Casino Regulations
| Status | Regulated. Land-based casinos are subject to local licensing. |
| Games Permitted |
According to Section 14(1) of the Gambling Act, casinos may offer the following games:
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| Regulatory Authority | Danish Gambling Authority(Spillemyndigheden) |
| Authorised Operators | The list of licensees can be found on the regulator’s website. |
| Licensing and Costs |
According to the regulator’s website, applications are currently not being accepted and the number of licences is limited to seven. Licences for land-based casinos can be granted for up to ten years (Section 14(2), Gambling Act). An applicant must be established in Denmark or in any other EU or EEA country, or be approved by the regulator, or have a representative resident in Denmark (Section 27, Gambling Act). A licence to operate a casino in Denmark can only be provided to someone who has not been convicted of a criminal offence that makes it possible that the person will abuse their access to gambling (Section 26(4), Gambling Act). Section 29 of the Gambling Act states: “Permission to offer and arrange games can only be granted to applicants who can be assumed to be able to engage in gambling in an economically and professionally sound manner.” The gambling authority’s guide on “financial appendices for applications” states that an application for a gambling licence must include several documents that will allow for an assessment of whether the applicant will be able to run a gambling business in a financially responsible manner. The gambling authority draws particular attention to whether:
Detailed licensing requirements can be found in Chapter 4 of the Gambling Act and on the regulator’s website. Gaming machines can be located in land-based casinos (Section 16,Gambling Act). Costs A fee dependent on a casino’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) must be paid by licensees. As of October 2025 the regulator’s website lists the annual fee amounts as follows): (DKK1 = 0.13€)
Both the application fees and the annual fees are regulated according to Section 20 of the Personal Tax Act. |
| Taxation |
Section 10(1) and (3) of the Gambling Tax Act states the tax amounts to 45 percent of gross gaming revenue (GGR) less the value of the gaming tokens in the trunk* and an additional fee of 30 percent of the part of the GGR less the value of gaming tokens in the trunk that exceeds DKK3,656,300 (2010 level). A “trunk” is a special container at gaming tables where players can put chips in as tips or gratuities for the gaming venue staff. Section 10(2) of the Gambling Tax Act also provides that “when holding tournaments, the taxable amount may not be less than 4 percent of the total deposits in the tournaments”. |
| Taxation of Players’ Winnings | Pursuant to Section 1(3) of the Gambling Tax Act, “winnings from games covered by this act are not included in the calculation of taxable income. The same applies to winnings won in games that correspond to the games covered by this act and that are offered or arranged in another EU or EEA country and are permitted in that country.” |
| Player Credit | According to Section 35 of the Gambling Act, licensees may not extend credit to players for participation in gambling activities. |
Cardrooms
Land-based poker tournaments can be organised subject to a licence granted by the Danish Gambling Authority. The application fee is DKK1,000 and the licence is valid for a maximum of two years. More information is available on the Danish Gambling Authority’s website and in the Poker Act.
Poker can also be offered online under a casino licence. For more information, please refer to the Online Gambling section of this report.
Regulatory Framework
Other relevant gambling legislation can be found on the Danish Gambling Authority’s website.
Online Gambling
Casinos
Betting
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
Data Protection
Advertising
Relevant Contacts
Danish Gambling Authority(Spillemyndigheden)
Email:mail@spillemyndigheden.dk
Tel: +45 72 38 79 13
AML Regulator
Money Laundering Secretariat (National enhed for Særlig Kriminalitet (NSK)) is a unit within the Public Prosecutor for Special Economic and International Crime (Statsadvokaten for
Email: SSK@ankl.dk
Tel: +45 72 68 90 00
Data Protection Authority
Data Protection Agency(Datatilsynet)
Email:dt@datatilsynet.dk
Tel: +45 33 19 32 00
Advertising Regulator
Danish Gambling Authority(Spillemyndigheden)
Email:mail@spillemyndigheden.dk
Tel: +45 72 38 79 13