Is it lawful to play at foreign casinos? The Gambling Act and the authority
Before you choose · the law, the blocks and the new rules
This is asked more often than anything else about foreign casinos, and the answer is rarely precise. Here is what the Danish Gambling Authority itself writes: who the rules reach, how the blocking works, what is new in 2026, and what it means for you as a player.
The casinos on our board of foreign casinos are licensed in Curaçao or Anjouan, not in Denmark. That raises a question most casino guides either skip or answer with a breezy «yes, perfectly lawful». It is not that simple. Here is what the Danish authorities themselves write, read on 19 September 2026.
Who the rules reach
The Danish Gambling Act requires whoever offers gambling to Danish players to hold a Danish licence from the Danish Gambling Authority. A casino licensed in Curaçao or Anjouan that addresses Danish players does not hold that licence. Seen from Denmark, that is an unlawful gambling offer.
The authority's sanctions are aimed at the operators and at those who advertise for them. The authority describes a ladder:
- An order. The operator receives an instruction from the authority to stop.
- Blocking. The authority asks the city court to have the site blocked.
- A report to the police. The operator can be reported.
Media that advertise gambling sites without a Danish licence can also be reported to the police.
On the authority's pages about unlawful gambling we found no fines or punishment aimed at players. We put it that way because it is what we were able to read, not because we hold a legal opinion about your situation. What reaches the player directly is the tax, and it is not small: winnings from casinos outside the EU/EEA are taxable personal income. The rules are in tax on winnings.
The blocks: how they work
The Danish Gambling Authority has unlawful gambling sites blocked at the Danish internet providers. The block happens in DNS after an order from the city court. Try to open a blocked site and you see a message saying it is unlawful and blocked by the authority.
The figures, from the authority itself:
| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| Gambling sites blocked since 2012 | 870 |
| Blocked in 2025 | 334 |
| Latest batch (order from Frederiksberg Court on 8 July, published 19.08.2026) | 98 sites |
Since 2025 the authority has had an agreement with Teleindustrien, so mirror sites of already blocked addresses can be blocked without a new court order. And the authority works with Google to remove unlawful gambling apps from Google Play. The list of blocked sites is published by the authority.
If you see the blocking message, that is a signal that the casino is on the authority's list. We do not describe how to get around a block, and we do not recommend it.
What a Danish licence gives you
A casino with a Danish licence is under Danish supervision, and that has consequences you can feel:
- ROFUS. The Danish register of voluntary exclusion. You can take a break of 24 hours, exclude yourself for 1, 3 or 6 months, or permanently. Danish casinos have to respect it.
- Tax-free winnings. The operator pays gambling duty in Denmark, so the win is tax free for you.
- Danish supervision. The Danish Gambling Authority supervises the Danish licence holders.
A casino from Curaçao or Anjouan gives none of those three things. That is one of the reasons the board counts only what we can confirm in writing: the licence in the register, the rules on verification and withdrawals, and the country list.
EU casinos: a different calculation
A casino licensed in an EU/EEA country, Malta for instance, but without a Danish licence, is also an unlawful offer in Denmark as far as the Gambling Act is concerned. For tax the answer can differ: winnings from games approved and supervised by a public authority in an EU/EEA country can be tax free if the same game is permitted in Denmark. Those are two different statutes, and they give two different answers.
New in 2026: Spilpakke 1
A political majority concluded the Spilpakke 1 agreement on 24 October 2025. The bill was presented on 25 February 2026. Its most discussed element is a ban on gambling advertising from ten minutes before to ten minutes after a sporting event, «whistle to whistle». The rules take effect in two stages, on 1 July 2026 and 1 January 2027. According to the government's press release, work is already under way on a Spilpakke 2 aimed at foreign operators without a Danish licence.
The direction is clear: more blocking, faster blocking of mirror sites and tighter rules on advertising. A casino you can open today may be blocked tomorrow. If you have money sitting at a foreign casino, do not leave a large balance there longer than you need to.
What it means for you in practice
- You play without Danish protection. No ROFUS, no Danish supervision, no Danish complaints body. It is the casino's own terms and the licensor in Curaçao or Anjouan that apply. Read them before you deposit: check a casino licence.
- Winnings are taxable. Keep the history from day one.
- The site can be blocked. Withdraw winnings as you go, and keep no large sums in the account.
- If you are in ROFUS, hold the break. The register covers casinos with a Danish licence, but the decision to take a break covers you. The help is in play safely.
Sources
The Danish Gambling Authority: sanctions and reporting unlawful gambling; unlawful gambling and advertising (citizens and players); the news item on the blocking of 98 unlawful gambling sites (19.08.2026); the report on unlawful gambling 2025 (09.07.2026). rofus.nu. The government's press release on the Spilpakke 1 bill (25.02.2026). Read on 19 September 2026. This page is not legal advice.
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