EGBA’s call comes shortly after news emerged that the government of the southern European country has assembled a special working group that was tasked with analyzing Portugal’s regulated online gambling market and assessing whether the current tax rules needed revision.
The working group had a month to present lawmakers with their findings, but there has not been much information about the results of the group’s review more than a month after its initiation, and it seems the review is yet to be completed.
Under Portugal’s gambling law from 2015, online sports betting services are taxed at between 8% and 16% on betting turnover, while online casino games are taxed at between 15% and 30% on gross gaming revenue.
In a new statement, EGBA’s Secretary General, Maarten Haijer, said that Portugal’s online gambling tax regime is “discriminatory because it applies a more favourable tax for some operators, whilst others have to pay a much higher tax based on a broader tax base.” Haijer went on to explain that the current tax rules have made the nation a less attractive destination for international online gaming and betting companies.
Portugal’s gambling regulator, Serviço de Regulação Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), issued the first license under the nation’s new regulatory regime in May 2016. The agency has granted 15 more licenses since then.
EGBA noted that only one of its members – French gambling group Betclic – holds a license in Portugal, but that more would be interested to enter the local market if the country moves to introduce a “non-discriminatory and better suited” tax regime.
Source: Casino News Daily
