🇲🇪For operators · Tax, marketing & compliance
Operating in Montenegro: 15% tax, ad limits
Online betting, virtual casino and virtual slots are legal in Montenegro only on sites of Montenegrin companies approved by the Games of Chance Administration (UIS). There is no stand-alone online licence: the online right is a decision added to a casino, betting or slot-club approval and lasts only as long as it. Unlicensed sites are to be blocked, and banks refuse card payments to foreign gambling merchants.
Product by product
Online play is not a stand-alone licence: only a joint-stock or limited-liability company seated in Montenegro that already holds a casino, betting or slot-club approval can apply for an online decision from UIS.| Product | Status | Licensed by | Tax | Key restriction | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports betting | Licensable | UIS: betting approval, then an online decision | Fixed €10,000 a month + 15% of stakes minus payouts | Online right lasts only as long as the betting approval (8 years); one website; euro only; no bets on teams under 18 or on an operator's own club | Bonus, jackpot, prize and free-spin offers only on the operator's official websites and sponsored clubs' sites; no radio or TV 06:00-22:00 |
| Virtual casino and slots | Limited | UIS online decision on top of a casino approval (Government, 15 years) or a slot-club approval (UIS, 8 years) | Fixed €10,000 a month + 15% of stakes minus payouts, as its own fee category | Virtual casinos only: play without an operator representative; casino table games otherwise only on casino premises | Same channel limits as betting; no radio or TV 06:00-22:00 |
| Live casino | Unregulated | No online licence named | — | Not confirmed: casino table games are for casino premises, yet licensed operators show live-dealer sections and the regulator's position is not clear | — |
| Online poker | Unregulated | No online licence named | — | Not confirmed: the law has no online poker rule; casino tables, including player-versus-player games and tournaments, are for casino premises | — |
| Lottery | State monopoly | One company founded by the Government with a 100% share | Fixed €100,000 a year + 10% of tickets sold minus the prize fund | No private licence; foreign lottery tickets and cross-border sale are banned; no state lottery organiser on the UIS list of 2 July 2025 | Lottery games are excepted from the channel bans on gambling ads |
Decided7 Nov 2026Compliance period for existing operators ends
When must existing operators meet the 2025 Law?
Concession contracts under the old 2004 Law continue only for a compliance period. Law 117/2026, in force from 8 August 2026, extended it from 270 to 450 days from 14 August 2025, which works out to 7 November 2026. Existing operators had to apply for an approval under the new Law at least 90 days before that end, a date that works out to 9 August 2026. Player identity checks, deposit rules, bonus accounts and the exclusion duties must be met by then; only the new 50-metre spacing rule between premises waits for 1 January 2027.
Law 117/2026 (gazette) ↗Law on Games of Chance, informative text ↗
Regulator and player protection in Montenegro
Regulator
Application authority and enforcement body
Self-exclusion scheme
State register of excluded persons
How players exclude themselves; what it covers is in the player guide
Mandatory RG controls
No limit imposed on players
Deposit limits or reality checks the law requires operators to offer
Which casinos & betting sites are licensed in Montenegro?
See the full official list of licensed operators and their authorised domains.
Heads-up for operators
3 items · last change 12 Oct 2026
No further amendment of the Law on Games of Chance was found on 12 October 2026. Existing operators must meet the new Law within 450 days of 14 August 2025 (Sl. list CG 117/2026 extended the period from 270 days), which we compute ends on 7 November 2026; their applications were due at least 90 days before. The 50-metre minimum distance between lottery and special-games premises (Art. 22a) applies from 1 January 2027. Two initiatives to the Constitutional Court are on record, one by the operators' association on Art. 106 and one by the gaming operators' group of the Chamber of Commerce on Art. 19(3), 23, 104, 106 and two rulebooks; the association of betting companies 'Crna Gora klađenje' has asked it to review the 12% tax on winnings. No decision of the Court was found.
50-metre distance between premises
Art. 22a, added by Sl. list CG 117/2026: lottery and special-games premises must be at least 50 metres apart, except premises approved for special games before 8 August 2026 (land-based).
