The illicit online gambling market is huge. The European Casino Association, for example, estimates that the illicit market accounts for over 70 percent of the online European market alone.
And within this unregulated nexus, online casino scams are expanding rapidly across borders, exploiting gaps in digital regulation and targeting financially vulnerable populations.
According to international law enforcement agencies, such as Interpol, fraudulent online gambling platforms–often called “scambling” sites–now form part of a broader ecosystem of transnational cybercrime, often linked to organised money-laundering networks.
Ding Ding
While this is a global trend, one community has recently been hit particularly hard: First Nations communities in Australia.
Referred to by locals as “ding ding” or “scambling”, fake online casino and iGaming platforms have been geo-targeting Indigenous users through social media advertising and smartphone gambling interfaces.
These platforms typically encourage rapid deposits before disappearing or blocking withdrawals.
Australia’s national ABC News found that in the first six months of 2025 alone, more than 400 First Nations individuals reported AUS$2.8 million (£1.47m) in losses to Scamwatch, operated by the National Anti-Scam Centre.
Money Mules
Incidents specifically categorized as “scambling” accounted for roughly AUS$373,000 (£197,050) – a massive increase of nearly 800 percent from the previous year.
And financial crime experts warn the real figures are likely much higher.
As with many forms of gambling-related harm, stigma and fear of judgement discourage many victims from reporting or seeking help.
According to the Australian Government’s financial intelligence agency, AUSTRAC, investigators working with their Fintel Alliance have also identified cases linked to scambling in which unknowing victims were also unwittingly recruited as ‘money mules’, helping move illicit funds through their personal accounts.
Cybersecurity analysts note that scam operators increasingly deploy geo-targeted advertising and culturally-tailored messaging.
Fake Casino
Research by Forcepoint, a U.S.-origin data security firm, documented similar fake casino campaigns across Southeast Asia and parts of Turkey.
These operations often focus on communities experiencing financial precarity or limited access to regulated financial services.
Aboriginal Community leaders in Australia are calling for a coordinated response from banks, regulators, and digital platforms.
Alexander Price-Busch, a financial counsellor with the Queensland-based Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network said: “One of the worst examples was a client who received a redress payment and in a mixture of them depositing money onto the site, as well as the access that the site had to their bank.
“Essentially their entire redress payment was siphoned out.”
Spreading Like Wildfire
Lynda Edwards of Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) said that “scambling is spreading like wildfire [among Indigenous Peoples]
“You have people putting in significant amounts of money to chase a win and even if they get that, they might not be able to withdraw it, which doubles the pain and frustration they are already experiencing.” she said.
iCasino sites and real-money iPoker (‘Pokies’) sites are illegal in Australia.
But many of these illicit gambling platforms are offshore, thereby operating outside national regulatory frameworks; so recovering lost funds remains extremely difficult.
Geo-Targeting
Local organizations report rising demand for emergency financial assistance and food support: The impact extends well beyond individual financial loss. It is causing wide-spread social harm within First-Nations communities.
The Australian case highlights a growing regulatory challenge for the global iGaming market: Scammers are no longer just targeting jurisdictions, they are now targeting specific peoples.
And as geo-targeting tools become more sophisticated, the intersection between iGambling, financial crime, and social inequality is likely to emerge as a defining policy issue worldwide.
