Polish Gambling Industry Bodies Oppose Proposed EU-Wide Gambling Tax

^{Poland's legal gambling operators published their joint statement as EU lawmakers weigh new revenue sources for the 2028-2034 budget. (Photo: Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose / Wikimedia Commons)}

Four organisations representing Poland's licensed gambling and betting operators issued a joint statement on 17 September 2026 opposing a proposed European Union-wide tax on gambling services, published in full by the Polish trade outlet interplay.pl.

The statement responds to an ongoing EU-level debate over new sources of funding for the bloc's 2028-2034 budget, which includes a proposal to tax online gambling and betting services. In the statement, the Polish operators said they "firmly oppose the introduction of another fiscal burden that would not be paired with guarantees of fair competition."

Original Budget Package Did Not Include a Gambling Levy

The statement notes that the European Commission's original package of proposals for the EU's 2028-2034 budget, presented in July 2025, did not list a gambling tax among its five main proposed new "own resources." The European Parliament, however, has since actively promoted an internet gambling and betting levy as a potential additional source of budget revenue, with its position confirmed at a May 2026 plenary vote.

The four Polish organisations argue that any EU-wide fiscal harmonisation of the gambling sector needs to be paired with equally harmonised, transparent and non-discriminatory market rules, rather than layering a new tax onto a patchwork of national regimes.

"Discussion of additional taxation of the gambling sector cannot be conducted in isolation from the real problems of its functioning, in particular the scale of the grey market and the differences between the conditions faced by legal operators and their illegal competitors," the statement reads.

Illegal Market Concerns Take Centre Stage

The Polish industry's position echoes arguments already made by licensed operators elsewhere in the EU, who warn that new taxes risk widening the price gap with unlicensed, offshore competitors that pay no local duties at all. The Dutch market has run into similar arguments as its regulator works through a multi-year licence renewal programme, underscoring how national regulators across Europe are managing the same tension between raising revenue and containing illegal supply.

The Netherlands' regulator has also faced pressure over how quickly it can process licence renewals against that grey-market backdrop, a reminder that enforcement capacity, not just tax policy, shapes how much of a market stays licensed.

An EU gambling levy is not part of the European Commission's formal budget package and remains, for now, a position pushed primarily by the Parliament rather than an agreed policy. EU officials have said a final decision on new budget revenue sources, including whether gambling taxation is included, is expected before the end of 2026.

What Comes Next

Negotiations over the EU's 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework are continuing, with member states, the Commission and the Parliament still to reconcile their positions. Poland's Prime Minister has previously voiced support for an EU-level gambling levy as a budget contribution, putting the government's stance at odds with its own domestic industry's position, published in full here, as the debate heads toward a decision.