Online Gambling Laws in Serbia

Serbia is a small Eastern European country with an eye on EU membership, so its gambling laws are relatively liberal, with most forms of gambling legal in the country. Please look closely at Serbia's gambling laws in our article below.

Gambling Regulation by Casino Type

Legal gambling in the region of Serbia dates back to 1964, but as an independent country, Serbia has permitted legal gambling since 2006. The current legislation allows most forms of gambling under the 2020 Act on Games of Chance, with the 2011 law making online gambling legal in the country. Here's a look at how the current legislation in Serbia controls various gambling activities.

Casino Games

Land-based casino gambling is legal in Serbia and has been since 1964, with operators required to obtain a licence. A maximum limit of 10 casinos is permitted to operate in the country. Still, there are only two casinos: Fair Play Casino and Grand Casino Beograd, located in the country's capital, Belgrade. In addition, there are hundreds of slots halls across Serbia.

Online casino gambling is also legal in Serbia, which has been the case since 2011. Operators must hold a licence, but few companies have applied for one. The country's government requires ISPs to block unlicensed online casinos, but players are not prosecuted for playing online casino slots and other games at these sites.

Poker

Poker gambling has also been legal in Serbia since 1964, but games only run within the country's two licensed casinos, and only one has a dedicated poker room.

Online poker gambling is legal in Serbia, with licensed operators permitted to offer online poker games since 2011. However, very few licensed online casinos serve Serbia, and fewer still offer poker games. Serbians are left with the option of playing poker games at unlicensed sites, but many of these are blocked.

Bingo

Both offline and online bingo gambling are legal in Serbia, but these activities fall under the monopoly control of Državna Lutrija Srbije, the state-owned lottery company. The operator runs various games at their dedicated bingo halls but currently does not offer online games. The country's ISPs block bingo sites based outside of Serbia.

Lotteries

Like bingo, online and offline lottery gambling is legal in Serbia but can only be offered by the country's lottery company, Državna Lutrija Srbije. Numerous lottery retailers exist nationwide, allowing Serbians to buy tickets and scratch cards, while the website offers online lottery games for real money.

Interestingly, in 2016, Serbia's national lottery experienced a slump in sales after one of the televised draws revealed a number before it was drawn, suggesting the games were rigged. However, it later emerged this was due to a technical error.

Social Gambling and Crypto Casinos

As far as Serbia's gambling laws go, there is currently no mention of social gambling sites (i.e. those that run only on play chips), lootboxes or skins gambling, with these activities unregulated.

Cryptocurrencies are not illegal in Serbia but are not recognized as currency, which means they cannot be accepted at any of the country's gambling venues. The only option for Serbians is the many foreign crypto casinos that accept players from the country, although many sites are blocked.

Serbia Sports Betting Laws

Sports betting is legal in Serbia, with offline sports betting legal since 1991 and online sports betting legally permitted since 2011. A licence is required to operate sports betting services in the country. While the state-owned lottery company Državna Lutrija Srbije offers some sports betting markets, it doesn't run a monopoly, with private bookmakers also allowed to compete for a market share in the region. Many of these also offer online sports betting services to Serbians.

The only exception to this fairly open arrangement is horse racing betting, which falls under monopoly control of Konjicki Savez Srbije, the Serbian Equestrian Association, which only offers offline horse racing betting markets. Serbia's gambling laws do not mention fantasy and virtual sports betting.

Gambling Age Restriction

It is illegal for anyone under 18 years old to gamble in Serbia.

Tax Regulation

Serbia was once an unregulated hotspot for gambling companies, which were free to accept bets from Serbians without obtaining a licence or paying any taxes for the privilege. However, when the government decided to regulate the market and introduce a licensing system, they realized many operators would be tempted to shut down rather than comply. To combat this, the Serbian government introduced a very attractive tax rate of just 5% in conjunction with ten-year licences to keep as many operators in the region as possible.

Serbia's gambling tax regulation rules have changed in recent years, resulting in increased gambling taxes ranging between 10% and 15% of gross revenue. Serbians can enjoy their gambling winnings entirely tax-free.

History of Gambling Laws in Serbia

Serbia has only existed as an independent country since 2006, when it broke away from Yugoslavia. Still, the history of legal gambling in the region dates back to 1964, when some forms of gambling, such as the lottery and horse racing, were legalized to kickstart the post-war economy. The Law on Games of Chance from the same year distinguished between 'special' (i.e. casino games) and 'classic' (i.e. lotteries) games of chance, with Serbia's current gambling laws maintaining this separation.

Modern gambling laws in Serbia (at the time still connected to Montenegro) were implemented in 2004. In 2011, after the country became independent, further refinements to the law made online gambling legal too. The 2020 Act on Games of Chance sought to bring Serbia's gambling laws in line with EU regulations in preparation for expected EU membership.

Key Facts

Here are the key points regarding Serbia's gambling laws:

• Casino gambling is legal in Serbia, with both offline and online casino and live casino operators required to hold a licence.
• Poker gambling is legal, with games running at licensed casinos, but very few online poker sites are in operation.
• Bingo gambling is legal but a monopoly controlled by Državna Lutrija Srbije, with online bingo games not offered.
• Lottery gambling is legal but a monopoly controlled by Državna Lutrija Srbije.
• Sports betting is legal and offered by Državna Lutrija Srbije and around 20 private licensed bookmakers.
• Horse racing betting is legal and offered on a monopoly basis by Konjicki Savez Srbije.