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REGULATION
NETHERLANDS
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo and lottery. OPERATOR TYPE: Private operators can apply for licences for all gambling products except for lottery. STATUS: The Remote Gambling Act, which entered into force on 1 April 2021, set the framework for the Dutch licensing regime and market which opened on 1 October 2021. A ban on untargeted gambling advertising entered into force on 1 July 2023. On 1 October 2024, rules requiring operators to implement net monthly deposit limits(€ 300 for those aged 18 to 24 and € 700 for those aged 24 or older) took effect. If a customer wishes to deposit beyond those amounts, operators are required to carry out affordability checks before it can accept further deposits.
NORWAY
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting and lottery. OPERATOR TYPE: Online gambling is reserved for the two monopoly providers, Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. STATUS: The monopoly has extended its offering to include live betting, online bingo and casino games in an attempt to redirect traffic from unlicensed sites. The Norwegian regulator continues to step up enforcement efforts against unregulated operators, local banks and payment service providers. The government has passed amendments to try to stem the flow of gambling supply from offshore, including enhanced enforcement powers to prevent gambling advertising from abroad. Expanded payment blocking provisions entered into effect on 1 January 2020. Legislation consolidating Norway’ s various gambling laws and further strengthening the regulator’ s powers to address unlicensed gambling entered into
effect on 1 January 2023. Amendments to the Norwegian Gambling Act granting the Norwegian Gambling Authority the power to order ISPs to DNS block illegal gambling websites took effect on 1 January 2025.
POLAND
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting, casino and poker. OPERATOR TYPE: Betting licences are available for companies with a representative in Poland. Casino and poker are reserved for a state monopoly. STATUS: Legislation enacted on 1 January 2012 permits betting. Online gaming( including poker) is no longer prohibited as of 1 April 2017, although the exclusive rights to offer such products are reserved for a state monopoly. Provisions that provide for the establishment of a blacklist of unlicensed operators and ISP and payment blocking came into force on 1 July 2017.
PORTUGAL
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo and lottery. OPERATOR TYPE: Any EU / EEA operator can apply to be granted a licence for online gambling. Lottery games and land-based fixed-odds sports betting remain reserved for a monopoly. STATUS: A regulated market since 2015. Although operators can apply for licences, their Portuguese revenue streams are subject to comparatively high tax rates, particularly in sports betting.
ROMANIA
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting, casino, bingo and lottery.
OPERATOR TYPE: Any operator from an EU / EEA jurisdiction or the Swiss Confederation can apply for a licence. Lottery games remain reserved for the monopoly. STATUS: The Gambling Law( as amended) introduced a legal framework for a fully regulated online gambling market and requires licences to be held by online gambling operators, as well as software providers, payment processors, affiliates and testing labs. The secondary legislation that fully implemented the current licensing regime came into force on 26 February 2016. The gambling regulator actively polices the regime and notifies ISPs to block blacklisted websites. In March 2025, a legislative proposal was submitted to parliament that aims, among other things, to introduce a cap on deposits based on the monthly income of the account holder.
SLOVAKIA
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo and lottery. OPERATOR TYPE: Private operators can apply for licences for online casino and for sports betting licences. Lottery and bingo remain reserved for the monopoly provider. STATUS: The Gambling Law came into force on 1 March 2019. It allows private operators outside of Slovakia to apply for licences for sports betting and casino, although sports betting licences did not take effect until 1 July 2020. In July 2022, the Slovakian gambling regulator created a whitelist of websites that are run by licensed operators in Slovakia.
SLOVENIA
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo and lottery. OPERATOR TYPE: Online gambling must be operated by land-based casinos or lotteries
82 • ISSUE 138 • iGB L! VE 2025