Throughout 2025, European iGaming markets have faced a new layer of complexity: shifting tax and licensing rules that directly impact marketing costs. Governments continue to increase gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax rates and impose stricter reporting standards.

As of July 2025, these changes have become a critical factor in how operators and agencies plan, distribute, and optimize user acquisition budgets. RockApp analysis indicates that tax policy is fundamentally reshaping the planning process for performance marketing across Europe.

European Tax Environment in 2025

Several major European markets have introduced or expanded gambling tax rules over the last 18 months:

• Germany: GGR tax increased from 5.3% to 7% in mid-2024. By Q2 2025, operators are recalibrating CPA targets and revising bonus strategies to preserve margin.
• Netherlands: New compliance requirements implemented in January 2025 include enhanced KYC/AML reporting, adding operational costs and slowing onboarding funnels.
• Eastern Europe: Romania and Poland are reviewing GGR tax bands, with planned 1–2% increases included in government budgets for H2 2025.

These changes raise per-user acquisition costs and reduce flexibility on pricing incentives. Media buyers now need to plan budgets and creative strategy with greater precision to maintain efficiency.

RockApp data, drawn from over 120 active campaigns in 2025, demonstrates how these pressures translate into real shifts in buying behavior and budget allocation.

Budget Impact on Media Buying Strategies

Analysis of campaign performance in 2025 reveals several clear trends:

• Shift to Tier-2 GEOs: Markets with lower tax pressure (such as CIS, Balkans, and LATAM) are seeing 30-40% more acquisition budget allocation compared to 2023.
• CPA Adjustments: Average first-time-depositor CPA in regulated Western European markets has risen from ~€120 in 2023 to €145–160 in 2025, driven by increased taxation and competitive auction dynamics.
• Creative Cost Pressures: Bonus-focused creatives now demand tighter payout modeling to balance user appeal with higher GGR liabilities.

As a result, buying strategies have moved away from broad, high-volume campaigns toward segmented, CPA-focused plans with more granular GEO targeting.

Budget Impact on Media Buying Strategies

Tax policy changes don’t just influence operator balance sheets. They force a recalibration of the entire media buying strategy.

RockApp data from over 120 active campaigns in 2025 shows clear budget trends:

• Shift to Tier-2 GEOs: Markets with lower tax pressure (e.g., CIS, Balkans, LATAM) now see 30-40% more acquisition budget allocation compared to 2023.
• CPA Adjustment: Average first-time-depositor CPA in regulated Western Europe has climbed from €120 in 2023 to €145-160 in 2025, driven by both taxation and competitive auction prices.
• Creative Cost Pressure: Bonus-focused creatives need tighter payout modelling, balancing marketing appeal with GGR realities.

For media teams, the result is a move away from broad, high-volume campaigns toward precisely segmented, CPA-optimized buying with robust GEO-targeting logic.

GEO Diversification as Strategic Response

For many brands, geo diversification has become the simplest and most effective hedge against rising tax costs.

According to Appsflyer’s mid-2025 install cost benchmarks, CPIs in markets such as Brazil, India, and select African countries remain stable or are falling – averaging $0.60–$1.20 per pre-install, compared to $3+ in Western Europe.

RockApp’s planning data shows clear reallocation trends:

• LATAM budgets up ~35% year over year.
• Eastern Europe spending stable, with modest CPA increases.
• Western Europe budgets flattening or declining, with more investment going toward targeted retargeting and high-value lookalike segments.

Diversifying GEO strategy is emerging as a necessary planning approach to balance premium Tier-1 acquisition costs with Tier-2 scale opportunities.

Tactical Media Buying Adjustments in 2025

In response to new taxation and compliance demands, advertisers are refining their acquisition tactics. Effective strategies seen across European campaigns this year include:

• Hyper-segmentation: Adapting CPA targets at the micro-GEO, channel, and audience level.
• Creative Flexibility: Developing multiple bonus tiers and transparent CTAs designed for localized regulations.
• Source Tiering: Prioritizing verified, high-retention traffic sources over pure volume channels.
• Automated Bidding Rules: Aligning bid pacing and budget allocation with region-specific margin goals and user lifetime value curves.

RockApp analysis suggests that these shifts are helping operators maintain acquisition efficiency in the face of rising costs and regulatory complexity.

Advice for Q3 and Q4 Planning

With peak acquisition season approaching, several planning considerations stand out:

• Leverage Q3’s traditionally lower competition to test new channels and creative variations cost-effectively.
• Prepare Q4 budgets for elevated CPA levels, using segmented bidding strategies and clear ROI targets.
• Integrate compliance checks and fraud-control measures early in creative production to avoid approval delays and wasted spend.

RockApp data indicates that campaigns investing in upfront planning and testing see more stable CPA performance even in high-demand periods.

Conclusion

European tax changes have become a defining variable in iGaming growth strategy. These aren’t simply operational details – they now shape how marketing teams approach channel selection, creative design, and budget allocation at the most fundamental level.

RockApp continues to monitor these shifts across campaigns and regions, helping operators and agencies adapt media buying systems to maintain acquisition efficiency in a more complex regulatory environment.