Every year, the state collects many millions of euros from betting and casinos - amounts that are expected to rise significantly in the coming years - according to an analysis of the budgets of the National Betting Authority (NBA) and the Cyprus Casino Gaming and Supervision Authority that were submitted to Parliament for approval.
Based on the data, the revenues of the NBA alone in 2026 will be higher by €9.82 million compared to 2025, due to the new agreement with OPAP Cyprus, including a provision for increased betting activity in line with the growth rate of the last three years.
The National Betting Authority's revenues
More specifically, and according to the explanatory report accompanying the budget of the National Betting Authority, the Authority’s total revenues for 2026 are estimated at €71.85 million, an increase of €15.74 million or 28.03% compared to 2025.
Of this total, €53 million relates to the tax on betting activity and certain games of chance. This tax is paid by licensed Class A and Class B operators (10% of net betting revenue).
It is noted that Class A operators refer to land-based betting, while Class B operators refer to online betting.
It is clarified that a provision of €32 million, compared to €23 million in 2025, concerns the betting tax on OPAP Cyprus’ gross profits, based on the new contract.
In addition, from the imposed fees - OPAP licence fee and OPAP supervision contribution - the NBA is expected to collect €8.2 million in 2026, compared to €7.58 million in 2025.
These fees essentially concern the granting of licences to Class A and B operators, authorised representatives and premises (€2.8 million), while a provision of €5 million concerns OPAP Cyprus’ licence fee and €0.4 million its supervision contribution, under the new agreement.
Furthermore, within 2026 the NBA is expected to collect another €10 million from the betting activity levy. As explained in the report, this amount concerns a levy by licensed Class A and Class B operators (5% of net betting revenue, of which 4% is paid to KOA and 1% remains with the Authority, to strengthen mechanisms and programmes for protecting young people and pathological gamblers). It is noted that this amount is increased by €4.3 million compared to 2025.
Also, from other revenues relating to the remaining balance of dormant accounts that Class B operators are required to transfer to the Authority, the NBA expects to collect €300,000, compared to €500,000 in 2025.
On this point, it is worth noting that according to Article 64(2) of the relevant Law, if no transaction has been recorded in a player’s account for 24 months, the licensed Class B operator transfers the remaining balance either to an account designated by the player, or - if the player cannot be located - remits the amount to the Authority.
It is highlighted that regarding the provisions of this article, on 18/12/2021 the Authority issued Directive No. 11.2020, under which Class B operators are called upon to transfer the balances of dormant accounts to the Authority.
This provision also includes revenues from the Authority’s Academy, “Professional Skills Academy,” which began operating on 17/7/2024.
Beyond the above, the NBA in 2026 is expected to collect €150,000 from administrative fines and €200,000 from remuneration for seconded staff.
According to a relevant table, the revenues of the National Betting Authority - both from the betting activity tax and from the betting activity levy - are expected to increase significantly in 2027 and 2028, as shown below.
What the Cyprus Casino Gaming and Supervision Authority will collect
As regards the Cyprus Casino Gaming and Supervision Authority, according to an explanatory note accompanying its budget, the Authority is expected within 2026 to collect more than €42 million, which will be paid directly into the Republic’s Consolidated Fund.
According to the data submitted to Parliament, APEK will collect in 2026:
• €65,000 from application fees,
• €70,000 from investigation fees,
• €34.9 million from the casino tax, and
• €7 million from the annual licence fee.
These amounts, based on the Authority’s calculations, will increase slightly in 2027 and significantly in 2028, as shown in the table below.
The budgets of the two Authorities
Regarding the budgets of the two Authorities, according to the explanatory reports accompanying them, the NBA budget for 2026 is in surplus, while the Commission's is balanced.
Specifically, the NBA budget shows a surplus of €0.32 million, with revenues and expenditures amounting to €71.85 million and €71.53 million, respectively.
For 2027–2028, the Authority’s budget remains in surplus by €0.70 million and €0.71 million, reaching €74.57 million and €77.88 million respectively.
On the other hand, the budget of the Cyprus Casino Gaming and Supervision Authority for 2026 provides for revenues of €3,682,388 and expenditures of €3,682,388 - i.e., it is balanced.
For 2027–2028, APEK’s budget remains balanced and amounts to €3,588,202 and €3,800,701 respectively.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
