Mongolia for operators: illegal to offer
All forms of gambling, including lotteries and online betting, are strictly prohibited and criminalized in Mongolia as of 2025.
OverviewOverview built from public sources. An in-depth review of Mongolia is available on request. Request it
Product by product
| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| Online betting · Online casino · Online poker · Lottery | Banned |
Regulator and player protection in Mongolia
Heads-up for operators
1 item
Ongoing Enforcement and Market Prohibition
Authorities continue to enforce the ban through ISP blocking of offshore sites and prosecution of illegal gambling organizers and facilitators.
Source: 1
Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.
Licence Types in Mongolia
Gambling tax and fees in Mongolia
Not applicable. There are no legal operators.
Illegal operators face severe criminal penalties, including fines, 240-720 hours of community service, travel restrictions, and imprisonment from six months to three years.
Year-1 cost: Not Applicable
As of July 1, 2025, all forms of gambling are illegal in Mongolia. There is no licensing framework and therefore no associated compliance costs for legal operation. All gambling-related activity is subject to criminal prosecution.
| Line item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee (one-time) | Not Applicable | There is no legal licensing process. |
| Annual licence fee (Online Casino) | Not Applicable | Online casinos are illegal. |
| Annual licence fee (Online Sports Betting) | Not Applicable | Online sports betting is illegal. |
| Annual licence fee (Lottery) | Not Applicable | Lotteries are illegal. |
| Operator GGR Tax | Not Applicable | There are no legal operators to tax; illegal operations face criminal penalties. |
There is no legal market for gambling operators in Mongolia.
Which foreign licences Mongolia accepts
Mongolia recognises none of these 8 foreign licences.
BannedMalta (MGA) · United Kingdom (UKGC) · Gibraltar (GRA) · Isle of Man (GSC) · Curaçao (CGB) · Kahnawake (KGC) · Anjouan (AGB) · Alderney (AGCC)
All offshore licences are unrecognized. Offering services to Mongolians is a criminal offense under the 2025 laws.
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses banned
The comprehensive prohibition on all gambling activities in Mongolia, enacted in 2025, extends to all related bonuses and promotions. The legislation explicitly forbids the advertising and promotion of any gambling-related activities, so all such inducements are illegal.
- Welcome bonus
- Banned
- VIP schemes
- Banned
- Loyalty schemes
- Banned
- Cashback
- Banned
- sports betting
- casino
- poker
- lotteries
All bonuses are banned as they are considered inducements for an illegal activity.
- Channels off-limits
- digital ads
- influencer marketing
- social media
- Messages ads may not give
- Free Bet
- Bonus
- Penalties
Organizing paid prediction or betting games is a criminal offense with penalties including fines from 2,700 to 14,000 'basic units', community service, travel restrictions, or imprisonment for six months to three years.
Enforcement focuses on suppressing the underlying illegal gambling operations, such as blocking domains and social media accounts, rather than specific advertising violations.
Advertising: banned or near-banned
As of 2025, Mongolia has implemented sweeping legislative amendments that prohibit all forms of paid gambling, including online casino games, sports betting, and paid lotteries. Consequently, all gambling advertising is explicitly banned across every channel, with no divergence between sportsbook and online casino offerings. Promoting or soliciting any form of paid gambling is now classified as a criminal offense, leading to administrative penalties and fines for illegal advertising.
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Banned | Mongolia’s 2025 legislative amendments explicitly prohibit all forms of paid gambling, including online sports betting and casino games, so all related advertising is illegal. Individuals who promote or solicit gambling activities face administrative penalties and fines under the Law on Administrative Violations.567 |
| App Store Publishing | Banned | Mobile apps that facilitate any kind of paid gambling, including sportsbook and online casino, are illegal in Mongolia following the 2025 legislative amendments. This means such apps cannot be published on platforms like Apple App Store or Google Play in the country.689 |
| Google/Apple App Store Ads | Banned | Due to the complete ban on all forms of paid gambling and gambling apps in Mongolia, promoted listings or Universal App Campaigns for sportsbook or online casino applications are prohibited to comply with local laws.689 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Banned | Meta is aware of Mongolia’s stringent gambling laws and includes the country on a list where gambling advertisements cannot be displayed on its social media platforms. The 2025 ban explicitly covers digital ads and influencer marketing for betting sites.610 |
| TV & Radio | Banned | All forms of gambling advertising are banned in Mongolia, covering traditional media such as TV and radio, as stipulated by the 2025 legislative amendments.6911 |
| Sponsorships | Banned | The 2025 ban on gambling advertising in Mongolia explicitly includes event sponsorships associated with gambling companies, making jersey, stadium, and naming-rights sponsorships illegal for both sportsbook and casino operators.68 |
| Digital OOH | Banned | The comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising in Mongolia extends to all public communications and digital platforms, which includes Digital Out-of-Home channels such as billboards and transit advertising.5611 |
Channel rules for Mongolia reflect each platform's published policy and the sources numbered in each row (listed under Methodology & sources). Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching.
How Mongolia enforces against unlicensed operators
Mongolia's enforcement is severe and absolute. Following the 2025 total ban, the government actively blocks offshore websites, prohibits the use of domestic payment systems for wagering, and imposes criminal penalties, including imprisonment, on illegal operators and facilitators.
