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Land-Based Casinos in Montenegro
Today casinos in Montenegro are still developing. The state occupies leading positions at the level of the casino development among all states of the Balkan Peninsula. Several legal casinos, along with a large network of betting shops and slot machine clubs, are operating in the nation's territory. One of the best-known casinos is Maestral Resort & Casino, which is located in Pržno near Sveti Stefan. According to casino directories, the casino has 18 game tables, 133 slot machines and video poker. As far as online gambling is concerned, it is legal, but only for operators that hold a Montenegrin licence. Gambling administration has created favourable conditions (both legally and economically) for the successful development of this industry. A large number of foreign investors are making their contributions into the development of gambling business on the Internet. As a result, operators were given the opportunity to open the websites of their online casinos in Montenegro. Under the Games of Chance Act of 2025, an online licence can only be granted to an operator that already holds a licence for a land-based game of chance in Montenegro.
Gambling Games in Montenegro
Players in Montenegro prefer slot machines, including ones with progressive jackpots, and other entertainment of this sort. In NeonSlots.com free-play statistics for Montenegro, the most played slot machines are games by EGT, Greentube, Igrosoft, Pragmatic Play and Amatic, which are also common in Balkan slot halls: 50 Hot Blast, 40 Burning Hot 6 Reels and Shining Crown by EGT, Book of Ra Deluxe 6 and Book of Ra Magic by Greentube, the classic Fruit Cocktail and Crazy Monkey by Igrosoft and Billyonaire by Amatic.
Gambling Legislation
Organisation of gambling games and state monitoring on the territory of Montenegro was regulated by the 2006 Gambling Law until August 2025. This is the legislative act that subdivides gambling into two major categories: lotteries and special types of gambling. Lotteries include: Lottery, Bingo, TV lotto and closed type lotto games, Lotto, Keno, Forecasts of sporting events, Bookmaking, Extra games in lotto and bookmaking, Video lotteries, Fonteau and other similar entertainment with draws. Special types of gambling include: Casino games, Wagering games and Slot machines. Acting legislation of the Republic of Montenegro performs the following functions: establishes the procedure for organising and running gambling games and outlines the list of relevant restrictions and mandatory requirements for organisers, gambling establishments and their visitors, establishes the procedure for issuing permits to perform the work related to the organising and running the gambling games and exposes, bans and suspends the activities of operators that are in violation of the legislation. According to the law, organisation of gambling entertainment is carried out for the purposes of meeting the public interests. It means that the proceeds from the gambling business will go to meeting the social and humanitarian needs, youth programs and other purposes established by the law. The state strictly monitors the gambling industry and oversees the compliance with laws on age of consent for gambling (18 years).
On 31 July 2025 the Parliament of Montenegro adopted a new Law on Games of Chance, the first new gambling law in about 20 years; it entered into force in August 2025. It replaces the concession model described below with licences: casino licences are issued by the Government of Montenegro, while licences for betting and slot machine games are issued by the Games of Chance Administration. The law also introduces stricter protection of players and minors, including penalties for allowing minors to gamble, rules on the distance of gambling venues from schools, player identification and video monitoring, regulated advertising and a state-owned lottery company. Existing concession holders were given a transitional period to reapply.
Under the 2006 law, from the legislative standpoint, people controlling the gambling market must pay special attention to the mental state of the players. They must also spend enough time to counteract the legalisation of means that were amassed by criminal activities. This, in turn, should contribute to lessening the risk of criminalisation of the gambling industry, to protecting the players from any fraud and eliminating any negative aspects that might accompany gambling entertainment. Organisations registered as legal entities are the ones that have the right to be engaged in gambling business. They must obtain an appropriate registration by means of concession. Concession implies that the state grants the right to use gambling equipment and conduct gambling games to a limited liability company operating in the territory of Montenegro. In return, the state gives the joint-stock company a reward in the form of either a one-time payment or payments spread over a certain period of time. According to the legislation, a concession agreement must contain the following items:
- Name and location of the joint-stock company that provides gambling games
- Location and address of the premises that will be used for gambling
- Types of gambling games that may be run
- Commencement date
- Duration of concession and the conditions for its extension
- Amount and order of paying the concession fee
- Overseeing procedure
- Regulations concerning other rights and duties of the parties
With the concession mechanisms the state organises and conducts gambling games through a certain number of controlled operators.
