Portugal’s Socialist Party (PS) has proposed creating a sports development fund financed by revenue from the country’s special online gambling tax, aiming to address funding inequalities between football and other sporting disciplines.
The proposal, submitted to Parliament on Tuesday through Bill 813/XVII, would redirect 7.5% of the Special Online Gambling Tax (IEJO) towards a new fund supporting sports projects and structural development.
The measure would reduce the share of tax revenue allocated to the state and regulatory bodies from 62.5% to 55%, while leaving the existing 37.5% allocation directly to sports unchanged.
The PS estimates that the new fund could generate around €15m annually. It would be managed jointly by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ) and sports federations, with funding directed towards development projects, particularly in disciplines that attract less betting activity.
Allocations would be based on defined criteria, auditable performance indicators and objectives achieved.
The proposal follows separate efforts by the Livre party to tighten online gambling rules.
Football accounts for approximately 75% of online sports betting in Portugal, giving it a substantial financial advantage over other sports.
The Portuguese Football Federation received around €38.8m from sports betting tax revenue in 2025. Together with Liga Portugal, football reportedly collected nearly 73% of the IEJO revenue allocated to sport, leaving Olympic and other less popular disciplines with considerably smaller amounts.
Beyond sports financing, the PS initiative includes plans for an online gambling market transparency portal, a centralised and simplified self-exclusion system for people experiencing compulsive gambling, and a public blacklist of unauthorised operators.
The Socialist Party (PS) was founded on 19 April 1973, while the Livre party was founded on 31 January 2014
