Casinos in Moldova
These are some of the most casinos in Moldova: Napoleon Palace, Europa and XO. All of them are located in the capital, Chisinau. Casinos are the only segment of the market open to private operators. Slot halls, sports betting and lotteries can only be run under the state monopoly of Loteria Nationala a Moldovei, which works with private partners under public-private partnership contracts signed in 2018 for 15 years. The gambling halls and bookmakers that used to operate under their own licences before the 2016 law now have to work within this monopoly framework.
Gambling Games in Moldova
Just like in many other European countries, products developed by Greentube enjoy great popularity. Slots such as Book of Ra, Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe, Dolphin's Pearl and Sizzling Hot are normally in the top positions among Moldovan players. Classic slot-hall games by Igrosoft, such as Fruit Cocktail, Crazy Monkey and Resident, remain very popular as well, together with slots by EGT (20 Super Hot, Dice & Roll) and Amatic. In August 2025 the National Lottery launched Slot.md, the first legal online slots platform in Moldova, with more than 100 games at launch. Cards games are also pretty popular among the locals: poker and blackjack. There are computer games and gaming apps for mobile devices that are being developed in Moldova. One of the popular developers of gambling software products is DQ Team. Among the company's games that have gained worldwide are: Delta Quadrant: Empires, Delta Quadrant: Horizons, 7 Gates: Path to Zamolxes, Jeweller: The Cursed Treasure, War in a box: Paper Tanks. Spooky House Studios is also worth mentioning. This Moldova-based company develops games for Android and iOS.
Gambling Legislation
Gambling business in the Republic of Moldova began its development in 1918. This is when the very first clubs were opened up in big cities, which only had card games. After the collapse of the USSR the government decided to develop the gambling industry. But it was only in 1998 when the government took an active initiative - this is when the Law on Gambling and Licensing of Gambling Businesses was passed. Then in 1999 the government published the Law on Gambling that outlined the legal principles of organising and running a gambling establishment. This law remained in effect until it was replaced by Law No. 291 of 16 December 2016 on the organisation and conduct of games of chance, which came into force in 2017. Virtually all types of gambling entertainment are allowed on the nation's soil: games of chance - casinos, slot machines and lotteries, betting and bookmaking offices and Games of skill.
Regulation
Since 2011 the entire gaming industry in Moldova has been the monopoly of the state, except for land-based casinos. The rules for running a gambling business are prescribed by the following legislative acts: Law No. 291 of 16.12.2016 on the organisation and conduct of games of chance, Law No. 160 of 22.07.2011 on the regulation of entrepreneurial activity through licensing, the Tax code dated 24.04.1997 and the Law on advertising. According to the Republic's legislation, people under the age of 21 or people under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any other potent substance are not allowed to take part in any gambling entertainment (except for lotteries and games of skill). The organiser of the gambling entertainment is not allowed to participate in its own games. For several years any advertising of gambling facilities and their services was not allowed in Moldova. In December 2024 Parliament relaxed the ban: advertising of low-social-risk gambling is now allowed between 22:00 and 07:00, sponsorship of live sports broadcasts and limited print advertising are permitted, and every advert must carry a warning about the harms of gambling that takes up at least 20% of its time or space. The law also states that all gambling establishments must be located far from educational institutions, religious and medical buildings and from any public places. The state monopoly is exercised by Loteria Nationala a Moldovei, a joint-stock company owned by the state and managed through the Public Property Agency. Gambling policy and taxation are the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and the State Tax Service, while casino licences are issued by the Public Services Agency.
