The Financial Blueprint of Cyprus Sports Betting
Strong Turnover and Steady Market Growth
The regulated betting sector in the Republic of Cyprus has developed into a mature and steadily growing market. In 2025, total betting turnover exceeded €1.3bn, representing growth of approximately 8% compared with 2024. Online betting accounts for the largest share of activity, while the retail network remains important for employment and the wider economy. The National Betting Authority anticipates a 5.6 per cent increase in revenues for 2025, with the upward trend continuing for the next two years.
Licensing Fees and Required Capital
Cyprus offers a combination of EU regulatory standing and a competitive tax environment that few member states match at this price point. Minimum authorised share capital: EUR 500,000. Bank guarantee: EUR 550,000, issued by a financial institution authorised to operate in Cyprus and approved by the NBA. Together, these two requirements mean that a Cyprus Class B applicant must have documented access to approximately EUR 1.05 million in verifiable funds before the license application process begins. Operators should budget total first-year costs well above EUR 1 million once the share capital and bank guarantee requirements are accounted for. A one-year Class B bookmaker’s license costs EUR 30,000. A two-year Class B bookmaker’s license costs EUR 45,000.
Strict Policy Guardrails Under the NBA
What is Prohibited in the Republic
The National Betting Authority governs all sports and other events betting activity in Cyprus, both land-based and online, under the 2019 Betting Law and its amendments. Cyprus — online casino is effectively prohibited; only online sports betting is licensed. Neither permits online casino games, RNG products, slot machines, poker, betting exchanges, spread bets, dog racing bets, horse racing betting, or crypto-denominated wagering. Cyprus imposes specific technical conditions for Class B license holders that most competitors fail to address in detail. Domain requirement: .com.cy domain mandatory. Server colocation required.
Protecting Players and Combating Illegal Operations
The market operates under the Betting Law of 2019, which established a modern licensing and regulatory framework based on transparency, integrity and strong consumer safeguards. Licensed operators pay a 10% betting tax on their net betting revenue, together with a 5% statutory contribution. Of that contribution, 4% supports Cypriot sport, while 1% is allocated to programmes that protect young people and individuals affected by gambling-related harm. The National Betting Authority has warned of a sharp rise in advertisements for illegal online casinos on popular social media platforms. The NBA is an active regulator and continually seeks out websites which are illegally offering betting and casino games to Cypriots online. So far, they have blacklisted 12,563 websites.
Sources Quoted:
Content curated from official statements by Panagiotis Trisokkas (President, Cypriot National Betting Authority), financial and licensing data via LegalBison and IREV, and regulatory news via SBC Events and Cyprus Mail.
Leo Falsafi is a digital marketing veteran and senior journalist at Virlan.co, where he covers the intersection of digital marketing, gaming, and breaking US trending news. With nearly two decades of hands-on experience in SEO and digital strategy, Leo has consulted for and scaled hundreds of companies. His deep industry roots allow him to deliver sharp, fact-checked insights and analysis on the trends shaping today's digital landscape.