Ireland's EU Budget Draft Scraps Proposed Online Gambling Levy

The text EU leaders take up on Oct. 15 keeps new taxes on tobacco, e-waste and big companies, but not the 1% charge on online operators that Parliament's center-left backed.

Francis Gable

13/10/26 · 2 minOctober 13, 2026 · 2 min read

Ireland left a proposed EU-wide levy on online gambling out of its draft of the bloc's 2028-2034 budget, which it published on Oct. 10.

The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament wanted a charge of around 1% on the revenue or turnover of large online gambling and betting operators. It projected €2 billion to €4 billion ($2.3 billion to $4.7 billion) a year.

The draft is the text EU leaders will work from on Oct. 15 and 16. Getting the levy back in now takes the agreement of all 27 governments, and Malta, where online gaming is more than 10% of the economy, has opposed it.

Ireland Keeps Other New Taxes

Ireland holds the EU Council presidency and chairs the talks between governments. Its package keeps the European Commission's proposed EU taxes on tobacco, electronic waste and the turnover of large companies, and says the mix could raise €55 billion ($64 billion) a year.

The draft also leaves out Parliament's two other ideas, a digital services levy and a tax on crypto-asset gains. Thomas Byrne, Ireland's European affairs minister, said each new tax had to win unanimity, raise substantial money and be ready by Jan. 1, 2028, according to Euronews.

"It wasn't clear to us, either on the funds question, or that there could be deliverable on the 1st of January, 2028," Byrne said.

Parliament's Negotiators Reject the Draft

Parliament's lead budget negotiators said in a joint statement that the draft "cannot be the starting point for an agreement." Danuše Nerudová, one of its two negotiators on EU revenue, said they were "very disappointed that none of Parliament's proposals were taken on board."

The European Gaming and Betting Association, a trade group for licensed operators, opposed the levy from the start. FairGambling covered the levy fight and a Maltese veto threat when Poland's prime minister backed the plan in September.

After the Brussels summit, the final budget still needs every government's approval and a majority vote in Parliament, and European Council President António Costa wants a deal by the end of 2026.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.