Source: 1
End of the compliance period for existing operators
450 days from 14 August 2025 (our arithmetic), after Sl. list CG 117/2026 extended the period from 270 days; old-regime concessions run until then.
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.
Getting licensed: apply to the UIS
The licence, its cost and the steps are in the licence guide
6 licence types: Online games decision (rješenje); Casino approval (land-based); Betting approval (land-based); and others. Year-1 budget From EUR 350k. Fees, requirements, documents, certification and the step-by-step route are set out there.Read the licence guide
Gambling tax: EUR 10,000 a month + 15% of stakes minus payouts
Detail
Online (Law on Games of Chance Art. 83): EUR 10,000 a month fixed plus 15% of stakes minus payouts, for online betting and again for virtual casinos and slots; the monthly record and proof of payment are filed by the 15th.
- Land-based
- casinos 15% of the table result plus EUR 100,000 a year per casino (Art. 36); betting shops 10% of the daily stakes-minus-payouts result plus EUR 750 a month per shop (Art. 51); slot machines 15% plus EUR 75 a month per machine (Art. 63); the state lottery company 10% of tickets sold minus the prize fund plus EUR 100,000 a year (Art. 72).
- The fees go to the state and local budgets.
- Corporate profit tax
- 9% up to EUR 100,000, 12% to EUR 1,500,000 and 15% above; gambling services are exempt from VAT.
Which foreign licences Montenegro accepts
Montenegro recognises none of these 8 foreign licences.
BlockedMalta (MGA) · United Kingdom (UKGC) · Curaçao (CGB) · Alderney (AGCC) · Kahnawake (KGCB) · Anjouan · Isle of Man (GSC) · Gibraltar (GRA)
Not recognised. Only a Montenegrin company with a Montenegrin approval may offer gambling; collecting stakes in Montenegro for games abroad is banned, unlicensed sites are to be blocked and payments to them refused (Law on Games of Chance Art. 20, 80, 96).
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses restricted
Inducement ads: Channel-restricted
Bonuses are allowed but run only through a separate promotional account that the player cannot pay into; bonus funds can only be played, and winnings from them cannot be paid out from that account. Advertising them is limited to the operator's own websites and the websites of sports clubs it sponsors.
What the player can claim
- Welcome bonus
- Restricted
- VIP schemes
- Allowed
- Loyalty schemes
- Allowed
- Cashback
- Allowed
While retention tools like VIP programs and cashback are permitted, the advertising of their benefits is subject to the same strict channel restrictions as other promotions.
What the operator can advertise
- Channels off-limits
- Radio, television and on-demand audiovisual services, at all times (AVMU rulebook Art. 6(1)(2))
- Every channel except the operator's official websites and the websites of sports clubs and associations it sponsors (Law on Games of Chance Art. 17(1)(1))
- Public places (Art. 19(1))
- Messages ads may not give
- Offering money for taking part, free participation in games with money, or participation at a reduced price (Art. 17(3)(9))
- Presenting gambling as a solution to financial problems or an alternative to work (Art. 17(3)(5))
- Encouraging players to win back losses (Art. 17(3)(14))
- Mandatory disclaimer
Every advertisement carries a warning that games of chance can cause addiction and that under-18s may not take part (Art. 17(2)); on TV as text at the end of the ad with an '18+' symbol throughout, on radio spoken at the end.
- Placement rule
- No bonus-specific disclosure (terms, wagering) is set; the AVMU rulebook bars calling an offer 'free' where the user bears costs.
- Penalties
Advertising contrary to Art. 16-19: EUR 5,000-20,000 for a company, EUR 550-6,000 for an entrepreneur, EUR 1,000-2,000 for a natural person (Art. 99, 101, 102).
Approvals can be revoked on 14 grounds (Art. 86), among them repeating a listed misdemeanour.
Bonus winnings moved to the player account count as a stake and may not reduce the fee base (Art. 85(7)-(8)). No cap on wagering requirements is set.
