Denmark

Denmark runs a licensed online market for casino and betting, supervised by Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority. Operators that offer gambling to Danes, or target the Danish market, need a Danish licence; the regulator treats a site as aimed at Denmark when it uses signals such as Danish language or currency, Danish-only payment cards, Danish customer service, or marketing directed at Denmark, according to its August 2026 blocking notice.

Online casino is now the country's largest gambling vertical. Spillemyndigheden's Spilmarkedet i tal 2025 report put online casino gross gaming revenue at DKK 4,309m in 2025, ahead of lotteries at DKK 3,492m. It was the first year online casino ranked first since the partial liberalisation of 2012. In 2025, 73% of all gambling took place on computers or mobile devices, up from 70% in 2024.

Regulator and licensing

Spillemyndigheden issues separate licences for online casino and for betting. A combined licence for both is also available. The online casino licence covers roulette, blackjack, baccarat, punto banco, poker, online bingo, gaming machines and combination games. A licence runs for up to five years at a time. Applicants file form 2-01 with annexes and pay an application fee. Personal statements are required from directors, board members, the Danish representative and beneficial owners, and the applicant may not owe any public debt.

Many licences expire at the end of 2026. In a February 2026 notice, the regulator set 1 September 2026 as the latest date to apply to renew a licence expiring on 31 December 2026. It said renewals take around three months once the file is complete.

The supply chain is licensed as well. From 1 January 2025, game suppliers need a Spillemyndigheden licence to supply games to licensed betting and online casino operators. Applications opened on 1 September 2024, and the updated certification programme became mandatory from 1 July 2025.

Enforcement against unlicensed sites runs through court-ordered DNS blocking. In 2025 the regulator had 334 websites blocked through the district court, according to its illegal gambling report for 2025. It also signed an agreement with Teleindustrien that allows mirror sites to be blocked without a new court order once a court has already ruled on the content.

Key rules for affiliates

Licensed operators must comply with both the Gambling Act and the Danish Marketing Practices Act. Spillemyndigheden's marketing page sets out the core duties under § 36 of the Gambling Act:

• The chance of winning must be presented in a correct and balanced way.
• Gambling must be presented as entertainment.
• Marketing must not be aimed at under-18s, either in its content or in its choice of media.
• Celebrities must not be used to suggest, contrary to the truth, that gambling contributed to their success.
• Marketing must not suggest that gambling solves financial problems or brings social acceptance.

Breaches of § 36 can be punished with fines.

Bonus marketing is tightly specified. A promotional offer may not be worth more than DKK 1,000. Wagering requirements are capped at 10 times, and material terms must appear at first presentation, or in special cases one click away. Operators must check ROFUS, the national self-exclusion register, before sending marketing, and push notifications can count as marketing. In July 2025 the regulator updated its guidance on information duties (version 3.0) and on sales promotions (version 5.0). The update included definitions of boosted odds and gaming challenges.

Promoting unlicensed brands carries risk for publishers and creators. In 2023 a streamer accepted a DKK 10,000 fine for advertising an unlicensed provider on Twitch, after Spillemyndigheden reported the case to the police. The Consumer Ombudsman, the Gambling Advertising Board and Spillemyndigheden also coordinate their interventions against illegal gambling marketing.

Recent changes

• 1 July 2024: An amendment to the Gambling Act gave Spillemyndigheden powers to issue orders and reprimands. Before this, it could only warn a licence holder or report it to the police. Fines and guilty verdicts for breaches found after 1 July 2024 must be published for five years.

• 22 August 2024: A court ruling led to 79 sites being blocked, including skin-betting sites that accepted Roblox currency.

• 1 January 2025: The supplier licence requirement took effect.

• 26 June 2025: A court ruling blocked 178 sites, the largest single blocking case since 2012.

• 24 October 2025: A broad political agreement, "Spilpakke 1", was reached. It includes an extended whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling ads, from 10 minutes before to 10 minutes after sporting events, and regulation of influencers.

• 25 February 2026: Bill L 127 was tabled to implement parts of Spilpakke 1. It proposed:

  • no gambling ads on TV and streaming during live sport;
  • no use of people under 25 in gambling ads;
  • liability for anyone who advertises gambling, including partners and influencers;
  • powers to block ads for unlicensed gambling.

  It proposed entry into force on 1 July 2026, with some provisions applying from 1 January 2027. The Folketing's open data lists L 127 as lapsed ("Bortfaldet") after its first reading on 17 March 2026.

• 8 July 2026: A court ruling blocked 98 more sites, bringing the total blocked since 2012 to 870.

• July 2026: Total gambling spend rose 17.2% year on year, with online casino up 22.0% and betting up 21.3%, according to monthly statistics.