Is online gambling legal in Montenegro?

Since 21 May 2026 winnings from betting and lotteries are taxed at a flat 12%, which the site withholds; casino and slot winnings are not taxed. You can ask a site to exclude you for a fixed or indefinite period, and the regulator keeps a register of excluded persons. Unlicensed sites are to be blocked, and Montenegrin banks refuse card payments to foreign gambling sites.

1. 1Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025: informative text ('Katalog propisa 2025', Pravni ekspert doo), hosted by UIS on gov.me
2. 2Ministry of Finance: Izvjestaj o radu i stanju u upravnim oblastima Ministarstva finansija za 2025. godinu (March 2026), with the reports of UIS and of the gambling inspectorate

Using a VPN to reach gambling sites from Montenegro: No player offence for using a VPN was found. The Law bans taking part in foreign games paid from Montenegro, but for online play that ban is stated to apply to companies without an online approval, and no fine on a player was found.

Gambling with crypto: Not accepted on licensed sites: online deposits may come only by a card or other instrument of a credit institution, a transfer from the player's own account, a credit institution's mobile or internet payment, or a payment at a venue, and every payment and payout is in euro (Law on Games of Chance Art. 84(1), 4(2)).

You must be 18 to gamble online in Montenegro, for online casino, sports betting and lottery alike.

Personal Income Tax Law Art. 10(1)(4), as replaced by Sl. list CG 70/2026 (in force 21 May 2026): 12% on winnings from lotteries, betting games and a global jackpot, with no tax-free amount. The taxable winning is each individual win less the individual stake that produced it (for betting, Art. 37s(2)(2)); the organiser withholds the tax at each payout or transfer and pays it over by the 15th of the following month (Art. 37s(2), 50f). Casino table, slot machine and virtual casino or slot winnings are outside Art. 37s(1), except a global jackpot paid in money. Superseded scales: 15% above a EUR 300 tax-free amount from 1 January 2025; 0% up to EUR 50, 10% on EUR 50.01-1,500 and 15% above EUR 1,500 from 1 January 2026 (Sl. list CG 160/25).

There are 13 licensed operators in Montenegro as of 13 Oct 2026.

Always verify a casino holds a valid Games of Chance Administration (Uprava za igre na sreću) licence before depositing. Check the official register before signing up.

The official register of licensed sitesGames of Chance Administration (Uprava za igre na sreću)'s website

Prominent operators in Montenegro

If a site isn't on the regulator's licensee register, ask the regulator before you play: an unlisted site is usually not licensed here (a register can lag behind a new licence). An unlicensed site is outside the regulator's supervision, so you cannot complain to the regulator about it.

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  Check the site is on the regulator's list

  The Games of Chance Administration lists 13 online sites, one domain per company (list of 2 July 2025), among them meridianbet.me, maxbet.me, volcanobet.me and admiralbet.me.

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  Expect video identification

  A licensed site identifies you by video when you register online and checks a photo at every deposit. Sites already operating must meet this by about 7 November 2026.

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  Euro only, from your own account

  Licensed sites take deposits only in euro, from a bank card, your own bank account or a bank's mobile or internet payment; nobody else may pay into your account.

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  The legal age is 18

  Nobody under 18 may register or play, and every gambling advertisement must say so.

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1. 1

   1. Complain to the operator

   The operator must act on your complaint without delay when it concerns how the game rules were applied or how its staff behaved. State your allegations clearly and give your identity.

2. 2

   2. Complain to the Games of Chance Administration

   If the complaint reaches the Administration (UIS), its supervisor may examine it, record the facts and send the record to the competent body for measures; gambling inspectors also act on complaints. The law gives neither of them a power to order the operator to repay you.

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   3. Consumer dispute board or court

   The consumer protection law has a board for out-of-court consumer disputes at the Chamber of Economy (disputes up to EUR 10,000); whether it hears gambling disputes is not stated. Otherwise, the courts.

• Myth

  Casino and slot winnings are taxed like betting wins.
  Reality

  No. The 12% tax (since 21 May 2026) applies to winnings from lotteries, betting and a global jackpot. Winnings from casino tables, slot machines and virtual casino or slot games are not taxed.

• Myth

  Small winnings are tax-free.
  Reality

  Not any more. From 1 January 2026 winnings up to EUR 50 were untaxed, but since 21 May 2026 the 12% applies with no tax-free amount.

• Myth

  Any gambling site is fine to use from Montenegro.
  Reality

  Only sites of Montenegrin companies approved by the Games of Chance Administration are legal; its list of 2 July 2025 has 13 online sites. Others are to be blocked, and Montenegrin banks refuse card payments to foreign gambling sites.