Advertising: limited
Montenegro allows gambling advertising within channel limits set by the Law on Games of Chance (Sl. list CG 91/2025, Art. 16-19): no radio or TV advertising from 06:00 to 22:00, print only on sports pages, internet publications only if wholly about sport or in their sports sections, nothing in public places, and benefits (bonus, jackpot, prize, free spin) only on the operator's own websites and those of sports clubs it sponsors. Advertising an operator without a Montenegrin approval is banned in any medium. The same rules cover sports betting and casino; lottery games are excepted from the channel bans.
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Banned | Google serves gambling ads only in countries on its certification list, and Montenegro is not on it (read 12 October 2026). Montenegro's Law does not name search ads; online advertising is limited to internet publications wholly about sport or their sports sections.256 |
| App Store Publishing | Licensed operators only | Google Play's list of countries where real-money gambling apps may be published does not include Montenegro (read 12 October 2026). Apple requires real-money gaming apps to hold the licences needed where they are offered; whether Apple supports Montenegro was not checked.78 |
| Google/Apple App Store Ads | Restricted | Google Play promotion is not available while Play does not list Montenegro for real-money gambling apps. Apple Search Ads for gambling apps in Montenegro were not checked.7 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Restricted | Meta runs online gambling ads only with its prior written permission. Montenegro's Law does not name social media: bonus and free-spin advertising is allowed only on the operator's own websites and sponsored clubs' sites, and whether a social-media page is an internet publication under the sports-only rule is not stated.29 |
| TV & Radio | Restricted | Allowed only from 22:00 to 06:00, never within 15 minutes before or after programmes for minors, and never for bonuses, jackpots, prizes or free spins (Law Art. 16-17; AVMU rulebook Art. 6(1)). A TV ad shows the under-18 and addiction text at the end and an '18+' symbol throughout; a radio ad ends with the spoken text. Lottery games are excepted from the daytime ban.24 |
| Sponsorships | Restricted | Sports sponsorship is allowed: bonus advertising may run on the websites of sports clubs and associations the operator sponsors. No gambling advertising on sports equipment in categories up to age 18, no bets on a club the operator owns or on teams under 18, and on TV a sponsor may show only its name, brand or logo and may not sponsor programmes for minors.23 |
| Digital OOH | Banned | Advertising in public places is banned (Art. 19(1)). On the outside of its own premises an operator may show only a static, unlit sign of at most 90 x 60 cm with its name, logo and the venue type; lit signs and LED screens are banned except for casinos in five-star hotels (Art. 19(3), (5); rulebook 1/2026).210 |
Channel rules for Montenegro 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 Montenegro enforces against unlicensed operators
UIS and the Ministry of Finance's gambling inspectors enforce through blocking requests, payment blocks, inspections and misdemeanour proceedings; unauthorised organising of games is prosecuted as a crime. No fine is published by operator.
- 2025: UIS asked EKIP to block more than 450 IP addresses of unlicensed operators (requests; the number blocked was not found).
- 30 April 2025: banks and payment providers refuse payments to foreign recipients under merchant category code 7995.
- 2025: 14 misdemeanour orders with fines of EUR 34,900 in total, 10 requests for misdemeanour proceedings and 56 betting-shop closure procedures.
- By 8 May 2026: five criminal complaints and 22 machines and terminals seized; 20 June 2026: criminal complaint at Bar, three terminals seized.
Enforcement cases in Montenegro: 5 recent
Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving Montenegro. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.
- June 2026
Unauthorised organiser (Bar)
Grey-MarketCriminal complaint; terminals seizedPolice filed a criminal complaint at Bar for unauthorised organising of games of chance and seized three betting terminals (20 June 2026).
Read-across: Unauthorised land-based terminals are prosecuted as a criminal offence, not only fined.
- May 2026
Unauthorised organisers
Grey-MarketCriminal complaints and seizuresThe Ministry of Finance reported five criminal complaints and 22 machines and terminals seized by 8 May 2026, and misdemeanour proceedings over billboards.