Gambling Licensing
Under Law No. 291/2016 the only type of gambling operation that is subject to licensing for private companies in Moldova is running a land-based casino. Lotteries, gaming machines with monetary rewards, betting on sporting events and online gambling are reserved for the state monopoly. According to the legislation, the organiser of gambling entertainment can be a legal entity registered in the Republic of Moldova that has a proper license. The number of foreign shareholders must not exceed 49% of the authorised capital. Issuance of licenses was handled by the Licensing Chamber until its functions were transferred to the Public Services Agency (Agenția Servicii Publice), which now issues and extends casino licences. The applicant must have a minimum share capital of 5,000,000 MDL (at least 70% in cash), at least five years of experience in organising gambling in Moldova or the EU, video surveillance throughout the casino, a connection to the state online monitoring system and insurance covering players' winnings. Prerequisites for issuing a license to a legal entity that conducts any kind of operations in the gambling industry: organisational and legal form, a joint-stock company or a limited liability company, accompanying activities such as serving food, selling alcohol and tobacco products and others are carried out only on the premises where the main operations are conducte, and the company must not have any people who were previously convicted among its shareholders, board members or employees whose duties are to handle or monitor a game. Nor should the company have any members of companies that were once operating without a proper license. Below are the fees for a casino licence, according to the Public Services Agency:
- Issuing or extending a casino licence - 600,000 MDL for each gaming table
- Issuing or extending a casino licence - 130,000 MDL for each roulette unit
- Re-issuing (amending) a licence - 3,600 MDL
- Copy of a licence - 3,600 MDL
- Duplicate of a licence - 16,000 MDL
Applications are processed within 3 to 10 working days, depending on the type of request. Before the 2016 law, fees were also charged for gaming machines, betting and lotteries run by private operators:
- Using gaming machines - 14,000 MDL for each item
- Employing gaming machines of the American roulette type - 80,000 MDL per item
- Betting during sporting or other events - 28% of the total amount of all bets accepted
- Organising and running instant lotteries - 28% of the total cost of lottery tickets that were put up for sale
- Organising and running digital lotteries - 28% of the total cost of lottery tickets sold
- Running a land-based casino that has no more than 6 tables - 180,000 MDL For each gaming table starting from the seventh one 360,000 MDL
Licensed varieties of gambling
This is what casinos in the Republic of Moldova - Napoleon Palace, Europa and XO have to offer: classical slot machines and tables for table games such as roulette, blackjack and Texas, Russian and Caribbean poker. Slot halls, sports betting and lotteries are available to the players through Loteria Nationala a Moldovei and its partners, and online the National Lottery offers sports betting and lotteries on 7777.md and online slots on Slot.md. Bookmakers have also been enjoying great popularity.
Financial warranty
According to the legislation of Moldova, operators of gambling establishments must provide their customers with a financial warranty. The type and the size of financial warranty is determined by the Ministry of Finance. These are the main forms of guaranteeing the protection of financial interests of the players: signing an agreement with an insurance company, providing a warranty from the bank, depositing a certain amount into the bank account specified by the Ministry of Finance Upon expiration of the license the amount is returned with interest, using real estate owned by the organiser as collateral.
Ombudsman and Monitoring
Gaming operations are monitored by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Services Agency. Tax Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs are the authorised bodies that oversee the legality of operations by companies that provide gambling entertainment.
Online gambling in Moldova
Online gambling in Moldova is legal, but only within the state monopoly. Only persons who are above 21 years of age can play. Online gambling is a monopoly of the state and is not subject to licensing. Operations of all legal gambling websites in the country are overseen by АО Loteria Nationala a Moldovei: sports betting and lotteries are offered on 7777.md, and since August 2025 online slots are available on Slot.md. Websites of foreign operators are not licensed in Moldova: the Public Services Agency keeps a list of prohibited gambling domains, which internet providers are required to block, although many players still reach offshore sites through VPNs and mirror domains.
Development of the Gambling Market in Moldova
Gambling industry in Moldova has been undergoing a dynamic development, which is shown by tax deductions to the state treasury from the companies that provide gambling entertainment on the nation's territory. The state has been focusing on transforming the gambling industry. In Balti, for example, the city council tried to relocate all gaming establishments outside of the city. And in Orhei and Comrat, the authorities decided to suspend the issuance of licenses to any new operators on the market. In August 2026 the government announced new rules to fight the illegal online market, including closing websites that have no right to operate in Moldova, and a review of the advertising restrictions that put the National Lottery at a disadvantage against foreign platforms. Junket tourism gave another spur to the development of the gambling industry in the country, which is supposed to increase the number of foreign visitors. In neighbouring countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Turkey gambling is either banned or severely restricted, so the idea looks quite promising.
Taxation
The total amount of income tax for legal entities registered in the Republic of Moldova is 12%. Winners are also subject to taxation: the payer withholds a final tax of 18% from gambling winnings (Article 90¹ of the Tax code), and for online platforms the tax is calculated on the amount withdrawn from the gaming account. Separate rules apply to small winnings from lotteries, sports betting and promotional campaigns. On 8 September 2026 the government approved the fiscal policy for 2027, which proposes a 6% vice tax on participation in gambling and lotteries, charged on money deposited into gaming accounts and on the price of lottery tickets; the measure still has to be adopted by Parliament. On the whole, gaming business in the Republic of Moldova has its own ups and downs. Some restrictions do not get in the way of the rapid development in this area. The industry is gradually approaching the European standards. Due to the monopolization of gambling establishments, the authorities have significantly increased the inflow of funds into the country's budget.
