bound by customer-protection rules and often lack identity checks, responsible-gambling tools, anti-money-laundering safeguards and guarantees that winnings will be paid. It added that minors and people who have self-excluded from gambling can still reach such sites.
Liga Lice, the executive director of the Latvian Licensed Gambling Association, backed stricter limits as well. She said licensed operators in Latvia support the strictest possible restrictions on illegal sites and that existing legislation already allows more effective action, including blocking financial transactions.
EGBA said international card systems also have a special responsibility because they set the rules for payment networks and hold information on the movement of funds that other market participants do not see. It called on financial regulators, banks, payment services and card operators to work together to cut illegal casinos off from money sent by European users.
The wider backdrop is a fast-growing online gambling market: a 2024 UNLV report said the sector was worth $50 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $100 billion in 2026, with payment systems now ranging from banks and mobile transfers to prepaid cards and e-wallets.
The report framed the push as part of a broader shift in Europe away from blocking websites and towards targeting the financial infrastructure that keeps illegal operators in business. It said that if EGBA’s proposals were implemented, it would become significantly harder for players to transfer money to illegal online casinos.