Regulation
The entire gambling industry in Montenegro is under the control of the state. The main regulating body is the Games of Chance Administration, which works under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. All monitoring functions are conducted by an authorised officer in strict compliance with the gambling law. The officer's duties also include specific functions related to the control of gambling. The authorised officer must be present during the opening, settling up and closing of tables and slot machines in the casinos (or gaming clubs with slot machines), as well as during daily settlement of cash registers and other operations that involve gambling facilities.
Gambling Licensing
Virtually any entrepreneur who decides to start a gaming business can qualify for a gambling license, while an online licence is only available to holders of a land-based licence. Each form of gambling requires a separate certificate to be issued. Under the 2025 act, casino licences are issued for 15 years and betting and slot machine licences for 8 years. After the certificate expires, the documents are re-submitted and verified. To obtain the gambling license one has to go through several preliminary stages:
- To set up a limited liability company in the territory of the Republic of Montenegro. The company must be registered in compliance with the rules that are dictated by the legislation
- To prepare books and open the bank account. Also, a bank guarantee must be obtained in order to confirm solvency
- To develop a website and a system for processing payments - when it comes to online gambling
- To compile and submit an application for registration of a new casino in the jurisdiction of the state
Once these stages have been completed, a permit must be obtained from the Government of Montenegro. These were the conditions for obtaining and running a concession under the 2006 law:
- The bank account must have at least 300,000 EUR - for casinos, or 75,000 EUR - for gaming clubs
- To have funds in a bank account in Montenegro of at least 30% of the amount of the company's fixed capital (or a bank guarantee that covers this amount) both during the period when the concession is valid and 30 days after its expiry
- The casino's cash registers have to have a daily intake of at least 50,000 EUR for every 5 tables, and for every 5 additional tables — 20,000 EUR (a casino cannot have less than five tables)
- Concessionary compensation must be paid into the state budget. One casino or one gaming establishment pays 50,000 EUR each year along with 10% of the facility's profits on a monthly basis
- Casinos are not liable to taxation
These amounts have since been raised: under the current rules the fixed annual fee for a casino is 100,000 EUR, in addition to a share of the gaming revenue, and winnings above 300 EUR are taxed at 15%, withheld when the prize is paid out.
E-Gambling Montenegro presented itself as the gaming commission that makes decisions on issuing online gambling licenses. Although, there have been some bad rumours going around about this organisation. The organisation was accused of issuing licenses to operators that were caught working with unlicensed software by NetEnt and Greentube. Under the current law, however, online gaming in Montenegro requires a licence tied to a land-based licence issued by the Montenegrin authorities.
Licensed varieties of gambling
These are the types of gambling that can be licensed in Montenegro: Lotteries, Bingo, Keno, casino card games and table games, slot machines, bookmakers, online casino games and other games with draws.
Development of the Gambling Market in Montenegro
The gambling industry in Montenegro has been developing thanks to foreign investments. Investors are attracted with a successful combination of the resorts and pretty lenient laws on starting a casino. Foreign funding contributes to a more rapid development of both land-based and web-based gambling in the country. What's more, the nation's territory is interesting for the investors as well as for many tourists. The local authorities realize it and are trying to support legal gaming establishments in the country, while closing illegal ones: in 2024 the government revoked gaming concessions in Budva and banned terminals in Bijelo Polje.
For many years the government did not resort to any radical changes in the legislation, but after several unsuccessful attempts a new Games of Chance Act was adopted in 2025 with the aims of socially responsible gambling, protection of players and minors, higher budget revenues, prevention of money laundering and stronger control. Land-based casinos, bookmakers, clubs with slot machines and lotteries bring considerable fees into the nation's treasury, and part of these funds is distributed among various social programs.
Online gambling in Montenegro
According to the acting legislation of Montenegro, gambling games on the Internet may only be run by operators licensed in Montenegro. Players in Montenegro have access to online websites run by domestic operators that hold a land-based licence. Casinos in Montenegro are normally characterised by the latest models of slot machines. Unlicensed foreign sites are blocked: in May 2024 the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services ordered internet providers to block access to unlicensed gaming websites within three days (186 sites on the ORION network, 39 on MTEL and 29 on T-COM), according to the Government of Montenegro. Online games in the country are played in Euros.
