Gambling in the European Union countries is big business. Not only is online gambling popular in Europe, so are land based casinos. They are legal in most countries and many new ones have opened in the past few years. The Swiss Institute of Comparative law, as reported on online casino gambling Conditions, reports the three percent of EU GDP in 2003 came from gambling.  This is approximately 51 billion Euros.  This includes both online and land based gambling. This figure is probably higher now due to the growth of the gambling industry in the past several years. Europe is now targeted as one of the primary growth markets for the industry, especially since the U.S. enactment of the UIGEA sealed off the U.S. market.

In Europe the internet gambling market is comprised of state run monopolies and the private gaming sector. There are many restrictions on the private sectors. The movement now is for regulation so that the gambling experience is fair for the bettor. The nations also tax gambling and need a way to collect the taxes.  Legalized gambling with regulations results in consumer protection and tax revenues for the government. It also levels the playing field for the private sector. The attitude seems to be that the most of the current online companies are located offshore with a market that is going to keep growing.  Legalizing the restricted aspects while putting regulations in place allows EU gaming companies to develop and compete resulting in a safer environment for the consumer.