There are no Iceland casinos. Running gambling as a business is a crime under Iceland’s Penal Code, so the only legal gambling comes from a handful of state-licensed, non-profit operators that run lotteries, sports pools and betting, scratch cards and slot machines, with the profits going to universities, sports bodies and charities. Online casinos and online poker have no licence category in Iceland, yet offshore sites take a large share of Icelanders’ betting.
Iceland gambling at a glance
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Land-based casinos | None; illegal |
| Slot machines | Legal, run only by HHÍ and Íslandsspil |
| Lotteries | Legal through licensed non-profit operators |
| Sports betting | Legal through Íslenskar getraunir only |
| Online casino and poker | No licences available |
| Main law | Lotteries Act No. 38/2005 |
| Minimum age | 18 for Íslandsspil slot machines |
| Last checked | November 2026 |
Is gambling legal in Iceland?
Only in narrow, licensed forms. Articles 183 and 184 of the General Penal Code (Act 19/1940) make it an offence to run gambling or betting as a business, to draw others into it, or to profit from letting it happen on your premises. The Lotteries Act No. 38/2005 sets the main framework: a lottery or game needs a licence or a specific law behind it, and licences go only to qualifying non-profit bodies whose earnings must go to public causes.
That rules out commercial casinos entirely. There are no casinos in Reykjavík or anywhere else in the country.
Who runs legal gambling in Iceland
Each legal operator has its own law and its own good cause:
- Íslensk getspá: number games, including Lottó, Víkingalottó, Jóker and EuroJackpot. Proceeds go to Iceland’s sports federations and the Organisation of Disabled in Iceland.
- Íslenskar getraunir: football pools (1X2) and Lengjan, the only legal fixed-odds sports betting product in Iceland. It is owned mainly by Iceland’s national sports federation.
- Happdrætti Háskóla Íslands (HHÍ): the University of Iceland Lottery, which runs a class lottery, Happaþrenna scratch cards and the Gullnáman slot machines, with proceeds going to university buildings and equipment.
- Íslandsspil: slot machines, owned by the Icelandic Red Cross and the search and rescue association Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg (ICE-SAR).
- DAS and SÍBS lotteries: class lotteries with cash prizes.
Slot machines in Iceland
The closest thing Iceland has to casino gaming is slot machines. Íslandsspil’s machines run under a 1994 law on collection machines, and HHÍ runs its own Gullnáman network. The rules for Íslandsspil’s machines allow them in kiosks, shops, rest stops, restaurants, bars and gaming halls, and only players aged 18 or over may use them.
The machines raise money for good causes, which makes them politically sensitive. Iceland’s association of gambling addicts has campaigned publicly against them, and Íslandsspil has proposed a national player card that would track play across all operators.
Online gambling in Iceland
The licensed operators sell some of their lottery and betting products online, but there is no licence for online casino games or poker, and foreign operators cannot apply for one. Iceland does not block foreign gambling websites, and the advertising ban targets promoters rather than players.
The result is a large unlicensed market. In October 2025, a Yield Sec study reported that about 80% of Icelandic betting takes place on foreign sites and found almost ISK 19 billion spent with foreign operators in the first half of 2025. RÚV’s Kveikur programme estimated about ISK 36 billion for the full year. Offshore casino sites that accept Icelandic players are not licensed in Iceland, so players have no local regulator to turn to in a dispute.
Will Iceland legalize casinos or online gambling?
Not soon. A 2012 to 2013 bill to block payments to unlicensed gambling sites failed, and a ministry working group that reported in December 2022 could not reach agreement. In November 2025 the Ministry of Health asked Parliament (the Althingi) to create a single gambling regulator with control over advertising and harm-prevention funding, and the state agreed for the first time to fund gambling addiction treatment through SÁÁ. The justice minister has said a ban is not the answer and has signalled openness to a Nordic-style licensing model, but the government’s 2026 to 2027 legislative agenda lists no gambling bill. The 2005 framework remains in force.
Iceland casinos FAQ
Are there any casinos in Iceland?
No. Commercial casinos are illegal, and there are none anywhere in the country.
Can you play slot machines in Iceland?
Yes. HHÍ and Íslandsspil both run legal slot machines. Íslandsspil’s machines are limited to players aged 18 and over and can be placed in kiosks, restaurants, bars and gaming halls.
Is online gambling legal in Iceland?
Only through the licensed Icelandic operators’ own products. Online casinos and online poker cannot be licensed in Iceland, though offshore sites still accept Icelandic players.
What is the gambling age in Iceland?
18 for Íslandsspil’s slot machines, under the regulation on collection machines.
Please gamble responsibly. In Iceland, the Red Cross helpline is 1717; in the US, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.