SBC News Cypriot football seeks betting levy for development programmes

Cypriot football seeks betting levy for development programmes

The Cypriot Parliament has begun discussions on amending the nation’s ‘Sports Betting Law for the purpose of benefiting all-levels of Cypriot football development.

At a meeting attended by the Pancyprian Footballers Association (PASP), MPs debated utilising a ‘percentage of all tax revenue generated from betting to support, educate and medically treat footballers across all levels in Cyprus’.

The proposed amendment would see the Cypriot government introduce a 0.3% tax on all sports wagers, which will be directed to PASP football programmes.

PASP stated that it unequivocally supports the amendment, which had been originally presented to Cyprus’ parliament three years ago.

“We salute this proposal put forth at the House of Representatives which has finally triggered a discussion after a period of three years. We are certain that the relevant officials will decide what’s best for the common good of Cypriot sports,” said PASP President Spyros Neofytides.

Neofytides underlined that a new betting tax was needed to support and develop Cyprus’ pool of 3,500 registered professional and amateur players.

PASP further highlighted the need for support of mental health programmes for athletes, following the tragic suicide of former Serbia Olympic Team and Agrotikos Asteras FC player Miljan Mrdaković on 22 May this year.

In 2012, Cyprus approved its Sports Betting Law, allowing land-based and digital operators to offer fixed-odds betting markets under a ‘Class 2’ licence administered by Cyprus’ National Betting Authority (NBA).

At present, there are 10 Cyprus NBA licensed online sportsbooks which are taxed a 10% charge of betting revenues, combined with a 3% ‘civic tax’ which is directed towards problem gambling and national health services.

Last year, Cyprus National Audit Office challenged the NBA in its governance of  sports betting operators, stating that the regulatory body had granted licence renewals to two operators which had failed to register tax documents with local authorities.

Check Also

SBC News Digitain fuels Serbian sportsbook presence with KING.RS partnership  

Digitain fuels Serbian sportsbook presence with KING.RS partnership  

Digitan has signed a new deal with KING.RS that will see the Serbian-based operator utilising …

SBC News Cyprus showcases brand new national self-exclusion scheme 

Cyprus showcases brand new national self-exclusion scheme 

Cyprus has announced that it is launching the National Self-Exclusion Platform (NSEP) as part of …

SBC News MaxBet nets record sponsorship of FK Partizan Belgrade

MaxBet nets record sponsorship of FK Partizan Belgrade

MaxBet, the Balkan market subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment, has announced its ‘biggest sponsorship agreement ever’ …