Europe is progressing swiftly towards complete multi-licensing for online gambling

Over the past few years, Europe has undergone a notable evolution in online gambling regulation. Just a decade and a half ago, the scene was markedly distinct. Many European nations either had no specific regulations for online gambling or adhered to exclusive rights models, granting sole privileges to state-owned entities for offering online gambling services.

But fast forward to today and the situation has evolved significantly. A new analysis[ by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) concludes that the multi-licensing model  has become the predominant regulatory approach in Europe. Under this model, multiple companies are permitted to offer online gambling services within a country, provided they comply with strict regulatory obligations.

Key findings of the analysis:

• 27 out of 31 European countries have adopted some form of multi-licensing, indicating a robust trend towards open, competitive markets.
• Four countries currently do not have any form of multi-licensing: Finland, Iceland, and Norway maintain exclusive rights models, granting state-owned entities a monopoly over all online gambling services, while Luxembourg lacks dedicated regulations for online gambling.
• Of the 27 countries with multi-licensing, 23 countries have a full multi-licensing model for all regulated online gambling products in those countries.
• Four countries have a mixed model with partial multi-licensing: Slovenia and Switzerland each have a monopoly for online sports betting, while Austria and Poland each have a monopoly for online casino gaming and poker, with multi-licensing for all other online gambling products.
• Cyprus (casino gaming and poker) and France (casino gaming) each impose product-specific prohibitions but both have multi-licensing for all other regulated online gambling products.
• Finland is currently undergoing legislative reforms, and is expected to establish a multi-licensing framework for online gambling in 2026.