Onling Gambling Cyprus: Is Online Casino Legal in Cyprus?

Online casino gaming, meaning slots, roulette, blackjack and live-dealer tables, is illegal in the Republic of Cyprus. 

The only form of online gambling a licensed operator may offer to players in Cyprus is sports betting, authorised by the National Betting Authority (NBA) under the Betting Law of 2019 . 

Online poker, online bingo, betting exchanges, spread betting, grey hound betting are all prohibited too.

That sits oddly next to what you can do in person. 

Between one of Europe's largest casinos, a robust retail betting network, and a state lottery, legal gambling thrives in Cyprus. 

The catch? The law draws a strict line based on the medium, not the game. While you can legally play casino games in person, playing those exact same games online remains illegal.

What Gambling Is Legal In Cyprus?

Two separate regulators run the legal market. The National Betting Authority licenses and supervises all betting, land-based and online. 

Casinos answer to a different body, the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, under the Casino Operation and Supervision Law of 2015. 

The two do not overlap.

Why Is Online Casino Banned When There Is A Huge Casino In Limassol?

The licence that built that casino only applies on the floor. City of Dreams Mediterranean, operated by Melco Resorts, opened in Limassol on July 10, 2023 as Europe's first integrated resort, with roughly 7,500 square metres of gaming space, about 1,000 slot machines and around 100 tables, plus three satellite Cyprus Casinos in Nicosia, Ayia Napa and Paphos. 

All of that runs under the casino concession, not the betting law. No equivalent framework exists for offering those games online, so any site serving casino games to Cypriot players is unlicensed by definition.

How Is Online Sports Betting Licensed And Taxed?

The National Betting Authority issues two classes of licence. Class A covers land-based betting in licensed premises, Class B covers online betting, and Class B sites must run on a .com.cy domain. 

Online casino games, slot machines, lotteries and horse-race betting are excluded from both. 

Per a Cyprus betting-licence overview, applicants need a company with at least EUR 500,000 paid-up share capital and a EUR 550,000 bank guarantee, and the licence fee is EUR 30,000 for one year or EUR 45,000 for two.

Licensed operators pay a 10% betting tax on net betting revenue plus a 5% statutory contribution, of which 4% supports Cypriot sport and 1% funds programmes for young people and people affected by gambling harm, President Panagiotis Trisokkas told SBC News in an interview published August 3, 2026. Betting companies also pay Cyprus corporate income tax, which rose to 15% from January 1, 2026 (up from 12.5%).

How Big Is The Cyprus Betting Market?

Regulated betting keeps growing, and online now leads. According to NBA figures reported in May 2026, total gross betting revenue (the amount staked) reached EUR 1.33bn in 2025, up 8% on EUR 1.22bn in 2024, while operators' actual gross gaming revenue (their net win) was EUR 161.8m for the year.

How Does Cyprus Enforce The Ban On Illegal Sites?

The National Betting Authority keeps a public blacklist of unauthorised operators and, under the 2019 law, internet providers are legally required to block those domains, with administrative fines up to EUR 100,000. 

Enforcement is active: at a January 2026 parliamentary budget hearing the National Betting Authority said it had deployed around 150 undercover inspectors posing as customers in betting shops and imposed EUR 46,000 in fines during 2025, EUR 26,000 of it for operating without the required licence.

Will Cyprus Legalise Online Casino?

Not yet, and not through the reform now on the table. Trisokkas called it a reform that is "long overdue" and "the natural evolution of our regulatory framework," telling SBC News the regime should be "proportionate, efficient and largely frictionless for legitimate businesses." 

Separately, draft bills to widen online gambling have sat in parliamentary committees since 2025 with no enactment date confirmed, so any expansion should be treated as prospective, not imminent. The NBA's own Strategic Plan 2025-2027 frames the priorities as tighter supervision, AML controls and modernising the framework.

If You Are Visiting Cyprus, What Can You Actually Play?

Tourists can bet and gamble legally in person: NBA-licensed retail and online sports betting, the OPAP lottery and numerical games, and land-based casino gaming at City of Dreams Mediterranean or its satellite casinos.

• Age: you must be 18 to bet under the Betting Law of 2019, but 21 with valid photo ID to gamble on a casino floor, which is set by the casino regulator.
• ID and KYC: online betting accounts require registration with ID, date of birth, home address and email, no cash play, and the account must be funded before a bet is placed. Casinos ask for a passport, ID card or driving licence at the door.
• Dress code: the Limassol casino runs smart casual by day and more formal attire in the evening, with closed-toe shoes required.
• What you cannot do legally: log into an online casino, slots or live-dealer site from Cyprus. Those are unlicensed, may be ISP-blocked, and sit outside any player protection.

What It Means For Gambling.com Readers

There is no legal online casino in Cyprus and no Gambling.com online-casino edition for the country, because no operator can be licensed to offer it there. 

If you are in Cyprus, the lawful, protected options are NBA-licensed sports betting and land-based casino, lottery and betting. For the industry, the story to watch is not a casino opening but the B2B supplier licence: Cyprus is a dense hub for gaming technology firms, and bringing them under direct supervision would be a notable EU-first that other regulators may copy.