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If you live or plan on visiting Europe this year, some nations are more friendly towards gambling than others.
Malta is still considered the epicenter of online casino gambling and sports betting in the European Union with 304 licensed firms last year, down from 338 in 2022.
That downward trend can be attributed more towards consolidation and other licensing hubs - such as Curacao and Anjouan - stealing some of Malta's thunder. Curacao and Anjouan licensed online casinos like Tikal Casino provide for less restrictive platforms whereas countries like the United Kingdom have cracked the whip - mostly on operators - in recent years. While this evolution may be impacting operators the most, rest assured that they'll be passing down the negative outcomes to consumers in the form of less enticing odds and limited bonus offerings. Hence the reason upwards of 40% of gamblers in some nations opt to play with so-called "grey market" online casinos.
What the Heck Happened in the UK?
When Gambling911.com first entered the realm of the gambling sector way back in the year 2000, the United Kingdom was akin to the "Wild West" of gambling, at least when it came to sports betting. One could find a bookmaker on virtually every block and television ads proliferated the airwaves much as they do in the US today. Now the UK is among the most stifling.
The UK is raising remote gambling duty dramatically — from 21% to 40% in April 2026 — and introducing a new 25% duty on remote betting from 2027.
Operators won't just suck this all up. Consumers will end up paying one way or another....unless they opt to go elsewhere, which we note above appears to be the case in many regions.
The government here clearly believes the gambling sector can absorb a tax increase. Most analysts believe they can't.
Currently, some private data analysts believe that roughly 9% of online gamblers in the UK play with sites that are not regulated in the country. That number will almost certainly climb if customers are asked to pay fees to cover the tax increases.
Don't think for a second that won't happen.
In the United States, Illinois gambling sites implemented "transaction fees" after that state elected to impose a 25-cent “privilege” tax on wagering licensees for each mobile or online bet up to 20,000,000 bets and 50 cents on each bet after that.
Other states see this as a brilliant idea despite a 4th straight month of declining bet counts in The Land of Lincoln. Arizona is looking to impose a 45% tiered tax on sports betting, up from 10%.
UK regulators appear oblivious to what is going on elsewhere or simply do not care.
Restrictive Markets Means More "Grey Area" Online Casino Gambling
Figures out of France suggest that the 'grey area" here contributed ~5.4m players in 2025 and about €2bn GGR.
The reason? Online casinos are not explicitly regulated in France, unlike sports betting and horse racing.
Germany’s regulated product has been criticized as unattractive/restrictive, thus resulting in a surge of black market sites inundating the market here.
And in The Netherlands, tighter player-protection rules and deposit limits have resulted in "grey area" casino sites overtaking licensed play on certain measures/periods.
Poland's gambling monopoly has resulted in nearly 40% of residence opting to patronize black market sites.
Cyprus Making Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons
The island nation's gambling sector has been in the news of late.
An ongoing police investigation in Cyprus into a criminal syndicate that allegedly used an office in an illegal casino in the bi-communal village of Pyla as a "torture chamber", resulting in bad press for that nation.
A raid on the underground casino yielded various forensic evidence for scientific testing, including 25 videos showing the torture of at least seven people inside the illegal Pyla casino. The videos were discovered on the phone of an individual who was already being held on a shooting charge.
Cyprus also opted not to renew the gaming license of a long-established brand owned by Lazaros Philippou, a prominent Cypriot businessman who is currently in police custody. He is being held following a shooting incident last month. Court filings have also linked him to investigations involving extortion and violent enforcement tactics.
The crackdown in Cyprus is likely to continue in 2026. One can certainly argue it is necessary.
The Rise in VPN Usage Means Greater Access to a Wide Range of Online Gambling Sites
Virtual Private Networks are becoming increasingly more popular in the wake of privacy concerns and certain country's attempts to crack down on the online gambling sector.
Germany, France, and other EU states show rising but still modest VPN adoption compared with the Netherlands and the UK. The Netherlands, in particular, has seen VPN usage rates rise sharply, by 21.8%.
This is one trend casino operators are monitoring closely.
Pay Attention to Crypto Too
Countries like Ukraine and Turkey have embraced cryptocurrencies. With online casinos doing the same, this is truly a match made in Heaven.
The Lira volatility and inflation in Turkey has pushed citizens toward Bitcoin & stablecoins.
Online casino gambling in Ukraine still remains popular despite the ongoing war.
Germany's strong regulatory clarity and institutional acceptance has lead to more cryptocurrency usage in online casinos here while The Netherlands tech-savvy population has resulted in a strong fintech infrastructure and more cryptocurrency usage.
Still the Most Gambling-Friendly Nations Per Capita...And Least Friendly
Countries with High Casinos per Capita in Europe include the following:
North Macedonia – There is approximately one casino for every ~295,000 people due to a small population paired with multiple casino venues.
Slovenia – Has around 10 casinos with approximately one casino for every ~200,000 residents.
Estonia – There is one casino per ~221,000 people.
France – The most total casinos in Europe (around 200) but with a significantly larger population than the aforementioned nations. It has approximately one casino 335,000 person.
And the least number of casinos per capita in Europe?
Finland has just two main casinos. In fact, the Nordic nations of Sweden and Denmark each rank among the lowest when it comes to casinos per capita.
There was a time in the early 2000's when Denmark prospered as a nation that embraced online casino gambling, most notably a result of extensive press pertaining to bonus offerings that at the time did not include rollover or "play through" requirements. Danes were quick to take advantage of these promos, leading some sites to implement prohibitive measures or outright banning residents of Denmark from partaking in bonus options. Danes were also winning big in these pioneering web casinos.
Another of the Nordic countries, Iceland, does not have any land-based casinos. Norway doesn't have traditional casinos either.
Norway previously banned traditional slot machines and replaced them with state-controlled video lottery terminals (VLTs) operated by Norsk Tipping.
Albania banned most gambling operations in 2019.
- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com
