Portugal’s government is preparing fresh legislation aimed at tightening oversight of online gambling and increasing pressure on unlicensed operators, as authorities respond to growing concerns about illegal betting activity and an expanding digital gaming market.

Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida announced the planned measures during the launch of a nationwide awareness initiative focused on the risks associated with unauthorized gambling platforms. The proposed legislation is expected to be introduced during the summer and will seek to modernize existing rules while strengthening enforcement tools available to regulators.

Addressing the issue, Castro Almeida described illegal gambling as “a plague” and warned that the sector continues to expand rapidly. He said the government’s approach would center on stronger supervision, tougher sanctions, prevention efforts, and greater public awareness. The minister also encouraged industry participants to contribute ideas for improving the legal framework, stating:

“If changing the law is necessary to make it easier to combat this problem, suggest it.”

Awareness Campaign Highlights Government Concerns

The announcement accompanied the launch of the “Not everything you see is safe gambling” campaign. The initiative brings together the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs (DGC), the Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE), and the Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ), which operates under Turismo de Portugal.

During the event, Castro Almeida called on the participating agencies to address illegal online gambling “efficiently, with determination and, above all, with great coordination.”

According to the minister, Portugal’s online gambling market is valued at approximately €24 billion. He indicated that illegal gambling activity may represent a substantial additional volume, although no precise figure was provided. He warned that unauthorized operations are expanding quickly and linked the trend to what he described as “the idea of impunity.”

At the same time, Portugal’s regulated online gambling sector has continued to grow. Gross gaming revenue reached €287 million during the second quarter of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.6%.

European Trends Add Pressure for Reform

Portugal’s efforts mirror broader concerns across Europe regarding the scale of unlicensed gambling activity.

A report commissioned by the European Casino Association in November 2025 estimated that illegal operators generated €80.6 billion throughout the European Union during 2024. The study concluded that this represented roughly 71% of the bloc’s online gambling market. Licensed operators generated an estimated €33.6 billion during the same period.

The report also identified more than 6,200 unlicensed gambling operators targeting consumers across EU member states. That figure marked a 26% increase compared with 2023, highlighting the continuing challenge regulators face throughout the region.

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Regulatory Changes and Enforcement Activity Continue

The forthcoming legislation follows recent political and regulatory developments in Portugal. An earlier proposal from the opposition Livre party sought amendments to the country’s online gambling framework, known as the Regime Jurídico dos Jogos e Apostas Online (RJO). However, lawmakers from the governing PSD and CDS-PP coalition voted against the proposal.

Despite rejecting those changes, parliament approved Resolution No. 161/2025, which instructed the government to strengthen consumer protection measures, combat illegal gambling, and update the RJO framework.

Regulators have also been reviewing product rules for licensed operators. In January 2026, the SRIJ opened a public consultation on proposed amendments to regulations governing fixed-odds sports betting and online slot games.

The proposed changes would formally recognize features such as bet builders and cash-out options in sports betting markets. Slot game reforms would permit controlled use of bonus-buy and bet-boost mechanics, subject to limits on stake amounts, usage frequency, and mandatory player confirmations. Turismo de Portugal’s Gaming Commission approved draft revisions during December 2025 and January 2026.

Enforcement efforts have intensified alongside those regulatory discussions. During the first quarter of 2025, SRIJ issued 54 closure notices, ordered internet service providers to block 129 websites, and referred five cases to public prosecutors.

Activity increased further in the second quarter, when authorities carried out 208 enforcement actions. These included 110 website blocking orders and 97 cease-and-desist notices directed at operators.

Since Portugal’s current online gambling framework came into force in 2015, the regulator has issued 1,522 notifications, blocked 2,501 websites, and submitted 49 cases to prosecutors.

Consumer protection measures have also expanded. In April 2026, SRIJ introduced a centralized self-exclusion system that allows individuals to exclude themselves from all licensed gambling platforms through a single process. The previous system required players to register separately with individual operators.

The number of self-excluded players increased from 309,100 at the end of the first quarter of 2025 to 326,400 by the end of the second quarter. That total was approximately 27% higher than the figure recorded a year earlier.

Source:

“Portugal plans summer legislation to curb illegal online gambling“, europeangaming.eu, June 12, 2026.