Lawmakers continue to mull EU gambling levy
The proposal for a pan-EU tax on gambling revenues will be debated by the EU Budget Committee.
Belgium.- Lawmakers in Brussels are beginning to more seriously consider a proposal for a European Union gambling levy. While any implementation remains very distant, the EU Budget Committee is scheduled to debate the measure on May 27 in a session to be chaired by Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin.
The proposal was introduced in February by Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu, who is vice president of the European Parliament and a member of the Budget Committee. He proposes the introduction of a 1 per cent charge on an operator’s gambling revenue across all EU member states. That would be in addition to the domestic regimes of each individual country.
The EU’s Socialists and Democrats group has endorsed the plan, arguing that such a levy could generate between €2bn and €4bn a year for health, education and youth programmes. That could mean up to €28bn over the EU’s seven‑year budget cycle. Supporters believe this would align with efforts to secure financing for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) covering 2028–2034, a package projected at €2tn.
However, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), which represents licensed online gambling operators in the bloc, has criticised the proposal as “unworkable”.
Secretary General Maaten Haijer said: “Gambling is currently not harmonised at EU level and there is no legal basis to define, administer or collect such a levy. Setting aside these legal obstacles, adding yet another levy on top of existing national taxes – in a sector where licensed operators in some Member States are already taxed at rates exceeding 50 per cent of gross gaming revenue – would only have one winner: illegal operators.”
He added: “Because they pay no tax, illegal operators can already offer players more attractive products and prices without any of the consumer safeguards that licensed operators provide. Adding an EU levy would make this situation even worse: expanding the black market, harming consumer protection for EU citizens, and reducing overall tax revenues for Member States.”
