The Most Regulated Gambling Countries in Europe
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The most regulated gambling countries in Europe are: Germany, Italy, France, Belgium and Netherlands. About 25% of the world’s population gamble regularly and 4.2 billion people gamble occasionally.
The EU Commission has been trying to regulate the gambling market for a while. The efforts amounted to little, as no common ground was created for the industry in the region.
Poland is one of the largest gambling markets in Eastern Europe. The sector registered a EUR five billion revenue in 2020. All land-based and online casinos or sportsbooks in Poland are state-owned and managed by a company named Totalizator Sportowy. Polish players must resort to offshore platforms for any other option.
Norway's gambling activities are tightly regulated and controlled by a state monopoly. The government tried to shut down the transactions between national banks and foreign casinos in 2010, but only restricted them to debit and credit accounts. E-wallets and cryptocurrencies were left out of the ban. Many Norwegian players gamble abroad using VPNs.
The Abruzzo Decree, from 2009, has finally opened the doors for land-based casinos in Italy. Every casino, land or online, must purchase licences and renew them regularly. They must be transparent regarding fair play practises, payments, and security.
Spain has one of the most advanced gambling laws in the block. Land-based casinos have always been allowed in Spain, but online casinos were regulated in 2015. The new laws were very comprehensive, allowing both local and offshore platforms to operate in Spanish casinos.
The most regulated gambling countries in Europe are Spain, Italy and Portugal. There is a rising trend of liberalisation of the gambling market in the region.
