The Moldovan Government has approved a draft fiscal policy for 2027 that would introduce a new 6% tax on gambling and lottery participation. It would apply to funds deposited into gambling accounts and lottery ticket sales.
The fiscal package has been submitted to Parliament for review and will move forward through the legislative process.
The package also proposes higher excise duties on other categories of products and services. It was first announced in early August.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan noted that Moldovans spend around MDL 10bn ($576m) annually on gambling activities. In this context, Tofan called on relevant institutions to introduce clearer regulation of the sector.
However, he previously acknowledged the potential negative consequences of placing excessive taxes on the legal gambling sector. Commenting on the issue, he stated: “I understand that if we charge them too much, these players will go to illegal platforms that we don't control.”
In line with the Prime Minister’s comments, over-taxing legal operators has often backfired in other markets. The most recent example comes from the Netherlands, where a tax increase delivered only a fraction of the expected revenue gains.
Dutch industry associations had previously warned that higher gambling taxes could reduce activity in the legal market and ultimately lower government revenues despite increased tax rates. Meanwhile, according to the Dutch regulator’s June warning, channelisation by gross gaming revenue has fallen to 53% amid continued illegal market activity.
Moldova recently published a list of around 800 unauthorised gambling websites and applications scheduled for blocking.
In 2025, Moldova’s National Lottery transferred MDL 504.6m to the national public budget
