Online gambling in Montenegro: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Montenegro?

Online gambling is legal in Montenegro for companies that already hold an approval for land-based casino, betting, slot-machine or tombola games and obtain a further decision from the Games of Chance Administration (Uprava za igre na sreću) for internet games. The 2025 law (Official Gazette 91/2025) charges EUR 10,000 a month for online betting and EUR 10,000 a month for virtual casino and slot games, each plus 15% of GGR, requires full player registration with an identity document and bans most gambling advertising on television before 22:00, in print outside sports pages and in public places. Lottery games belong to a state-owned company, and unlicensed foreign sites are blocked.

Regulated: Private operators can hold a local licence for online casino and/or betting.

Who regulates gambling in Montenegro?

• Uprava za igre na sreću (Games of Chance Administration), Ministry of Finance (UIS) — Issues approvals for betting, slot-machine, tombola and internet games, approves game rules, checks premises and systems, collects fees and supervises operators
• Government of Montenegro — Grants casino licences and adopts implementing regulations; the Agency for Electronic Communications blocks unlicensed gambling sites on request

Montenegro gambling licence: how it works

The Law on Games of Chance adopted on 31 July 2025 abolished concessions and moved to approvals issued by the Administration for betting, slot machines and closed-type tombola, and by the Government for casinos. The right to organize games of chance via the internet belongs to companies that hold one of these land-based approvals; the company files a request on the prescribed form, the Administration must decide within 60 days, and the online right lasts as long as the underlying approval. Game rules for each internet game are cleared within 30 days. Former concessionaires had 270 days from entry into force to obtain approvals, a deadline the Government proposed extending to 11 November 2026. The online right covers betting, virtual casino and virtual slot games regardless of the type of land-based approval, with each fee line charged separately.

What an applicant needs

• Montenegrin company registered in the Central Register of Commercial Entities with a land-based approval for casino, betting, slot-machine or tombola games
• Minimum share capital of EUR 200,000 for betting and slot operators or EUR 250,000 for casinos, maintained for the whole term
• Bank guarantee from a Montenegrin credit institution (EUR 30,000 plus EUR 3,000 per betting shop; EUR 400,000 for casinos) securing winnings and duties
• Clean-record certificates for directors, shareholders and beneficial owners, plus two years of audited financial statements of the founder
• Information system connected to the Administration's central database, with one website per operator and electronic receipts for every stake
• Player registration with name, address, identity number or document, copy of the ID and date of birth before play

Gambling taxes in Montenegro

• Operators: 15% of GGR on online betting and 15% of GGR on virtual casino and slot games, each with a EUR 10,000 fixed monthly fee, plus corporate income tax at Montenegro's progressive 9% to 15% rates (2026).
• Players: 12% withholding on winnings from betting and lottery games since 21 May 2026 (Personal Income Tax Law amendments, Official Gazette 70/2026), replacing a tiered 0%, 10% and 15% scale that applied from January 2026; the Ministry of Finance has stated that casino and slot-machine winnings are not subject to the tax.
• Also: The 2025 law applied 15% on winnings above EUR 300 from August to December 2025, then a tiered scale from 1 January 2026, then the flat 12%; the sequence is contested by the MontenegroBet association. Budget revenue from gambling fees was EUR 33.8 million in 2024 and EUR 19.96 million in the first five months of 2026.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Since 14 August 2025 gambling advertising is banned on radio and television from 06:00 to 22:00, in print except sports pages, on websites except sports publications, and in public places including billboards and vehicles. Bonuses, jackpots and free spins may be promoted only on the operator's own site and on sponsored sports clubs' sites. Every advertisement must warn that games of chance can cause addiction and that under-18s may not participate. Lottery games are exempt.

Responsible gaming

Players may request temporary or indefinite self-exclusion, loss limits and maximum-bet limits in writing or electronically, and the law defines when an operator must exclude a player. Venues must be at least 150 meters from schools and student dormitories, and operators fund information on help for gambling problems.

Identity and age verification

Players must be 18 or older and register with full name, address, identity number or passport number and country, a copy of the ID, date of birth and e-mail before playing; identification follows the AML law and may be done by video or electronic identification. Cash deposits at venues require a check of the identity document.

Payments

Deposits to the player's account are made by payment card or another instrument issued by a credit institution, by transfer from the player's own bank account, by mobile or internet payment through a credit institution, or in cash at the operator's licensed venue. Deposits must be used for play and cannot be withdrawn unless they form part of winnings; every stake generates an electronic receipt. The law does not regulate crypto, and Montenegrin banks are described by local counsel as reluctant to serve crypto businesses.

