Online gambling in North Macedonia: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in North Macedonia?

Private companies cannot hold an online gambling licence in North Macedonia. Under the 2011 law, online and electronic games could be run by joint ventures in which the state held at least 51%, and several such licences were terminated by the Government in September 2024. The Act adopted on 29 June 2026 goes further: the right to organize lottery, electronic and internet games belongs to the state and is exercised through a company it wholly owns, which may buy technology, content and services from private suppliers through public calls. Land-based casinos, betting shops and slot clubs stay privately licensed by the Ministry of Finance under tighter fit-and-proper, advertising and distance rules.

State monopoly: A state or single licensee runs online gambling; private operators cannot be licensed.

Who regulates gambling in North Macedonia?

• Ministry of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia (MF) — Issues and revokes licences for casinos, betting shops and slot clubs, approves ownership and management changes, and adopts secondary legislation under the 2026 Act
• Public Revenue Office (Управа за јавни приходи) (UJP) — Collects fees and duties, supervises operators and will receive GPS and terminal data under the 2026 Act

North Macedonia gambling licence: how it works

The Act on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games adopted on 29 June 2026 and in force since 14 July 2026 provides that lottery games (other than closed-type raffles), electronic games and games organized via the internet are a right of the Republic exercised through a company in which the state is the sole shareholder. The state company starts organizing electronic games itself by 1 January 2027, and the previous organizer may continue under the old law until 31 December 2026 at the latest. For electronic and internet games the state company may engage external legal entities selected through a public call, which is the only route for private platform, content or operations suppliers. Private licences remain available only for land-based casino games, betting shops, slot clubs and closed-type raffles, subject to cumulative share-capital minimums, integrity checks and Ministry consent for any change of owners or managers. Much of the detail, including how reputation is assessed, sits in secondary legislation the Minister of Finance had yet to issue at the review date.

What an applicant needs

• Online, electronic and lottery games: no private licence; supply contracts only through public calls issued by the state-owned company
• Land-based licences: cumulative minimum share capital for each licence held, with monetary contributions that do not originate from loans
• Fit-and-proper approval by the Ministry of Finance for shareholders, partners and members of management and supervisory bodies; loss of reputation is a revocation ground
• Online operations under the state company: .mk domain, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 compliance, SSL, high-assurance electronic identification of players
• Payment transactions routed through banks seated in North Macedonia, with player funds segregated and payouts within five working days
• Casino, slot and electronic-game premises at least 500 meters from primary and secondary schools, and GPS tracking on every machine and terminal, both from 1 January 2028

Gambling taxes in North Macedonia

• Operators: Internet and electronic games: 15% of the difference between stakes and payouts (GGR), replacing the former 0.5% levy on total payments. Lottery games: 6% of total payments. Land-based operators pay licence fees and monthly duties per venue, table and machine, plus corporate income tax (2026 Act).
• Players: Winnings are subject to personal income tax withheld by the organizer under the Personal Income Tax Law; the current rate and threshold should be confirmed with local counsel.
• Also: The Act keeps an annual earmark of 60 to 120 million denars from gambling revenue for national disability organizations, associations fighting domestic violence and the Red Cross of North Macedonia.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Exterior advertising on gambling premises is limited to 30 by 100 centimeters (except casinos within 3 kilometers of the border) and illuminated signs are banned. Advertising may not present gambling as a route to social acceptance, personal or financial success or as a solution to problems, may not use celebrities who suggest gambling contributed to their success, and may not target minors. Media advertising must state that under-18s may not participate and that gambling can cause addiction. Existing operators had six months from 14 July 2026 to comply.

Responsible gaming

One account per player, no credit to players, segregated player funds, and self-exclusion together with wagering, loss and time limits are retained for online play. Premises for casino, slot and electronic games must be at least 500 meters from schools from 1 January 2028, and betting shops within that radius may not host video lottery terminals.

Identity and age verification

Online players must be identified electronically at a high assurance level before play, hold a single account and be 18 or older; land-based operators enforce age checks at entry and the Ministry runs fit-and-proper checks on owners and managers.

Payments

Deposits only by card or electronic transfer through banks seated in North Macedonia, or at the operator's registered premises; winnings are paid out exclusively through such banks and within five working days of the request. Crypto is not a recognized payment method.

