iGaming tax and payment rules by market, 2026: the UK now takes 40%

The short answer

Online casino tax now ranges from 20% to 40% of gross gaming revenue in the main licensed markets, and the top of the range moved sharply this year: the UK doubled its Remote Gaming Duty to 40% on 1 April 2026, and the Netherlands raised its rate to 37.8% on 1 January. Payment rules differ just as much. For an operator, both change what a bank sees when it reads your accounts.

• UK Remote Gaming Duty: 21% to 40% from 1 April 2026.
• Netherlands: 30.5% in 2024, 34.2% in 2025, 37.8% in 2026.
• 51 of the 83 business account providers on Finzil whose published lists name gambling refuse it with no exception for licensed operators (October 2026).

Tax by market

Two things stand out. The UK is now the most expensive large market for online casino, after a decade at 15% and then 21%. And the cost is rising fastest in the markets operators chose because they were regulated, which is exactly where banks are most comfortable.

Payment rules by market

Tax decides your margin. Payment rules decide which methods your players can use, and that decides which payment providers you need.

Each rule moves volume from one rail to another. A UK operator relies on debit cards, bank transfers and open banking. A German operator has smaller, more frequent deposits. Your providers need to support the rails your markets allow, in the currencies they use.

Why your bank cares about your tax rate

A bank or e-money institution that takes on a gaming operator is betting on the operator staying solvent and licensed. The tax rate goes straight into that judgement.

• Thinner margins mean more scrutiny of your accounts. An operator that paid 21% and now pays 40% on the same revenue has much less room before it runs short. Expect providers to ask for recent management accounts, not just the last filed statements.
• Tax is a large, fixed outflow. Providers will see a big monthly or quarterly payment to the tax authority. Explain it in your application, with the amounts, so it doesn't read as an unexplained outflow.
• Reserves get recalculated. Payment providers that hold a rolling reserve against chargebacks and refunds often size it against your margin. When the margin falls, the reserve asked for can rise.
• Licence renewals matter. In the Netherlands, the first five-year licences issued when the market opened in October 2021 are now up for renewal. A provider will want to know your licence is safe before it extends credit or relaxes limits.

Our view: when your tax bill goes up, tell your providers before they work it out from your statements. A one-page note with the new rate, its effect on your margin and your plan reads very differently from a sudden drop in your balances.

Which licences providers accept

Providers don't treat licences equally, and several say so in writing. Of the 83 providers on Finzil whose published lists name gambling, 32 refuse only unlicensed or illegal gambling. Some of those narrow it further:

• Payset serves casinos, betting and online gambling regulated in the EEA or the United Kingdom.
• MultiPass serves EU-licensed gambling and refuses offshore gambling.
• Bank of Cyprus refuses online gambling not regulated in a country it approves.
• Memo Bank accepts only operators approved by France's gambling authority.

So a UK or EU licence, expensive as it now is to run, also buys access to providers that won't look at an offshore one. That trade-off belongs in any decision about where to license next.

Planning a new market

1. Check the payment rules first. If players there can't use cards or crypto, your providers need local bank transfers or instant payment schemes in that currency.
2. Confirm your providers accept the new licence before you apply for it. Ask in writing.
3. Open accounts in the currency you'll pay tax in. Finland's market, opening on 1 July 2027, will need euro flows; Sweden and Denmark need kronor.
4. Model the tax into your banking pack. Projected revenue, tax and margin per market, on one page.
5. Keep a second provider per region. A single provider changing its appetite for one market can stop your payouts there.

Finzil checks your licences, country of registration and owners against the published rules of 203 providers. Check your company.

Questions people ask

What is the UK online casino tax rate in 2026?

Remote Gaming Duty is 40% of gross gaming revenue from 1 April 2026, up from 21%. Remote betting will be taxed separately at 25% from April 2027, according to GOV.UK.

Which country has the highest online gambling tax?

Of the main licensed markets, the UK at 40% of gross gaming revenue and the Netherlands at 37.8% are the highest in 2026. Germany taxes online slots and poker at 5.3% of stakes, which can cost more than either for low-margin games.

Can UK players gamble with a credit card?

No. The Gambling Commission banned credit cards for gambling from 14 April 2020, online and offline. Debit cards, bank transfers and e-wallets funded without credit remain allowed.

Do banks accept gambling companies with a Curaçao licence?

Some do. 32 of the 83 providers on Finzil whose lists name gambling refuse only unlicensed gambling, but several of those accept only UK, EEA or other approved licences. Check each provider's wording before you apply.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Tax rates from GOV.UK and national authorities, as reported in October 2026; check current rates with your tax adviser. Provider figures from 203 profiles on Finzil, checked in October 2026, with gambling wording read by hand.