Online Gambling Regulation in Europe: Legislation, Trends, & Crypto Future

The European Union – and Europe in general – is one of the most vibrant online gambling markets anywhere in the world. It has been growing steadily over the years, generating a solid €123.4 billion in 2024 in the EU alone.

Online gambling regulation in Europe is also one of the world’s most diverse. It represents a complex patchwork of mostly regulated and a few unregulated markets, where every country is largely left to organize gaming activities as it sees fit.

While the crypto part of it is set to change with the gradual implementation of the MiCA Law, European nations remain largely autonomous with regard to local legislation, licensing, and setting the iGaming ground rules within their jurisdictions.

Join us as we take a sweeping look at gambling regulation on the Old Continent. We’ll look at some of the largest European regulatory frameworks, examine the rise of crypto gambling and its growing intersection with regulatory oversight, and attempt to explore where the market is heading next.

MiCA Law & Gambling with Crypto

Let’s get the cat out of the bag first. Europe is a major player in the global crypto gambling, accounting for a substantial portion of its $250 million market share, and Tether (USDT) stands out as the most widely used currency in the region. While comprehensive data is limited, several industry reports suggest that USDT accounted for approximately 50% of all cryptocurrency deposits in recent months.

However, the introduction of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) – passed in 2023 but being implemented in phases – may lead to its ban. Adopted as a legislative framework to govern crypto-assets, stablecoins, and crypto service providers across the Union, MiCA introduces strict policies for stablecoins, which must follow specific guidelines to be allowed on regulated platforms.

For crypto casinos, this means that any stablecoin not meeting MiCA’s strict standards (such as the US Dollar-backed USDT) will be banned in all 27 EU member states. When will this happen? The current roadmap suggests Q3 2025, but it could be easily delayed to 2026.

Gambling Regulation in Europe

European nations can govern online gambling for themselves, and every country allows at least one form of gambling. As a result, the continent forms a complex iGaming landscape, from state-run monopolies like Finland (until 2026), Austria, and Norway to more liberal, open markets in Malta.

We won’t delve into the details of every national framework, but rather the broader legislative trends, flag key regulatory challenges, and spotlight major jurisdictions that play an outsized role in shaping the future of Europe’s gambling ecosystem.

Online Gambling Inside the EU

The European Union doesn’t have a unified gambling law that all member states must abide by. However, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has issued several rulings, mostly upholding Article 56 of the TFEU (which protects cross-border gambling services). These rulings have since become an unwritten norm.

Likewise, the European Commission’s 2014 consumer protection guidelines for online gambling serve as a powerful guidance tool, aiming to mitigate high-risk gaming and excessive advertising.The EU’s main concern is to ensure player protection; how it’s done is left to the member states to figure out.

As things stand, online gambling is legal in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and indeed most of the countries in the region. Some nations have very specific laws, like Ireland’s ban on gambling ads between 5:30 am and 9:00 pm, while others, like Czechia, are content with imposing heavy taxes (23% to 35%).

Online Gambling Outside the EU

Similarly, each European country outside the EU has a distinct approach to online gambling. The practice is legal in the UK, as well as in Switzerland, Norway, Andorra, Austria, and a number of Eastern European countries including Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro.

The rest are either on their way to legalization or banning online gambling altogether. In these markets, where local regulation is absent or restrictive, players flock to international casinos en masse.

Crypto Gambling in Europe

How about crypto gambling? After all, isn’t that where the industry is headed?

Sure, but until MiCA comes into full effect, digital assets remain in a legal limbo in many European countries, even those that view digital assets with a sympathetic eye, such as France or Slovenia.

The majority of EU member states have either banned gaming with digital assets or the status of crypto remains unresolved. As a result, players are left to look elsewhere and invest their hard-earned BTC into the best international crypto casinos on the market.

The countries that allow gambling with virtual currencies, such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, and a few others, do so under strict regulatory policies that levy huge income tax on transactions (33% flat in Belgium). Even there, casinos choose to stay on the safe side, and very few feature cryptocurrencies as a payment method.

The only outlier is Malta, which is by and large considered a paradise for crypto gaming. Under Malta’s sandbox test of cryptocurrency regulations, operators licensed by the MGA are free to feature cryptocurrencies as payment methods. Still, the island’s crypto operators must hold a Virtual Financial Assets (VFA) licence and meet strict fund segregation and minimum capital criteria (€100,000), as well as have strong AML/KYC policies in place.

A Look into the Future

The European gambling market has a strong momentum for future growth. According to EGBA, the EU’s total gross gaming revenue for 2024 reached €123.4 billion and is on track to surpass the €150 billion mark by 2029.

At the same time, the rollout of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation introduces an element of uncertainty, particularly as it pertains to the region’s most used crypto.

Still, the industry is quick to its feet. Some platforms have already begun shifting operations away from USDT and toward USDC and Euro-backed currencies. More are expected to follow suit as regulation tightens and crypto gambling in Europe enters a new era.

Meanwhile, on the regulation front, we’re looking at a fine tango where market growth, player protection, and tech disruption all pull the dance in their direction. We’ll probably see tighter player protection guidelines and increased crackdowns on illegal casinos as countries try to accommodate the predicted market growth.

And tap that tax money amid global financial uncertainty, but that’s a story for another day.