Illegal online gambling may have cost Portugal €118 million in tax in 2025
The Portuguese State may have failed to collect around €118 million in tax on bets placed through unlicensed online gambling platforms during 2025. The figure is an estimate by the Portuguese Association of Online Betting and Gambling (APAJO) and does not represent an officially determined tax loss calculated by the Tax and Customs Authority.
According to data from the Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service, the regulated online market paid €353 million to the State through Online Gambling Special Tax in 2025. Licensed activity recorded betting turnover of more than €23 billion during the same period.
Estimated loss equivalent to one-third of tax collected
The €118 million figure cited by APAJO represents approximately one-third of the tax revenue generated by legal online gambling in 2025. The association calculated the amount based on its minimum estimate of the share of revenue held by illegal operators, assuming that activity was distributed in a similar way to the regulated market.
The organisation believes the scale of the problem did not decline compared with the previous year. For 2024, it estimated a tax loss of €100 million, while the State collected around €300 million in tax associated with betting turnover of approximately €20 billion.
Study points to continued use of unlicensed platforms
A study of online gambling habits conducted by Aximage for APAJO indicated that 40% of participants identified unlicensed brands among the platforms they used in 2026. An additional analysis suggested that a further 8% may have used illegal operators not included in the list presented to respondents.
The association also noted that users of these platforms tend to spend more each month on online games and betting. These figures support the assessment that the lost tax revenue was at least similar to the amount estimated for the previous year.
Advertising and payments remain under scrutiny
The promotion of unlicensed operators, including through digital influencers, remains one of the regulated sector’s main concerns. In a monitoring campaign conducted during the FIFA World Cup, APAJO verified 500 cases of advertising for illegal gambling over 39 days.
Of that total, 131 cases involved posts by 34 influencers. The association also warned about the promotion of rapid payments through Portuguese and international methods, arguing that blocking financial flows is one of the measures needed to limit illegal activity.
Tackling the issue requires coordination between several entities
In June 2026, Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida said that online gambling turnover was around €24 billion and acknowledged that illegal activity could reach a similar scale. The minister called for a coordinated and determined response from the relevant authorities.
APAJO recognises signs of greater coordination by the State, but believes action needs to be strengthened in three areas: access to platforms, payment methods and advertising. In Portugal, only operators authorised by the Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service may legally provide online games and betting.
- Strengthen the blocking of access to illegal platforms.
- Prevent payments to operators without a Portuguese licence.
- Monitor advertising and promotion carried out by influencers.
- Inform players about the risks of using unregulated services.
Illegal operators leave players without national protection
Platforms without a Portuguese licence are outside the national rules governing consumer protection, responsible gambling and technical supervision. Their users do not receive the same safeguards that apply to regulated operators, particularly in relation to the security of funds, complaints and self-exclusion mechanisms.
Before creating an account or depositing money, players should check whether the brand appears on the up-to-date list of entities licensed in Portugal. The existence of a foreign authorisation does not replace the licence required to offer online games and betting in the Portuguese market.