Estonia Plans Non-Voluntary Gambling Exclusion Mechanisms in 2027 Gambling Act Review

Estonia’s Ministry of Finance will review the Gambling Act next year to reform self-exclusion rules. The planned changes would allow third parties to add individuals to the gambling exclusion list in defined cases, with updates expected to take effect by mid-2027.

Currently, placement on the list requires a voluntary written application specifying an exclusion period of six months to three years. The Ministry of Finance argues that gambling addiction often prevents self-exclusion, leaving family members to bear the consequences. Operators must block access to restricted gaming types or refund losses while the player returns winnings.

As reported by Focus Gaming News, Rainer Osanik, head of financial information policy at the ministry, stated: “No one else can currently add them to the list, but family members of a gambling addict often suffer. The system should allow a person to be added to the list on certain additional grounds, either at the initiative of a family member or by court order. Estonian law does not currently allow this. We will now begin analysing how this could be done.”

Self-Exclusion Numbers Show Steady Growth

Registrations on Estonia’s gambling self-exclusion list have risen from 17,203 people in 2023 to around 21,000 today. Current active restrictions total 20,628 for games of chance, 9,767 for sports betting and 5,968 for lottery products. Sports betting restrictions have increased by 348 since January. Jekaterina Nikitina, head of the excise department at the Tax and Customs Board, said the rise demonstrates that “people are increasingly aware of the player protection mechanisms we have. These mechanisms work very well; otherwise, players would not use them.”

Estonia collected €61m in gambling taxes last year. The government is reducing the remote gaming tax rate from 6 per cent to 4 per cent from 2029.

Where the Risk Lies for Operators

The proposed shift creates new compliance demands. Licensees must ready systems for family-initiated or court-ordered exclusions or face mandatory refunds that directly hit margins. In over thirty years as a securities and gaming attorney, I see this as a structural shift that removes autonomy in severe addiction cases but layers fresh operational risk onto operators already navigating refund mechanics and access controls. Client-partners should map these changes into existing player protection frameworks now rather than after mid-2027 implementation.

Reporting: Focus Gaming News