Best Portugal Betting Sites

Just like in many other European countries, gambling has been part of the Portuguese culture for several decades. The first real steps towards the regulation of the betting landscape were taken back in 1961; when the charity foundation Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) was given the exclusive right to organize and regulate all Portugal betting activities. But things have changed a lot since then, especially after the implementation of Decree-Law No. 66 in 2015, which officially regulated the online betting environment and opened the market to international operators.

Nonetheless, due to the high tax rates, only 11 bookies have applied for a local license. The licensees have to pay 8-16% tax on their betting turnover, therefore they are forced to offer lower odds. Several Portuguese punters prefer the non-licensed bookmakers due to higher odds and more attractive bonuses.

Best Betting Sites in Portugal

The following shortlist consists of the best betting sites Portugal has to offer. We selected them because they have high odds, take Multibanco deposits and their website is optimized in Portuguese.

Bet in Portugal - 5 Things to Know

• 1
  Currently, there are only 11 licensed online sports betting operators in Portugal
• 2
  Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa pays a 50% lower tax compared to foreign licensees
• 3
  Portugal betting sites are taxed between 8% and 16% of their turnover
• 4
  Players are not taxed on their winnings
• 5
  Around 68% of Portuguese punters prefer to play on unlicensed foreign operators

General info

⏩Population: 10.295.058

⏩Active Players: 2.059.011

⏩Currency: Euro

⏩Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse racing betting, casino games, poker, bingo, lotteries

⏩Operator Types: Licensed land-based and online bookmakers & casinos - illegal operators functioning without a license

⏩Designated Authority: Comissão de Jogos / Serviço de Regulação Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ)

⏩Status: Fully regulated

Online Betting in Portugal: The Law Framework

In the early 2000s, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) managed to extend its monopoly in the online betting Portugal sector. More specifically, with the implementation of the Legislative Decree 282 in 2003, SCML was the only one that was granted a license to operate online in Portugal.

The local authorities blocked the operators that kept accepting Portuguese punters. Things took a turn for the better in 2015 when the Portuguese authorities took a decisive step towards the liberalization of the local gambling market, as they decided to issue licenses for international bookmakers.

On April 29, 2015, Decree-Law No. 66 was introduced, and the Legal Regime of Online Gambling and Betting (RJO) was established. As of June 28, 2015, when it officially came into force; this is the main regulatory Act of every online betting activity in the country.

It is also worth noting that the RJO was amended three times since it came into effect, with the latest being on December 29, 2017. Furthermore, all legal bookies that offer sports betting in Portugal, have received a license issued by the Comissão de Jogos, which is the country’s gambling regulator, along with the Serviço de Regulação Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ).

On the other hand, there are multiple international bookmakers that accept Portuguese players and haven’t applied for a license due to the high taxation imposed on the licensees. Players are excluded from paying taxes on their winnings and face no legal repercussions when betting online on non-licensed bookmakers in Portugal.

Legal Betting Sites in Portugal

If you are asking yourself ‘what betting sites work in Portugal’ and you want to go by the book, there are some specific choices available. Betclic.pt, Bet.pt, Luckia.pt, Placard.pt, Nossaaposta.pt, Betano.pt, Casinoportugal.pt, Solverde.pt, Estorilsolcasinos.pt, Betway.pt, and Moosh.pt are the eleven licensed online bookmakers you can access at the moment.

How to Bet Online in Portugal: Deposits and Withdrawals

Portuguese bettors are drawn to Multibanco bookmakers because this interbank payment system enables players to make instant bank transfer deposits without any charge. Its only disadvantage is the fact that it cannot be used as a withdrawal method.

Apart from Multibanco, credit/debit card payments are also very popular and the same happens with all the other popular international payment methods, such as e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill and vouchers, such as Paysafecard.

The Future of Online Betting in Portugal

Despite the regulation of the online market that took place in 2015, only 11 bookies operate with a local license and most of the biggest brands in the world like Bwin and Betfair decided to exit Portugal. This is due to the 8-16% tax on gross profit imposed on the licensees, which makes the market non-attractive.

Big international brands don’t plan to apply for a license unless the authorities lower the tax rates. However, this doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon. Therefore, Portuguese punters will keep on betting on international betting sites that don’t hold a local license but have considerably higher odds.

Gambling in Similar Countries

Though Spain shares the only border with Portugal, and Brazil shares its language, each of these countries has its own gambling legal framework. Whether you are a local or a tourist, and you are planning on visiting any of these top two destinations for betting, here is some information you need to know:

⏩ Spain: has casinos, bookmakers, and other forms of gambling completely legal both online and on land. Spaniards can find local and off-shore bookmakers, while the operators that have no licensing tend to get blacklisted. This is why you might need to use VPNs to access the best betting sites in Spain.  

⏩ Brazil: awaited its former president's signature of the new bill regulating gambling, but unfortunately, it was never signed. For the moment, all casinos and bookmakers are technically illegal and operating in the grey. The fact that there is no persecution for online gamblers makes the Brazil betting sites richer in options compared to the Portuguese.