On March 5, 2026, Advocate General Rimvydas Norkus from the Court of Justice of the European Union clarified that it’s possible that authorities will be allowed to freeze the...
EU court ruling to let states ban foreign iGaming operators
The EU’s Court of Justice has ruled that member states can ban iGaming operators that hold licenses from other European jurisdictions, additionally approving players to reclaim losses that occurred during the ban.
The decision came on April 16, 2026, as a result of the case against Lottoland, which has a Malta license and was offering iGaming services to German players. The case revolved around a German player who lost money between the period of June 2019 and July 2021 and later filed a restitution claim.
The judges in Germany ruled that having an EU license doesn’t stop states from banning gambling products if they go against the specific jurisdiction’s laws. Member states will be allowed to prohibit online casino games, slot machines, and bets on lottery results if it is done for the purpose of fighting against illegal activity.
Regarding player losses, the court decided that players will be permitted to reclaim their funds, as the judges ruled that the contracts between users and operators that offered gambling products which were banned in the user’s country can be declared void. It was additionally stressed that players won’t lose the right to recover funds only because the operator had a foreign license.
The decision will become binding for courts in the EU in cases of similar complaints.
The Vice President of the European Parliament, Victor Negrescu, has proposed a harmonized tax on iGaming across all European Union countries.The measure would impose a...
