Denmark’s Land-Based Casino Sector Welcomes New Market Entrants

Now, potential licensees have an opportunity to enter the country’s offline entertainment sector, while existing market participants can update their certificates. According to Gambling Act No. 1182, effective September 22nd, 2025, a permit to operate a ground gaming venue can be granted for up to 10 years.

Processing of Submitted Requests

All applications will be reviewed by multiple government officials, including:

• local Police Chiefs;
• territorial municipalities;
• Taxation and Business Ministries.

The Danish Maritime Authority will also participate in the review process, if necessary. Supervisory bodies will mainly evaluate whether prospective licensees are prepared to run land-based casinos transparently, responsibly and professionally.

When processing submitted documentation, the following factors will be considered:

• selected location;
• budget and liquidity;
• business characteristics;
• ownership structure details;
• existing and potential clients;
• C-tier management information;
• qualifications and niche expertise.

Spillemyndigheden’s representatives emphasise that financial standing is especially crucial. Since running a physical facility involves substantial ongoing expenditure, prospective market participants must be able to prove their commercial stability.

Current State of the Land-Based Vertical

As of now, there are 7 active offline gambling licences in Denmark, owned by casinos in the following cities:

• Copenhagen;
• Helsingør;
• Odense;
• Aalborg;
• Aarhus;
• Vejle.

This licensing phase may result in the emergence of new gaming establishments or alterations to the existing ownership structure. The industry’s future trajectory will become clearer once the authority finalises the ongoing process.

In contrast, other gambling verticals are demonstrating a more rapid upturn. By the end of 2025, the regulatory body had issued 1,970 permits across all entertainment niches in the country.

Offline Gambling vs iGaming

Land-based venues are facing mounting competition from digital platforms. As indicated in the authority’s 2025 report, GGR for the ground casino segment dropped by 5.6%, totalling DKK 378 million (around USD 58 million). By year’s end, this vertical represented roughly 3% of the state’s overall gambling sphere.

Compare this result with the iGaming sector’s performance:

• Online casinos earned DKK 4.31 billion (USD 646.5 million) over the same period.
• This figure made up about 38% of Denmark’s total entertainment market.
• The numbers increased by 12.1% from 2024 and by 139% since 2012.

The recently authorised offline bingo niche generated DKK 30 million (USD 4.5 million), accounting for less than 1% of the country’s entire industry.

Online Gambling as the Key Catalyst for Growth

The authority highlighted that the iGaming segment’s share of total GGR has risen nearly every year since 2012, except in 2022. During the same period, offline profits have consistently declined. The oversight body is confident that the web vertical’s upturn has been a key driver of the overall increase in industry revenues.

Simultaneously, the return to accepting land-based casino licence applications indicates that the regulator still sees huge potential in the physical gambling sector. The attractiveness of this chance for entrepreneurs, and whether it will result in more venues nationwide, will become clearer once the certification procedure concludes.

Gaminator’s team diligently monitors the entertainment sphere to keep customers informed about the latest news and events. With our professional assistance, you can open a legal gambling business and scale it in record time.

Contact us to initiate a fruitful collaboration.

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