Read-across: Inspections of venues and outdoor advertising were stepped up in 2026.
- April 2025
Unlicensed foreign operators
PaymentsCard payment blockBanks and payment providers must refuse payments to foreign recipients under merchant category code 7995; the Central Bank found all banks complied (UIS, 30 April 2025).
Read-across: Players cannot fund foreign gambling sites with Montenegrin bank cards.
- 2025
Unlicensed online operators
Grey-MarketIP blocking requestsUIS asked the electronic-communications regulator (EKIP) to block more than 450 IP addresses of unlicensed operators in 2025; the number actually blocked was not found.
Read-across: Offshore sites face blocking requests, and card payments to them are refused.
- 2025
Organisers and venues
OtherMisdemeanour fines and closuresThe Ministry of Finance's 2025 report counts 14 misdemeanour orders with fines of EUR 34,900 in total, 10 requests for misdemeanour proceedings and 56 betting-shop closure procedures over the 150-metre school-distance rule.
Read-across: Fines are modest; the school-distance rule closes premises.
Licensed operators: 13
As of 13 Oct 2026, approximately 13 operators hold an active licence in Montenegro. Size your entry against this base before committing capital. Check them yourself on the official Games of Chance Administration (Uprava za igre na sreću) register, which lists each licensee and its authorised domains.
Notable licensed operators
Volcano Bet
MaxBet
AdmiralBet
Lobbet
Traps operators hit in Montenegro
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.
No stand-alone online licence
The online decision is issued only to a Montenegrin company that already holds a casino, betting or slot-club approval, and it ends with that approval. The betting route alone means EUR 200,000 share capital and a EUR 30,000 guarantee from a bank seated in Montenegro before any online fee.
A fixed fee for each online category
Online betting, and virtual casinos and slots, each carry EUR 10,000 a month whatever the turnover, plus 15% of stakes minus payouts. On our reading an operator offering both pays both fixed fees, EUR 240,000 a year.
Sources16
Compliance deadline of 7 November 2026
Existing operators must meet the new Law within 450 days of 14 August 2025 (our arithmetic gives 7 November 2026), including video identification at registration and a photo check at every deposit; Sl. list CG 117/2026 extended the period from 270 days.
Euro only, closed list of deposit methods
Deposits may come only by a card or instrument of a credit institution, a transfer from the player's own account, a credit institution's mobile or internet payment, or at a venue, and every payment and payout is in euro. Bonuses run only through a separate promotional account.
Sources17
Timeline: rules in force
- 8 Aug 2026
First amendment in force
Sl. list CG 117/2026, 18 articles: among them inspectors' 90-day closure of unauthorised premises, a EUR 50 fee per self-service terminal and the longer compliance period.
Source: 1
- 21 May 2026
Flat 12% tax on winnings
Sl. list CG 70/2026: 12% on winnings from lotteries, betting and a global jackpot, with no tax-free amount.
Source: 18
- 1 Jan 2026
Tiered winnings tax (replaced on 21 May 2026)
0% up to EUR 50, 10% on EUR 50.01-1,500 and 15% above EUR 1,500 (Sl. list CG 160/25).
Source: 19
- 27 Dec 2025
- 14 Aug 2025
Law on Games of Chance in force
Sl. list CG 91/2025, adopted 31 July 2025 and published 6 August 2025, repealed the 2004 Law.
Source: 21
- 30 Apr 2025
Card payments to foreign gambling sites refused
Banks and payment providers refuse payments to foreign recipients under merchant category code 7995.
Source: 12
Operator myths vs reality in Montenegro
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythWe can enter Montenegro with our MGA or Curaçao licence.Reality
No. Only a joint-stock or limited-liability company seated in Montenegro with a Montenegrin approval may organise games; collecting stakes in Montenegro for games abroad is banned, and advertising an operator without a Montenegrin approval is banned in any medium.
Sources2
- MythWe can launch online-only.Reality
No. The online decision is issued only to a company that already holds a casino, betting or slot-club approval, and it ends when that approval does.
