Is online gambling legal in Luxembourg?

Legal overview

Luxembourg's gambling rules date from the law of 20 April 1977 on games of chance and betting on sporting events. The law starts from a general ban on operating games of chance and then lists narrow exceptions: casinos and similar establishments set up in the interest of tourism can be authorised by decision of the Government Council, sports betting requires prior authorisation from the Minister of Justice, and small charitable lotteries can be approved by the municipality or the minister. Lotteries and sports bets run by the state-owned Loterie Nationale are governed separately by a 2009 law on the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte and the Loterie Nationale. The 1977 text does not mention the internet, and there is no licence of any kind for online casino games or online poker.

Offering unauthorised games of chance is a criminal offence for the operator, but the government's own explanatory memorandum to bill No. 8679 treats participation by players as a new offence that the current law does not yet cover. No blocking of foreign gambling websites or payments is provided for. In practice, residents who play on foreign-licensed sites do so outside any Luxembourg supervision and without local consumer protection.

The government filed bill No. 8679 on 7 January 2026 as the first step of a wider reform. It would make it an offence to take part, anywhere and in any form, in prohibited or unauthorised games of chance if the player knew or should have known they were illegal, ban advertising for such games, and lower the age threshold for aggravated penalties from 21 to 18. The memorandum says a later global reform will follow a monopoly approach and aims to channel demand, mainly online, towards a legal and controlled offer.