Ireland Omits EU-Wide Online Gambling Tax From Draft Budget

^{The European Parliament / © Shutterstock}

Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, has not included a proposed EU-wide tax on online gambling in its draft of the bloc’s long-term budget for 2028–2034. This is according to a document published on the Council’s official website.

The tax had previously been proposed by the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament. The proposal called for a 1% levy on the revenues or turnover of gambling operators, on top of existing national taxes.

According to estimates from the proposal’s supporters, the measure could generate €2 billion to €4 billion annually.

The funds would be used to support education, youth programs, mental health services, and gambling addiction prevention.

The proposal faced opposition from the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the Maltese government. Malta is home to many international gambling companies, and its authorities argue that gambling taxation should remain the responsibility of individual EU member states.

Instead, the document presented by Ireland outlines five other potential sources of revenue for the EU budget:

• Contributions from large companies with annual turnover exceeding €100 million.
• Revenue from tobacco-related levies.
• Contributions from EU member states based on uncollected electronic waste, including old mobile phones and computers.
• Revenue from carbon emission allowance auctions.
• A carbon border levy on imported goods with high embedded greenhouse gas emissions.

The document remains preliminary. The EU’s long-term budget requires approval from all 27 member states and the European Parliament. As a result, the proposed online gambling tax could still return to the negotiating table as discussions continue.