Licensing of online casinos in Portugal in 2026

I tested playing at several operators licensed by SRIJ in Portugal throughout 2026 and this guide explains how the centralised licensing of online gambling works, which operators hold an active licence, and where to find legal land-based casinos. Unlike Argentina, Portugal has a single national regulator: the Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos, part of Turismo de Portugal, with authority over the entire territory.

The decision belongs to SRIJ

Portugal is a unitary state, which shapes the logic of online casino regulation. The country has a single national law on remote gambling, Decree-Law No. 66/2015 of 29 April, which sets uniform rules for all operators on Portuguese territory.

In practice, this means that the legality of online casinos does not depend on the region where the player is located: the same rules apply in Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve, the Azores or Madeira. An operator with an SRIJ licence may accept players from anywhere in Portugal.

SRIJ decides, on behalf of the state:

• whether an operator may offer online casino, sports betting or poker;
• the technical and financial requirements of the licence;
• the conditions for issuing, renewing and revoking licences;
• the taxes and fees the operator pays;
• the requirements for player identification, verification and protection.

This centralised model has made Portugal one of the most transparent and predictable online gambling markets in Europe.

SRIJ: role and powers

SRIJ is the national authority responsible for regulating online gambling in Portugal since 2015. It is part of Turismo de Portugal and exercises authority over the entire territory, including the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira.

SRIJ grants licences, supervises operators, applies sanctions and maintains a public list of licensed entities at srij.turismodeportugal.pt. It also blocks unlicensed sites through Portuguese internet service providers, one of the most effective measures in Europe against illegal gambling.

Status of online casino licences in Portugal in 2026

Operator	Titular entity	SRIJ licences	Status
Betclic	BEM Operations Limited	No. 001 + No. 004	Active (first licence issued in 2016)
Bwin	GOBET-Entretenimento	No. 002 + No. 006	Active
Placard.pt	Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa	No. 003	Active (state operator)
Nossa Aposta	Estrelabet PT	No. 005	Active
ESC Online	Estoril Sol Digital	No. 006	Active
888 Casino	888 Portugal	No. 007	Active
Casino Portugal	Casino Portugal Online	No. 009	Active
Solverde	Solverde S.A. (Grupo Solverde)	No. 010 + No. 024	Active (largest catalogue in Portugal)
Luckia	Luckia Portugal	No. 011	Active
PokerStars	Poker Stars Malta	No. 012	Active (poker focus)
BacanaPlay	Bacana Play S.A.	No. 013	Active
LeBull	LeBull Iberia S.A.	No. 014	Active
VERSUSbet	Betzone Portugal	No. 015	Active
GoldenPark	Azartia Games S.A.	No. 016	Active
Betano	Kaizen Gaming International Ltd	No. 017 + No. 018	Active (market leader)
Moosh	Moosh Portugal	No. 019	Active
YOBINGO	Zitro Interactive	No. 020	Active

The complete and updated list is published at srij.turismodeportugal.pt. Any operator not on this list is not authorised to offer online gambling in Portugal.

What is required to obtain an SRIJ licence?

The requirements are strict and uniform for all operators. SRIJ demands:

• proof of financial stability and minimum share capital;
• prior experience in the gambling industry, either directly or through shareholders;
• use of gaming platforms certified by independent laboratories;
• compliance with GDPR and Portuguese data protection rules;
• strict identification (KYC) and age verification procedures;
• servers located in Portugal or in another EU Member State;
• compliance with Portuguese tax obligations (special online gambling tax).

The licence is issued for three years and may be renewed subject to an SRIJ audit. In case of non-compliance, the licence is suspended or revoked, with financial penalties that can reach millions of euros.

National scope of licences

Unlike federal countries such as Argentina, in Portugal an SRIJ licence is valid across the entire national territory. There is no need for separate regional licences for the Azores or Madeira: the same operator serves players from any district.

What does exist is mandatory geolocation, but with a different purpose: to ensure that only players physically in Portugal can access SRIJ operators. A user in Spain, even with a Portuguese account, cannot play at an SRIJ operator; and a user in Portugal can only play at SRIJ operators, not at sites with Curaçao or Malta licences.

Land-based casinos in Portugal by gambling zone

Portugal has 10 gambling zones defined by law, with land-based casinos operated by three main groups: Grupo Solverde (largest operator), Estoril Sol (historic brand) and Grupo Pestana (autonomous regions).

• Estoril: Casino Estoril, operated by Estoril Sol; the largest casino in Europe by gaming floor area;
• Póvoa de Varzim: Casino da Póvoa, Grupo Solverde;
• Espinho: Casino Solverde de Espinho, historic headquarters of Grupo Solverde;
• Figueira da Foz: Casino da Figueira, Estoril Sol;
• Chaves: Casino de Chaves, Grupo Solverde;
• Vilamoura: Casino de Vilamoura, Grupo Solverde;
• Monte Gordo: Casino de Monte Gordo, Grupo Solverde;
• Praia da Rocha: Casino da Praia da Rocha, Grupo Solverde;
• Troia: Casino de Troia, Sonae Capital;
• Madeira: Casino da Madeira (Funchal) and Casino de Porto Santo, both Grupo Pestana.

All land-based casinos operate under specific concessions granted by the Portuguese state, distinct from SRIJ online gambling licences. A player with an account at a licensed online operator has no connection to the land-based casinos, even if they belong to the same business group.

My opinion on licensing in Portugal

After testing licensed operators and comparing them with other European markets, I consider the Portuguese model to be among the most balanced. SRIJ centralisation eliminates regulatory confusion, the tax on winnings is paid by the operator (the player keeps 100 % of the winnings), and the public licence list at srij.turismodeportugal.pt allows any operator to be verified in seconds. The main limitation is the small number of active licences (17 in 2026), which restricts competition compared to markets such as the United Kingdom, but in return guarantees strict oversight.

Last updated: 2026.