Notable restrictions

• Online, electronic and lottery games reserved for a wholly state-owned company from 1 January 2027
• Private online licences issued as state joint ventures were terminated by the Government in September 2024
• Mandatory .mk domain and payment routing through domestic banks for online games
• 500-meter distance from schools and GPS tracking on machines from 1 January 2028
• Social-media giveaways require a Ministry permit and an 18% fee on the prize fund
• Ministry consent required for any change of owners or managers of licensed companies

North Macedonia iGaming market: size, players and payments

No reliable public estimate. The Government has not published consolidated GGR; industry bodies described the 2026 Act as a threat to a significant number of jobs, which points to a sizeable retail betting and slot sector.

Private online brands that operated as joint ventures with the state lottery, including NOVO VLT, Mozzart, 77 BITS, Vezuv and 2Win.mk, had their licences terminated in September 2024, leaving MegaWin as the only licensed online site by late 2024. Retail betting and slot clubs remain privately run under Ministry of Finance licences.

Timeline: how North Macedonia got here

1. 2011Law on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games sets the framework that governed the market until 2026
2. 2012Online gambling opens to companies in which the state holds at least 51% of the capital, in practice joint ventures with the State Lottery
3. 2024-09Government orders termination of the private online licences of NOVO VLT, Mozzart, 77 BITS, Vezuv and 2Win.mk
4. 2025-07Government approves the draft of the new Act and sends it to the Assembly on 7 August
5. 2026-05Redrafted bill re-approved by the Government on 12 May after being withdrawn for revision in April; first reading on 11 June
6. 2026-06Assembly adopts the Act on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games on 29 June by 60 votes to 20
7. 2026-07Act enters into force on 14 July; six-month transition for advertising and reputation rules
8. 2027-01State-owned company takes over electronic and online games; old-law organizer must stop by 31 December 2026

Outlook

The operational test comes on 1 January 2027, when the state company must run electronic and online games itself and publish the public calls through which private suppliers can be engaged. Secondary legislation on reputation criteria, capital minimums and premises fees is still pending, and the school-distance and GPS rules bite from 2028. Industry associations have called the framework detrimental and further litigation or amendment is possible, but as of September 2026 the monopoly is the law.

Launching in North Macedonia with GameBridge

Model decided with counsel. No private company can hold a North Macedonian online licence, so there is no operator route for a GameBridge brand; the only lawful role is as a technology or content supplier to the state-owned company through a public call, which GameBridge assesses case by case.

GameBridge brands geo-block North Macedonia by default, and residents are excluded through geo-controls unless an operator's counsel confirms a lawful basis, which the 2026 Act does not provide for private B2C brands. Where the state-owned company issues a public call for platform, content or operational services, GameBridge can scope a B2B supply that meets the Act's requirements: .mk domain support, ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701 alignment, high-assurance electronic identification, single-account and segregated-funds controls, domestic bank payment routing and five-day payout rules. Certification files for GameBridge Studios and Originals would accompany any content supply. Compliance teams can use this page to confirm the monopoly status quickly.

• Country geo-block applied by default for North Macedonia
• B2B platform and content supply scoped to public-call requirements on request
• Support for .mk domain hosting and ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701 aligned operations
• High-assurance electronic identification and single-account enforcement
• Segregated player-funds accounting and domestic bank payment routing
• Certification files for every GameBridge Studios and Originals release

Content can reach North Macedonian players only through the state-owned company; GameBridge's aggregated catalog and GameBridge Studios exclusives are available to that company under a public-call contract, with certification files supplied for each title.

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.

• North Macedonia Adopts New Act on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games — BDK Advokati, accessed 2026-09-11
• FinMin: Parliament adopts new law on gambling, tighter controls, modern rules — MIA, accessed 2026-09-11
• North Macedonia chooses state-control to govern gambling — iGaming Expert, accessed 2026-09-11
• North Macedonia Hands Online Gambling to State Monopoly — The iGaming, accessed 2026-09-11
• OJQ-të kundër Ligjit të ri për lojërat e fatit — Portalb.mk, accessed 2026-09-11
• Ministry of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia — Government of North Macedonia, 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.