Cyprus Advances Regulated Betting Oversight with B2B Licensing Reforms and Public Health Strategy
TL;DR — Cyprus regulated betting turnover topped €1.3bn in 2025, up 8%. Trisokkas detailed a public health approach keeping problem gambling at 3% and proposed B2B supplier licensing described as long overdue. He voiced reservations on an EU 1% GGR tax, preferring pan-European self-exclusion and regulatory cooperation.
Panagiotis Trisokkas, President of the Cypriot National Betting Authority, detailed the state of regulated betting in the Republic of Cyprus in an interview with SBC News. The sector recorded more than €1.3bn (£1.1bn) in turnover for 2025, an 8% increase from 2024. Online betting holds the largest share while retail remains key for employment and the economy.
The market functions under the Betting Law of 2019, which sets a licensing framework centered on transparency, integrity and consumer safeguards. Licensed operators pay 10% tax on net betting revenue plus a 5% statutory contribution, directing 4% to Cypriot sport and 1% to youth protection and gambling harm programs. Online casino games stay prohibited.
Public Health Strategy Keeps Problem Gambling Rates Low
A national prevalence study found around 70% of adults gambled in the prior 12 months, yet only 3% showed moderate-risk or problem gambling. Trisokkas stated that regulation alone is never enough and outlined the Authority’s Safer Gambling Strategy, which treats harm as a public health matter. This requires prevention, education, early intervention and support services involving government, operators, healthcare professionals, educators, researchers and civil society.
The approach has helped sustain low harm levels relative to high participation. Trisokkas stressed that responsibility is shared and the objective is responsible growth alongside reduced harm through evidence-based policies.
B2B Licensing and EU Taxation Reservations
The density of B2B gambling technology firms in Cyprus raises regulatory responsibilities around technical expertise, ownership visibility and cross-market activities. Proposed legislation will create a dedicated licensing regime for B2B suppliers, a reform that Trisokkas tells us has been “long overdue.” The regime is intended to be proportionate, efficient and frictionless for legitimate businesses while building confidence in Cyprus-based suppliers.
On the proposal by Victor Negrescu for an EU-wide 1% of GGR tax on gambling, Trisokkas noted that taxation is a Member State competence requiring Council unanimity. He raised the risk that higher legal operating costs could push consumers toward illegal operators, undermining consumer protection goals. Revenues, he added, should fund prevention, education, research, treatment and support. Trisokkas favors stronger cross-border regulatory cooperation, including a pan-European self-exclusion framework, over additional sector taxation. He expects discussions at the SBC Summit in Lisbon from 29 September-1 October to shift toward practical solutions on AI, digital identity, financial crime and intelligence-led enforcement.
This evolution marks an inflection point where proportionate B2B oversight converges with public health priorities. Client-partners should track how Cyprus implements the new regime, as it may offer a workable model that sustains market integrity without erecting unnecessary barriers.
Reporting: SBC News
Cyprus is proving you can grow a regulated market and keep harm low—if you treat it like public health, not just compliance.
We work in 30+ markets, and Cyprus is doing something rare: 8% growth, 70% adult participation, yet only 3% problem gambling. That public health model—prevention, early intervention, shared responsibility—works. Now they're finally tackling B2B supplier oversight, which matters because half the tech powering global betting sits in Limassol. This is regulatory maturity catching up to market reality.
- €1.3bn turnover in 2025, up 8%; 10% tax on NBR plus 5% statutory contribution funds sport and harm prevention
- Public health strategy keeps problem gambling at 3% despite 70% adult participation—shared responsibility across stakeholders
- B2B supplier licensing reform incoming; Trisokkas opposes EU 1% GGR tax, backs pan-European self-exclusion and cooperation instead
SCCG angle: SCCG has deep relationships across European regulators and B2B suppliers in Cyprus and beyond. If you're a platform or provider navigating this B2B licensing shift—or an operator evaluating Cyprus alongside other EU hubs—we connect you to the right legal, compliance, and commercial partners who know how these frameworks actually work on the ground.