One of the European betting industry’s key technology players predicts that the UK, France, Italy and Germany could lose their spots as some of the continent’s leading gambling markets.
DATA.BET, a Cyprus-based provider of sports and esports betting solutions, has taken note of the higher taxation rates in effect across Europe in its outlook for 2026, predicting that there will be a change in the ‘balance of power’ in the industry.
It’s certainly true that taxes in particular are expected to have a huge impact on the industry this year – an observation made not just by DATA.BET but also by various major gambling PLCs like Flutter Entertainment, Entain, evoke, Betsson and more.
In its 2025 Sportsbook Report, DATA.BET cited the extent of the British, Italian, French and German markets, pointing to revenue figures of €30.8bn (£26.7m), €25.5bn, €18.8bn and €17.8bn from each respective nation.
However, betting in the UK, France and Germany is now subject to some hefty taxes, such as the recently imposed Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) of 40% (up from 21%) in the former. Italy, meanwhile, has a comparatively favourable tax regime but also possesses strict regulations around things like marketing.
These conditions may lead to a changing of the guard, DATA.BET believes, asserting that “as newly introduced legislation and tightening tax policies reshape the operating environment, the regional balance of power is unlikely to remain unchanged”.
DATA.BET, like all stakeholders in the European betting space, is factoring the tax and regulatory conditions on the continent into its forward planning.
The company is focusing on infrastructure reliability, risk management, and expanding its product ecosystem and content coverage to help boost engagement, moving to set up a bulwark against the abovementioned challenges.
It’s not all about tax
It seems that for the past year, taxation was all anybody in iGaming could talk about. It certainly seemed like this in SBC News’ home nation of the UK throughout the summer and autumn as the industry braced for HM Treasury’s budget in November 2025.
DATA.BET has observed factors other than tax which it believes will define the industry in 2026, however. The firm believes there is an ongoing transition towards mobile-first consumption of betting products and content, driven by 5G adoption.
It also foresees further convergence between gaming and betting audiences, particularly driven by esports; a shift towards operational speed, stability and scale as opposed to technicality; and an increasingly important role for low-tier and semi-pro tournaments, which occur more frequently than major tier-one events.
So, with all these factors to consider, how does DATA.BET stand in 2026?
The firm has reported a 55% increase in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2025, driven by a 105% increase in monthly active users and 82% increase in daily active users. It has also expanded its client network, with the number of fully integrated partners up by over 200%.
“We believe that transparency builds trust and moves the whole industry forward,” said Yurii Berest, Chief Executive Officer of DATA.BET.
“At DATA.BET sits at the core of everything we do, and this report reflects that. With the addition of sports betting last year, we want to show how our product continues to evolve and improve, and how we help operators grow their revenue through betting that works.”
