Tax on winnings from foreign casinos: when you pay, and how much
The money · tax under the Danish Tax Agency's rules
The most surprising thing about foreign casinos is not the bonus. It is the tax. A win at a casino with a Danish licence is tax free, and the same can hold for a win at a casino inside the EU. A win from Curaçao or Anjouan is taxable personal income. Here are the rules from skat.dk, a worked example and where you write it down.
On the board of foreign casinos all thirteen casinos are licensed in Curaçao or Anjouan. Both lie outside the EU and the EEA. That has one consequence many Danish players do not know about: the winnings are taxable. This page goes through the rules as the Danish Tax Agency describes them on skat.dk, with reference to Den juridiske vejledning, its legal guidance.
Three kinds of casino, three tax rules
The Danish Tax Agency divides gambling winnings by where the game is offered and who supervises it. The main rule in the legal guidance is plain: winnings and rewards are fully taxable. The exceptions sit in section 7(1)(26) of the Danish Tax Assessment Act.
| Where the casino is licensed | Tax on the win | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Tax free | The operator already pays gambling duty in Denmark |
| EU/EEA country, e.g. Malta | Tax free if every condition is met | The game has to be approved and supervised by a public authority, and the same game has to be permitted in Denmark |
| Outside the EU/EEA, e.g. Curaçao and Anjouan | Taxable as personal income | None of the exceptions applies |
For EU/EEA casinos it is you who has to be able to document that the conditions are met, if the Tax Agency asks. For casinos outside the EU/EEA there are no conditions to meet: the win is taxable.
The Danish Gambling Authority uses exactly this as an argument for playing on a Danish licence: there you are assured that duty has already been paid on any win.
What is taxed: the net win
You are not taxed on everything the casino pays out. The Danish Tax Agency writes that it is only the net win you have to report. The net win is the win minus the documented stake in the winning game.
Following an older ruling from the National Tax Tribunal, LSR 1973.116, you can also deduct other documented stakes in the same year. But ordinary losses cannot be deducted: there is no deduction for any losses, the Tax Agency writes. The key word is documented. Without a history of stakes and wins there is nothing to deduct.
A worked example
A simplified example for one year at a casino licensed in Curaçao:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Win paid out | 20,000 kr. |
| Documented stake in the winning game | 500 kr. |
| Net win to be reported | 19,500 kr. |
The 19,500 kr. are added to your personal income and taxed at your marginal rate: the percentage your next earned krone is taxed at. You find it in your preliminary income assessment. That means a win of 20,000 kr. from a casino outside the EU/EEA can cost several thousand kroner in tax.
The example is simplified. If you have several wins and stakes during the year, keep the account history from the casino and add it all up.
Where you write it down
- The annual tax statement: box 20, Other personal income.
- The preliminary income assessment: field 250, if you expect winnings in the current year.
The Danish Tax Agency names no lower threshold for small wins. Assume that every net win from casinos outside the EU/EEA has to be reported.
Keep the documentation
The burden of proof for both the win and the stake is yours. Three things are worth keeping from day one:
- The account history from the casino. Many foreign casinos have a page with transactions and game history. Export it or take screenshots regularly; an account can close.
- Transaction IDs. For every deposit and withdrawal in crypto. They tie the casino's history to your wallet.
- The exchange's history. Purchases and sales of crypto with dates and prices in kroner.
It is the same documentation you need if a withdrawal stalls. We describe it in withdrawals from foreign casinos.
When the win arrives in crypto
Most casinos on the board pay out in cryptocurrency. The Danish Tax Agency does not describe separately how a gambling win in crypto should be treated when you later exchange it for kroner. What is settled is the rules for crypto in general:
- A gain on the sale of cryptocurrency is taxed as personal income.
- A loss can be deducted at a tax value of 26 %.
- The calculation follows the FIFO principle: the first coins you bought are the first you sell.
- Gains go in box 20, losses in box 58.
Hold a withdrawal in bitcoin for six months and the price rises, and that rise can become taxable too when you sell. Hold it in USDT, which follows the dollar, and the swing is smaller. Our understanding is that the gambling win and a later price gain are handled separately, but that is an interpretation, not a rule from the Tax Agency. If the amount is large, ask the Tax Agency before you sell. The road from kroner to crypto and back is in from kroner to crypto.
What it means for your choice of casino
Tax changes the arithmetic. A bonus of 150 % at a casino outside the EU/EEA does not only have to be wagered 35 times; the win that comes out of it is taxable as well. A casino licensed in an EU/EEA country can deliver the same win tax free, if the conditions are met.
That is not an argument for or against foreign casinos. It is a number you have to carry with you when you compare. If you play small amounts for the entertainment, it means little. If you win big, it means a great deal. What the law says about playing at casinos without a Danish licence is in is it lawful to play at foreign casinos.
Sources
The rules on this page come from skat.dk (winnings, prizes and rewards; tax on gambling winnings; cryptocurrency) and from Den juridiske vejledning 2026–2, section C.A.6.4, read on 19 September 2026. Tax rules can change, and your own situation may differ. In case of doubt it is the Danish Tax Agency's answer that applies, not ours.
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