EU considers new taxes on online gambling, cryptocurrencies and Big Tech: a plan worth €11bn a year
The European Commission is looking at fast-growing digital sectors to identify new sources of funding for the EU budget. Among the options currently being studied in Brussels are new forms of taxation involving online gambling, major technology platforms and the cryptocurrency market.
The discussion forms part of the complex negotiations over the European Union’s next multiannual financial framework, the seven-year budget that will cover the period from 2028 to 2034. The aim of the European institutions is to identify new “own resources”, meaning direct revenues capable of reducing pressure on national contributions from Member States and helping to repay the debt incurred to finance the post-pandemic recovery programme Next Generation EU.
According to preliminary estimates circulated among Member States and reported by several European sources, the package of new tax measures could generate up to almost €11 billion in additional revenue each year. The political discussion, however, remains open, and any final decision will require a delicate balance between budgetary needs, market competitiveness and the fiscal autonomy of individual countries.
Online gambling tax: 3% European levy proposed
One of the most debated issues in the iGaming industry concerns the possible introduction of a European tax on online gambling. The Commission is reportedly analysing a model based on a levy equal to 3% of the sector’s net revenue, a measure that, according to simulations, could provide around €1.9 billion per year in the period from 2028 to 2034.
The issue is particularly sensitive because the European digital gambling market continues to be marked by significant regulatory fragmentation. At present, there is no harmonised tax framework at EU level: each Member State retains its own powers over gambling regulation, licensing and the definition of the tax rates applied to operators.
This lack of uniformity is one of the main technical difficulties highlighted in the European debate. The absence of a shared definition of online gambling and the presence of very different tax models make it difficult to create a single system applicable to the entire EU market.
Among the options being assessed are several application criteria: a contribution calculated on operators’ margins, a tax on revenue generated by gambling activities, or indirect mechanisms linked to user participation.
The issue does not concern tax revenue alone. For Brussels, the online gambling sector is an increasingly cross-border industry, which has grown thanks to digitalisation and the integration of the European single market. For this reason, some European institutions support the need for a greater contribution from operators that benefit from the EU’s digital infrastructure.
European digital tax: advertising, data and online services
Alongside iGaming, another focus of the plan concerns major digital platforms. The European Commission is assessing a possible EU digital tax inspired by models already adopted by some Member States, including Italy, France and Spain.
The proposal envisages a 3% tax on revenue from specific digital activities, such as online advertising, digital brokerage services and the commercial use of data generated by users.
According to preliminary assessments, a measure of this type could generate around €5 billion per year for the EU budget.
The debate over taxation of major technology groups has been open for years and mainly concerns the relationship between the economic value generated by global platforms and their effective tax contribution in the markets in which they operate. However, a European tax on digital activities could face political and diplomatic resistance, especially in light of the predominance of major international technology companies.
Crypto taxes: transactions and capital gains
The third pillar of the new resources being analysed by Brussels concerns the cryptocurrency and digital asset sector. The growth of the crypto market and the gradual European regulation of the sector have created speculation on the possibility of introducing new tax instruments.
The two main options would be a tax on cryptocurrency transactions or a tax on capital gains generated by investments in crypto-assets.
In the first scenario, a 0.1% levy on the value of transactions could generate, according to the estimates under consideration, between €3 billion and €4 billion per year. The second option, based instead on the taxation of investors’ gains, would have more limited potential, with expected revenue of between €1 billion and €2.4 billion per year.
The possible introduction of a European cryptocurrency tax would come at a time when the European Union is seeking to build a more structured regulatory framework for digital assets, balancing technological innovation, investor protection and control of financial risks.
Brussels and Member States continue talks
The new European taxes on online gambling, digital platforms and cryptocurrency are, for now, only proposals under assessment. Approval of the European Union’s new own resources requires a complex institutional process and the consent of all Member States.
The European Parliament has already supported the need to identify new sources of revenue for the next 2028 to 2034 budget, noting that digitalised and fast-growing sectors could contribute more to the financing of the EU’s common priorities.
The European Commission, for its part, sees the new resources as a fundamental tool to support the future EU budget without excessively increasing the burden on national governments. The next financial framework will have to address several challenges, from repayment of the debt linked to Next Generation EU to strategic investments in the coming years.
For the iGaming sector, as well as for fintech and the crypto industry, the discussion will be decisive. A new European tax framework could change the balance of the market, introducing greater coordination among Member States, but also new costs for operators and investors.
The final direction will be defined in the next negotiations, with the political objective of reaching an agreement on the future European budget by the end of 2026. Until then, online gambling, digital platforms and cryptocurrency will remain at the centre of one of the most important tax discussions for the European digital economy in the coming years.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 2 June 2026.
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