Sources15
- MythThe online fee is 10% of GGR.Reality
It is EUR 10,000 a month plus 15% of stakes minus payouts, for each online category (betting; virtual casinos and slots), under Art. 83 of the 2025 Law.
Sources16
Markets that work like Montenegro
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.
Methodology & sources
The research behind our Montenegro coverage
Counted across every Montenegro page, not this page alone.
compiled 19 Oct 2026
12
official websites
regulators, legislatures, courts
97
pages cited
specific documents, not homepages
225
sourced data points
each traced to the instrument
Across every Montenegro page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
The same research as a 53-page Montenegro report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.
Request the Montenegro reportOur Deep AI Scan took Montenegro through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 88 official documents, read on 19 Oct 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is due to go to our compliance team. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
Documents cited on this page
- 1Službeni list Crne Gore: Sl. list CG 117/2026 (first amendment), gazette record
- 2Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025 (text hosted on gov.me)
- 3AVMU rulebook on commercial audiovisual communications, Sl. list CG 121/2024
- 4AVMU amending rulebook, Sl. list CG 104/2025
- 5Google Ads gambling and games policy
- 6Google gambling certification eligibility update (Mar 2026)
- 7Google Play gambling policy and country allowances
- 8Apple App Store Review Guideline 5.3
- 9Meta online gambling ad policy
- 10Rulebook Sl. list CG 1/2026: outdoor advertising of games of chance
- 11Ministry of Finance: report on work in 2025
- 12Uprava za igre na sreću, 30 April 2025: payment ban on unauthorised organisers
- 13Ministry of Finance, 8 May 2026: action against illegal gambling
- 14Uprava policije, 20 June 2026: criminal complaint at Bar, three terminals seized
- 15Sl. list CG 91/2025, Art. 77-79 (online decision), gazette page
- 16Sl. list CG 91/2025, Art. 83 (online fees), gazette page
- 17Sl. list CG 91/2025, Art. 84-85 (deposits and bonuses), gazette page
- 18Sl. list CG 70/2026: flat 12% tax on winnings, gazette record
- 19Ministry of Finance, 5 January 2026: taxing winnings from games of chance
- 20Rulebook Sl. list CG 151/2025: register of excluded persons
- 21Službeni list Crne Gore: Sl. list CG 91/2025, gazette record
The 10 documents this page relies on most
- Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025: informative text ('Katalog propisa 2025', Pravni ekspert doo), hosted by UIS on gov.meRegulator
- Sl. list CG 117/2026, Art. 1-18: agent's transcription of the six gazette page images (capture of ?page=1)Law
- Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025, gazette record page 53 (Art. 83 online fees)Law
- Zakon o sprečavanju pranja novca i finansiranja terorizma (consolidated text through Sl. list CG 110/2023, 65/2024, 24/2025, 41/2026 and 59/2026), Financial Intelligence Unit copyRegulator
- Prilog 1 (aplikativni programabilni interfejs zahtjev) to the rulebook, UIS online supervision API v1Regulator
- AVMU amending rulebook, Sl. list CG 104/2025, Art. 1-10: our transcription of the two gazette page images (capture of ?page=1)Law
- Sluzbeni list Crne Gore: record of Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025 (reg. no. 1211), page imagesRegulator
- Pravilnik o komercijalnim audiovizuelnim komunikacijama u audiovizuelnim medijskim uslugama, Sl. list CG 121/2024 (Agencija za audiovizuelne medijske usluge)Regulator
- Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025, gazette record page 20 (Art. 27(1)-(9) real-time records and direct connection)Law
- Zakon o igrama na sreću, Sl. list CG 91/2025, gazette record page 50 (Art. 77(2), Art. 78 and Art. 79(1)-(3) online right, one website, game rules)Law
Also cited on this page
88 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.
Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in Montenegro (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the Montenegro player guide.
Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 13 Oct 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with Games of Chance Administration (Uprava za igre na sreću). We are not a legal adviser.