Negrescu: A European tax on online gambling could bring billions for education

The MEP said that the idea is gaining more and more support at the European Union level and targets one of the most dynamic digital industries in Europe.

„The online gambling market is one of the fastest growing digital industries, generating tens of billions of euros annually. However, a significant part of these profits escapes fair taxation, and the rules remain fragmented at European level,” he said.

His proposal provides for a European contribution applied on top of existing national taxes on turnover, a directive against illegal platforms and a uniform application of the rules to avoid distortions and unfair tax competition.

According to the estimates cited, the measure could generate between 2 and 4 billion euros annually, “which would mean up to approximately 28 billion euros over the duration of the future long-term European budget”.

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“It is a question of fairness. This industry benefits fully from the single market, the European digital infrastructure and cross-border access, but it still operates under uneven rules and with an insufficient level of control. Europe needs its own credible resources. These funds could go directly to education, skills training, prevention, addiction treatment and mental health. If we want a Union that invests in people and in the future, we must have the courage to rethink the sources of financing”, Negrescu also declared.

Two bills to combat gambling addiction were adopted on Monday in the plenary session of the Senate. The first bill provides for raising the minimum age for access to gambling from 18 to 21 years. The second project introduces rules for advertising: eliminating online gambling advertisements between 6:00 and 24:00, as in audiovisual, and completely banning the use of public figures in their promotion, regardless of the platform. The projects were initiated by Diana Stoica and Raluca Turcan, along with MPs from USR, PNL, UDMR and PSD.