Notable restrictions

• Online games may be offered only by holders of a land-based approval, through one website
• Participation in foreign games of chance from Montenegrin territory is prohibited and unlicensed sites are blocked
• Lottery games are reserved for a company wholly owned by the state
• Betting on election results is banned, and sports-club owners may not offer betting on their own competitions
• Advertising of bonuses outside the operator's own site and sponsored clubs' sites is prohibited
• Casino games are restricted to Government-licensed casinos with a EUR 2 million one-off fee

Montenegro iGaming market: size, players and payments

Budget revenue from gambling fees reached EUR 33.8 million in 2024, up 51% on 2023 (Games of Chance Administration annual report); the Ministry of Finance expects the 2025 law to lift annual revenue to about EUR 45 million. GGR is not published.

State revenue from online gambling rose 40% year on year to EUR 5.25 million in the first quarter of 2026, against EUR 2.93 million from land-based betting (Global Gaming Insider, citing Ministry of Finance data).

Online fees are now the largest single revenue line, ahead of retail betting and slot halls, according to first-quarter 2026 data from the Ministry of Finance.

Meridianbet was founded in Podgorica and remains a leading brand alongside regional betting groups; operators are organized in the MontenegroBet association. More than 450 unlicensed websites were blocked in 2025.

Timeline: how Montenegro got here

1. 2004Law on Games of Chance introduces the concession model that governed the market for two decades
2. 2016-12The last lottery operator ceases; no lottery games are offered until the 2025 law
3. 2024Amendments introduce a variable fee for online games and separate online betting from virtual casino games
4. 2025-07Parliament adopts the new Law on Games of Chance on 31 July by 47 votes to none
5. 2025-08Law published as Official Gazette 91/2025 and in force from 14 August; advertising rules apply immediately
6. 2026-01Tiered 0%, 10% and 15% winnings tax on betting and lottery replaces the 15% above EUR 300 rule
7. 2026-05Flat 12% winnings tax in force from 21 May; Government proposes extending the concession transition to 11 November 2026

Outlook

The transition from concessions to approvals should complete by November 2026, and the state lottery company created by the 2025 law has yet to launch products. The winnings tax remains contested through the industry's constitutional challenge. Expect the Administration to keep blocking unlicensed sites and to issue further implementing rulebooks during 2026 and 2027.

Launching in Montenegro with GameBridge

Turnkey (your licence, our platform). Montenegrin online rights attach to a locally approved land-based operator, so the operator's Montenegrin company holds the approval and runs its online brand on GameBridge; GameBridge holds no Montenegrin approval and does not serve Montenegro under its own licences.

A Montenegrin brand on GameBridge runs with a Montenegrin or Serbian-language front end on request, a EUR wallet, geo-controls limited to residents who complete the registration the law prescribes, and card, bank-transfer and venue cash rails through the operator's Montenegrin bank. The wallet issues an electronic receipt for every stake, blocks withdrawal of unplayed deposits and withholds the 12% winnings tax on betting at payout. Responsible-gaming tools cover self-exclusion, loss limits and maximum-bet limits, the promotions engine keeps bonus advertising on the operator's own site, and certification files for GameBridge Studios and Originals support the system review.

• EUR wallet with electronic stake receipts and no withdrawal of unplayed deposits
• Full player registration with ID capture and video identification option
• Self-exclusion, loss and maximum-bet limits as required by the 2025 law
• Automated 12% winnings-tax withholding on betting
• Single-website configuration tied to the operator's approval
• Bonus promotion limited to the operator's own channels
• Certification files for every GameBridge Studios and Originals release

Football and live betting dominate, with slots and live casino growing quickly online; the aggregated catalog brings the studios Montenegrin players know from regional brands, and GameBridge Studios can build exclusive titles for a casino-led lobby.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

• Zakon o igrama na sreću (Službeni list Crne Gore 91/2025) — Službeni list Crne Gore, accessed 2026-09-11
• Uprava za igre na sreću — Government of Montenegro, accessed 2026-09-11
• Gaming Law 2025 – Montenegro — Chambers and Partners, accessed 2026-09-11
• Izvještaj o radu Uprave za igre na sreću za 2024. godinu — Uprava za igre na sreću, accessed 2026-09-11
• Zakon o izmjenama Zakona o porezu na dohodak fizičkih lica (Službeni list 70/2026) — Službeni list Crne Gore, accessed 2026-09-11
• Montenegro revises tax rates on player winnings — Global Gaming Insider, accessed 2026-09-11

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.