Lisbon, June 8, 2026 (Lusa) - The online gambling market in Portugal is worth around €24 billion, and the illegal online gambling market could be worth “just as much”, which is “a huge amount of money circulating on online platforms”, said the minister of the economy, Manuel Castro Almeida, on Monday.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign “Not everything you see is safe gambling”, promoted by the Directorate-General for Consumers (DGC) in conjunction with the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) and the Gambling Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ) of the Portuguese Tourism Board, Castro Almeida called on the bodies involved to combat illegal online gambling "efficiently, with determination and, above all, through close cooperation".
After a proposal by the Liberal Party to amend the regulations on online gambling and betting was rejected in parliament by the PSD and CDS, the minister announced that the government will approve new legislation “this summer” “to update the rules on online gambling”.
Describing the phenomenon as “a plague”, he highlighted the need to “combat the phenomenon” through enforcement and punishment, but also through “active prevention” and “raising public awareness of the dangers of illegal gambling”.
"Illegal online gambling destroys many people, many families, and is also terrible for the economy," he noted.
He also warned that the phenomenon of illegal online gambling "is growing very fast", partly because "a sense of impunity has developed regarding all forms of digital fraud".
“That is why I am appealing to you. If you need to change the rules, suggest it. If laws need to be changed to make it easier to tackle this problem, suggest it. The government is here for that,” he added, addressing the campaign’s partners.
During the same session, the Director-General for Consumer Affairs, Jorge Seguro Sanches, explained that the campaign’s objectives include “providing consumers with more information about the risks of illegal online gambling”, a phenomenon that jeopardises “not only the economic situation, but also people’s lives”.
The National Director of the Judicial Police, Carlos Cabreiro, listed the risks of illegal online gambling, which operates through fraudulent schemes designed for identity theft, financial fraud and the dissemination of viruses for espionage and file locking, amongst other crimes he described as "serious".
The campaign, to be publicised through the digital channels of the organisations involved, also has the Judicial Police (PJ) as a partner organisation, and is intended to raise awareness of the risks associated with advertising illegal gambling, with a particular focus on young people.
During the campaign launch event, a cooperation agreement was also signed between the DGC and the PJ in the areas of consumer rights protection, the digital environment and criminal investigation, through training, the exchange of knowledge and best practices, communication and dissemination, the organisation of events and the sharing of documentary resources.
CT/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
