Online gambling in Cyprus: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Cyprus?

The Betting Law 37(I)/2019 lets the National Betting Authority (NBA) issue Class A licences for betting shops and Class B licences for online betting, defined to exclude slot machines, online casino games and electronic horse racing. Articles 83 to 87 expressly prohibit slot machines, online casino games, betting exchanges, spread bets and dog racing bets. Casino gaming is governed separately by the Casino Operations and Control Law of 2015, under which one integrated casino resort licence (City of Dreams Mediterranean, Limassol) and up to four satellite casinos operate land-based; that law does not cover online gaming. Online bookmakers pay a 10% betting tax plus a 5% contribution on net revenue since a December 2024 amendment, and the licensed betting market turned over €1.33 billion in 2025.

Partially regulated: Some verticals are licensed (usually betting); others are prohibited or unaddressed.

Who regulates gambling in Cyprus?

• National Betting Authority (NBA) — Licenses and supervises Class A (land-based) and Class B (online) bookmakers, enforces player-protection regulations, maintains the blacklist of illegal websites blocked by ISPs and collects betting tax and contributions
• Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission (CGC) — Regulates the integrated casino resort and its satellite casinos under the Casino Operations and Control Law of 2015; land-based casino gaming only

Cyprus gambling licence: how it works

A Class B bookmaker's licence authorizes online betting on sports and other events involving human actors, but not casino games, slots, poker, exchanges or horse racing. The applicant must be a company registered in Cyprus, or a foreign company with a Cyprus branch, with paid-up share capital of at least €500,000 and a bank guarantee of €550,000 running six months beyond the licence term. The NBA vets shareholders up to ultimate beneficial owners, directors and financial standing, reviews the betting terms and technical platform, and requires connection to its reporting systems. Licences are issued for one or two years and are renewable; 13 Class B and six Class A operators were active at the end of 2025. Online casino has no licence route for anyone, including the casino resort operator.

What an applicant needs

• Cyprus-registered company or Cyprus branch of a foreign company
• Paid-up share capital of at least €500,000
• Bank guarantee of €550,000 valid until six months after licence expiry
• Fit-and-proper review of shareholders, UBOs and directors; audited accounts and three-year business plan
• Betting terms, odds and platform documentation approved by the NBA; data access for supervision
• Player-protection, anti-money-laundering and advertising code compliance

Gambling taxes in Cyprus

• Operators: Betting tax of 10% of net betting revenue (stakes less winnings paid) plus a contribution of 5% of net revenue since Law 162(I)/2024 (previously 3%), of which 4% supports sport and 1% funds protection of young and vulnerable players; corporate income tax applies separately.
• Players: None on betting winnings.
• Also: The casino resort pays casino tax under the 2015 law and its licence terms. Lottery revenue accrues to the state lottery.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Permitted for licensed bookmakers under the NBA Code of Advertising: no targeting of minors, no misleading claims, mandatory responsible-gambling messaging; advertising of unlicensed operators is an offence.

Responsible gaming

NBA regulations on protection of players, minors and pathological gamblers: self-exclusion, deposit and loss limits, time-outs and information on help services; contributions from the 1% levy fund prevention programs.

Identity and age verification

Age 18. Identity verification before betting, one account per player, and payments only through instruments in the player's name; third-party payment instruments lead to forfeiture of winnings.

Payments

Cards, bank transfer and e-wallets through credit, payment or e-money institutions authorized in Cyprus or the EU/EEA; cryptoassets are not among the permitted payment methods. The NBA blacklist of illegal sites held 22,009 domains at the end of 2025 and ISPs must block them.

Notable restrictions

• Online casino games, slots and poker are prohibited (Betting Law articles 83–84)
• Betting exchanges, spread betting and dog racing bets are prohibited
• Online horse race betting excluded from Class B licences
• Casino gaming is land-based only under the single resort licence and its satellites
• Lotteries reserved to the state lottery
• Payments only via authorized payment institutions and accounts in the player's name

Cyprus iGaming market: size, players and payments

NBA data: total gross betting revenue (turnover) of about €1.33 billion in 2025, up 8%, with fourth-quarter turnover of €395.5 million of which €301.5 million came from Class B online operators; fourth-quarter gross gaming revenue after winnings was about €47.4 million.

Online betting grew 27% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025 while retail grew 9%; 467 licensed betting premises employed 1,556 people.

Thirteen Class B online bookmakers and six Class A retail operators at the end of 2025; the casino segment is a single-licensee market operated by Melco's City of Dreams Mediterranean with satellite casinos in Nicosia, Larnaca, Paphos and Ayia Napa.

Timeline: how Cyprus got here

1. 2012-07Betting Law of 2012 creates the National Betting Authority and Class A and B licences
2. 2015-07Casino Operations and Control Law authorizes one integrated casino resort and satellite casinos, land-based only
3. 2019Betting Law 37(I)/2019 replaces the 2012 law, keeping the online casino prohibition
4. 2023-07City of Dreams Mediterranean opens in Limassol
5. 2024-12Law 162(I)/2024 raises the betting contribution from 3% to 5% of net revenue
6. 2026-05NBA reports 2025 betting turnover of €1.33 billion, online-led growth

Outlook

No legislation to legalize online casino games was pending as of September 2026; Cyprus and France remain the EU members without a licensed online casino product. Expect the NBA to keep expanding its blacklist and to refine player-protection rules, while the contribution increase of 2024 funds sport and prevention. Any move to allow the casino resort online would require a new law and was not announced.

Launching in Cyprus with GameBridge

Turnkey (your licence, our platform). A Class B licence is held by the operator's Cyprus company, so a Cypriot sportsbook brand runs on GameBridge under that licence with casino verticals disabled; GameBridge holds no Cyprus licence and geo-excludes Cyprus from casino content.

A Cyprus deployment is configured as a sportsbook-only product: English site language with Greek content supplied by the operator, a euro wallet, card and bank rails through authorized institutions, and geo-controls limited to the Republic's government-controlled areas. Casino, live casino, poker and exchange products are switched off for Cypriot traffic. The compliance layer implements NBA player-protection rules, single-account and own-name payment checks, and reporting formats for betting tax and the 5% contribution. Brands without a Class B licence keep Cyprus on their geo-exclusion list for all verticals.

• Sportsbook-only configuration with casino verticals geo-disabled
• Euro wallet with authorized card and bank rails
• Single-account and own-name payment enforcement
• Deposit and loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion
• Betting tax and contribution reporting
• Cyprus geo-excluded for casino across all GameBridge brands

Cyprus is a football-led betting market with strong in-play demand; GameBridge's sportsbook module is the relevant product, and no casino catalog or GameBridge Studios content is served to Cypriot players.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

• Fees for Class A and B bookmaker licences — National Betting Authority, accessed 2026-09-11
• The Betting Law of 2019 (Law 37(I)/2019), English translation — National Betting Authority, accessed 2026-09-11
• Application to renew a Class B bookmaker's licence (requirements) — National Betting Authority, accessed 2026-09-11
• Ο περί Στοιχημάτων (Τροποποιητικός) Νόμος του 2024, Ν. 162(Ι)/2024 — CyLaw, accessed 2026-09-11
• Cyprus betting revenue hits €1.33 billion for 2025 as sector expands — Cyprus Mail, accessed 2026-09-11
• The Cyprus Gaming Commission — Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, accessed 2026-09-11

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.