Polish PM Pushes €28 Billion Gambling Levy for EU Budget

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged EU leaders on Sept. 10 to treat a proposed levy on online gambling as a serious way to fund the EU's next budget.

The plan, drafted by members of the European Parliament, would take roughly 1% of the revenue or turnover of large online gambling operators in the EU. Backers put the yield at €2 billion to €4 billion ($2.3 billion to $4.7 billion) a year, or up to €28 billion from 2028 to 2034.

Tusk Ties EU Money to Gambling and Crypto

Tusk spoke after a Visegrad Group meeting at Bratislava Castle, where four prime ministers agreed to coordinate budget positions.

He said the bloc needs more money, but that the burden should not fall on citizens, pointing to proposals on gambling, crypto-assets and digital platforms.

Let them finance it, since they earn the most, and not necessarily working people.

He spoke in Polish after the summit.

The Socialists and Democrats group said on May 20 that the levy would complement national gambling taxes and licensing, not replace them.

Malta and Licensed Operators Push Back

The European Commission costed a steeper version at 3% of net turnover, worth about €1.9 billion a year. It left gambling out of the five revenue sources it proposed in July 2025.

Secretary General Maarten Haijer of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) said on April 15 that"adding yet another levy on top of existing national taxes would only have one winner: illegal operators."

EGBA says licensed operators in some member states already pay more than 50% of gross gaming revenue, the money kept after paying winnings. Sites outside EU licensing pay nothing.

David Casa, a Maltese member of the European Parliament, said on May 21 that his party in government "would veto this without hesitation." Online gaming is more than 10% of Malta's economy.

Any new EU revenue source needs unanimous approval from all 27 member states. The Irish presidency plans to table a revised budget text in early October, and leaders take it up in Brussels on Oct. 15.

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