The Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) has tabled a draft of the bloc’s 2028-2034 budget that makes no mention of a 1% common tax on gambling. This is despite efforts by Romanian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) to push forward the levy.
But a late addition could still be on the horizon.
Speaking on iGaming Daily, SBC Media Editor-at-Large Ted Menmuir and SBC News Editor Ted Orme-Claye joined host Charlie Horner to unpack what the omission of the 1% tax means for European iGaming.
Both admitted to being surprised by the omission.
Menmuir had half expected Ireland to throw a spanner in the works, but warned: “It would be foolish for anyone to be popping champagne corks just yet.”
Orme-Claye pointed out that momentum had seemed to be building towards a common tax, in step with rising national levies in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK, making it feel almost inevitable.
Negrescu estimated the levy could raise as much as €28bn (£23bn) between 2028 and 2034. Orme-Claye suggested Irish policymakers may have judged it a drop in the ocean in a budget of around €1.62trn (£1.37trn), with the gap fillable from elsewhere.
Menmuir explained that the draft leans instead on member state contributions, asking net contributors such as Germany, France, Austria, Spain and Italy to lift their funding from [CONFIRM: 1% to 1.5% – Irish draft sets the overall level at 1.16% of EU gross national income; check figure and country list].
Common taxes remain on the menu, covering emissions trading, electronic waste, tobacco and the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), but not gambling. Menmuir said member states back the EU project but: “Just don’t want to be stuck with the bill.”
If a gambling levy returns, Malta is expected to be its loudest opponent. Orme-Claye noted that gaming accounts for roughly a tenth of Malta’s GDP, and that it supports most other common duties except this one.
Estonia, which is cutting its remote gambling tax from 5.5% in 2026 to 4% by 2029 in a bid to rival Malta as an iGaming hub, and Cyprus could also object.
Industry bodies such as the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) argue the levy would ultimately benefit the illegal market more than public finances.
Politics in the EU’s biggest economies adds further uncertainty. Menmuir highlighted a snap election in Spain on 29 November, 2026, a French government on the brink of collapse and the Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) influence in Germany, leaving no one sure how the budget will settle or whether it will carry into 2027.
Neither guest saw the issue going away. Orme-Claye said: “The odds are certainly stacked against the industry,” given pressure on defence, energy and agriculture spending. Menmuir said gambling taxes could resurface in year three or four of the cycle.
Menmuir closed with a challenge to the sector. Gambling remains fragmented while insurance, banking and financial services have unified frameworks, and he suggested a 1-2% EU tax could be a better outcome if it pushed national governments to lower their own rates.
Watch the full discussion here.