- July 1, 2025: A total ban on all forms of paid gambling, including lotteries and sports betting, took effect.
- 2025: The Criminal Code was amended to include penalties of up to three years imprisonment for organizing illegal gambling.
- 2025: The Law on Licensing was amended to prohibit the use of Mongolian payment services, electronic money, and virtual assets for gambling transactions.
Enforcement cases in Mongolia: 3 recent
Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving Mongolia. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.
- March 2025
All online gambling operators
Grey-MarketNationwide ban on all forms of online gamblingThe Mongolian Parliament amended the Law on Licensing to criminalize all paid gambling to prevent capital outflow and address social harms.
Read-across: This legislative change effectively prohibits all online gambling operations, creating a high-risk environment and rendering the market inaccessible for most iGaming companies.
- March 2025
1xBet and Melbet
Grey-MarketWebsite blocking and public crackdownThe Mongolian government initiated a crackdown on illegal online gambling, specifically targeting these platforms due to significant capital outflow.
Read-across: Demonstrates the government's intent to actively enforce the new gambling ban against prominent international operators. This increases the risk for any brand recognition in the market.
- January 2023
Bet365
Grey-MarketWebsite access blockedThe Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia blacklisted and blocked the website for operating illegally in the country.
Read-across: This action against a major international brand signaled a shift towards more active enforcement and foreshadowed the broader crackdown on all unlicensed operators.
Licensed operators: none
As of 2 Jun 2026, no operator holds an active online licence in Mongolia.
Traps operators hit in Mongolia
Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.
Face Criminal Prosecution
Offering any form of paid gambling to Mongolian residents is not a regulatory infraction but a criminal offense under the 2025 amendments to the Criminal Code. Penalties for organizers include fines, community service, travel restrictions, and imprisonment for up to three years.
Sources13
Expect Payment and ISP Blocking
The government actively blocks access to offshore gambling websites. The 2025 laws explicitly prohibit the use of any domestic payment systems, including bank cards, QR codes, and virtual assets, for gambling-related transactions, which cuts off revenue channels.
Sources14
Navigate a Total Prohibition, Not a Grey Market
Unlike jurisdictions with ambiguous laws, Mongolia's legal position is one of total prohibition. There is no grey market or legal loophole to exploit. The ban is comprehensive. It covers online casinos, sports betting, lotteries, and paid prediction games, so market entry is impossible.
Sources15
Timeline: rules in force
- July 1, 2025
Total Ban on All Gambling Activities Takes Effect
The new legal framework became effective, officially making all lotteries, sports betting, and online/land-based wagering illegal and subject to criminal penalties.
Source: 13
- Mar/May 2025
Parliament Passes Sweeping Gambling Prohibition
The State Great Hural passed amendments to the Law on Licensing and the Criminal Code that criminalized all forms of paid gambling to combat capital outflow and financial crime.
Source: 16
- Early 2023
Discussions on Foreigner-Only Casinos Emerge
Prior to the ban, there were public discussions about potentially legalizing land-based casinos exclusively for foreign tourists, a policy direction that was ultimately abandoned.
Source: 15
Operator myths vs reality in Mongolia
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythMongolia is an unregulated 'grey' market open to offshore operators.Reality
False. Mongolia is a prohibited 'black' market. The 2025 legal reforms explicitly criminalized offering any form of paid gambling, with severe penalties for operators and facilitators.
Sources15
- MythA foreign license (e.g., MGA, Curaçao) offers some protection.Reality
Absolutely not. No foreign licenses are recognized or tolerated. The law applies to any entity offering services to Mongolians, and the government actively blocks access to offshore sites.
Sources17
- MythThe ban is focused on online casinos but sports betting is tolerated.Reality
Incorrect. The ban is comprehensive and explicitly includes lotteries, sports betting, online gambling, and paid prediction games. There are no tolerated verticals.
Sources12
Markets that work like Mongolia
Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.
- BangladeshAI overviewAfghanistanAI overviewPakistanAI overviewTurkmenistanAI overviewIranAI overview
Online casino, betting, poker and lottery banned; most ad channels banned; foreign licences mostly banned.
Methodology & sources
This page is a Quick AI overview: a summary of public information, not yet checked against the law or the regulator. Treat it as a starting point. It has not yet been through our Deep AI Scan.
How we researchAsk us to run the Deep AI Scan for Mongolia
Documents cited on this page
- 1SiGMA News
- 2sigma.world
- 3akipress.com
- 4completeigaming.com
- 5Yogonet International: Mongolia bans betting, online gambling, paid prediction activities
- 6SiGMA: Mongolia's new law shuts down gambling nationwide
- 7SoloAzar: Mongolian Parliament Approves Ban on Betting and Online Gambling
- 8iGamingToday.com: Mongolia iGaming Market Research Report
- 9Focus Gaming News: Mongolia bans online gambling
- 10SCCG Management: Mongolia Outlaws Most Forms Of Gambling In Sweeping Legal Overhaul
- 11Legal Pilot: Is Gambling Legal in Mongolia? Laws & Regulations Explained 2026
- 12AKIpress
- 13Yogonet
- 14ACE Alliance
- 15SCCG Management
- 16Complete iGaming
- 17SoMuchPoker