Denmark Reopens Application Window for Land-Based Casino Licences

Denmark’s gambling regulator has reopened the door for companies looking to enter the country’s land-based casino market. The Danish Gambling Authority, known locally as Spillemyndigheden, launched a new application window for land-based casino licences, giving operators until November 3, 2026, to submit complete applications and supporting documentation.

It’s the first formal opportunity this year for companies to either break into Denmark’s brick-and-mortar casino segment or renew an existing permit, and it comes as the country’s regulator continues to reshape its oversight of the broader gambling market.

How Denmark Reviews New Casino Applicants

Under Consolidated Act No. 1182, passed in September 2025, Spillemyndigheden can issue land-based casino licences for terms of up to 10 years. Every application submitted during this window will be routed through a multi-agency consultation process before a final decision is reached.

“All applications received will be sent for consultation to the local municipality, the local Chief of Police, the Ministry of Taxation, the Ministry of Business, and, where relevant, the Danish Maritime Authority,” Spillemyndigheden stated.

The regulator said its evaluation centers on whether an applicant can be expected to run a casino in a “fully professionally and financially responsible manner.” That includes a look at professional suitability — namely whether the applicant has prior experience offering gambling products or is otherwise qualified to operate a land-based casino — along with financial standing, since running a physical casino “involves significant expenses” that require sufficient liquidity to sustain.

Geography also plays a role. Spillemyndigheden said it weighs an applicant’s existing or potential customer base, along with detailed project descriptions, ownership structure, and senior management information submitted as part of each application.

A Small But Established Market

Denmark’s land-based casino sector currently comprises seven active licences, spread across Copenhagen (both its S and V districts), Helsingor, Odense, Vejle, Aarhus, and Aalborg. Depending on how many new permits Spillemyndigheden ultimately grants, this reopened application round could expand the market or shift its existing ownership structure. By the end of 2025, the regulator had issued 1,970 licences across all gambling categories in the country.

Still, the land-based segment has been losing ground. Spillemyndigheden’s 2025 annual report, “Spilmarkedet i tal 2025,” showed land-based casino gross gaming revenue fell 5.6% to DKK378 million (about $58 million) last year, representing just 3% of Denmark’s total gambling market. Land-based bingo, which was recently liberalized, generated DKK30 million (roughly $4.5 million) in GGR, under 1% of the overall market.

Online Gambling Continues to Dominate

The contrast with Denmark’s online casino sector is stark. Online casino GGR hit DKK4.31 billion (about $646.5 million) in 2025, accounting for 38% of the total gambling market, up 12.1% year-over-year and more than double its 2012 level. Spillemyndigheden noted that online gambling’s share of total GGR has climbed every year since 2012, with the exception of 2022, while land-based GGR has trended downward over the same stretch. The regulator said the overall rise in market-wide GGR “is therefore driven by the rise in online gambling.”

Even with that divergence, Spillemyndigheden’s decision to reopen the land-based licensing process suggests the regulator still sees room to sustain, or possibly grow, the physical casino segment. Whether operators view Denmark’s shrinking land-based footprint as an opportunity or a caution sign will become clearer once the November 3 application deadline passes and Spillemyndigheden works through its review process. Regulators worldwide continue to wrestle with similar questions about balancing digital growth against physical infrastructure, not unlike the state-by-state debates that shape online sportsbooks access across the U.S.