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About Crystal Catcher
A new report commissioned by Euromat, and produced by Regulus Partners and Helios, estimates that Europe’s black market has sustained a compound annual growth rate of 18% between 2019 and 2026, and will be worth up to €13 billion by the end of the year.
The report assesses black market activity across 28 European jurisdictions, including the UK, Netherlands and Germany. According to estimates across a mature black market ecosystem, 25 operators account for approximately 64% of relevant black market traffic.
Thanks to the “rapid growth of crypto currencies” and globally recognisable branding through marketing and sponsorships, this handful of operators are generating the majority of illegal gambling traffic across Europe.
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Gyeonggi Province’s Office of Education has entered into a youth gambling prevention agreement with South Korea’s Gambling Control Commission (KGCC).
A memorandum of understanding, signed on Monday, aims to tackle rising gambling exposure among schoolchildren through smartphones. The aim is to integrate preventative education with broader school-based initiatives.
The agreement was signed at Osan Seongho Middle School and links gambling prevention education with a “phone free” strategy alongside RAS education. RAS is an approach combining reading, arts and sports and is designed to occupy students’ time with structured, screen-free activities.
What is Crystal Catcher?
The Interior Ministry insisted that the crackdown on digital illegal gambling would persist as part of a broader strategy to prevent criminal proceeds being fed into the economy via banking and payment infrastructures.
Türkiye’s Law No. 7258 criminalises the operation of gambling activities without a licence. Offences are often combined with money laundering and fraud charges, amplifying legal consequences for offenders.
This latest operation forms part of an ongoing surge in Türkiye’s efforts to curb illegal betting throughout 2026.
