• Serbia Gambling Laws
• Serbia Gambling Law Philippines
• Serbia Gambling Law Changes
• Serbia Gambling Law 2020

A gambling license is issued for those interested in land-based or online gambling activities in Serbia, if the following requirements are fulfilled:. for gambling activities in Serbia, one can register a limited liability company, a common business structure. Serbia’s new gambling law aimed at harmonising the country’s regulations with EU legislation, in particular combatting money laundering, came into effect on March 11, 2020. There are two land-based casinos, the Grand Casino Beograd and the Fair Play Casino, also situated in the country’s capital.

With the start of the implementation of the new Gambling Act (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 18/2020 – hereinafter: the Law) significant novelties in this area have come into force, as well as starting obligatory deadlines for organizers of games of chance to harmonize their business with the provisions of the new Law.

The organizers of special gambling (i) in casinos, (ii) at slot machines, (iii) betting and (iv) on-line gambling are obliged to submit to the Gaming Authority, by June 30, 2020, proofs of ownership structure, certain financial documents(balance sheets, audit of financial statements, etc.), as well as evidence of non-condemnation of the gambling organizer, owners, real owners, associates and appointed persons.

Serbia Gambling Laws

From the date of implementation of the new Law, within 15 months, ending July 10, 2021, organizers of special gambling are obliged to harmonize their business related to:

• share capital(approval for the organization of special games of chance (i) at slot machines, (ii) betting and (iii) on-line gambling may be obtained by a legal entity withregistered share capital which may not be less than a dinar equivalent of EUR 250,000 calculated at the official average the course of the National Bank of Serbia. The organizer must cumulatively fulfil this condition regarding the amount of share capital for each authorization);
• securing the collection of winnings and collection of fees(organizers of special games of chance must, during the period for which the permit has been issued, to have a special deposit in a bank with the territory of the Republic of Serbia or hold a bank guarantee in the amounts as follows: (i) organizers of special gambling at slot machines of at least EUR 500 in dinar equivalent, per slot machine; (ii) organizer of special games of chance – betting of at least EUR 5,000 in dinar equivalent per betting office; (iii) organizer of on-line special games of chance of EUR 300,000 in dinar equivalent);
• information and communication system(special gambling operators are obliged to use the information and communication system for special gambling, which enables the storage, archiving and exchange of data electronically with the software solution of the Gambling Administration for supervision);
• video surveillance(provision of continuous video surveillance with a recording of all slot machines in the slot club/ betting office, entry and exit of the slot club/ betting office, as well as surveillance of players and visitors, as well as keeping surveillance videos within the specified time frame);
• labelling and registration stickers.

The new Law also prescribes the obligation for organizers of special games of chance to register in the Company Register an activity from the group 92.00 Gambling and betting Classification of activities as principal activity.

A novelty has also been introduced regarding the approval for special gambling, and now the fees for obtaining the special gambling permit are calculated in proportion to the number of days until the end of the month from the date of receipt of the approval decision.

The new Law also promotes the social responsibility of gambling organizers, so that advertisements must be accompanied by a ban on minors and a warning on the prevention of addiction diseases while introducing an absolute prohibition on advertising in print and electronic media intended for minors.

The new solutions significantly expand the legal framework in the field of organizing sweepstakes in goods and services provided by legal entities and entrepreneurs for advertising purposes of their products and services, i.e. precisely define the term sweepstakes, extend their duration from 30 to 45 days. It allows organizing games for advertising purposes four times during the calendar year instead of the previous two times, thus meeting the numerous demands of the economy, as well as increasing budget revenues.

The Law also introduces new restrictions on the use of the word root, i.e. the words “casino”, “sazino”, “kasino” ili “kazino“, as well as the prohibition of organizing of special games of chance, to the organizer who owns or co-owns a sports club for events in that sport and competition rank.

Serbia Gambling Law Philippines

The information contained herein has been provided only for the purpose of general information and cannot be considered as a legal opinion or legal advice. Accordingly, the Law Firm Petrović Mojsić & Partners disclaims all responsibility and accept no liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents contained herein.

Before opening an online project, every operator primarily asks the question: what market to choose? Where can I operate freely, and where do I need to go through the licensing procedure?

Slotegrator examined this question. Our experts prepared a list of countries where online gambling operation is legal.

To make it even more convenient, we sorted them by continents. It includes not only those countries subject to certain requirements and where online gambling is regulated by law. There are also those countries where online gambling is neither regulated nor prohibited.

Online gambling availability in the World 2020

Depending on different approaches to gambling regulation in the world, all countries are divided into 4 groups.

Countries where foreign online casinos are not blocked:

The local regulators do not apply any legislative requirements in these countries. Foreign gambling sites can be licensed in any jurisdiction or generally operate without it.

Serbia Gambling Law Changes

However, it should be noted that gambling is not necessarily legal in these countries.

For example, the Cayman Islands completely prohibit gambling, while the local residents are liable for participation in gambling. The fact that foreign online casinos are not blocked now can only be explained by the inability of regulator to do this. And if the online gambling is not legalized, blocking of foreign sites is just a matter of time.

Serbia Gambling Law 2020

Countries where gambling websites must be licensed by the local regulator:

These countries use the most competent approach to online gambling regulation. Each operator (whether it is local or foreign) must acquire a license and fulfill certain legal requirements. Conditions are equal for all. Everyone is obliged to pay taxes to the budget. Only in this case, the operator has the right to work legally. Otherwise, the online resource will be blocked.

The following countries require a license of the local regulator only for the local gaming sites. Foreign platforms can work without it:

As in the first group, these countries do not apply any legal requirements to foreign sites. A foreign operator may be licensed in any jurisdiction and, in some countries operate without it at all. However, all local casino owners are required to undergo the licensing procedure of the local regulator and to pay taxes to the local treasury.

The following countries have no restrictions for the gambling sites at all:

This is the largest group of countries. Many of them do not regulate gambling activities at all.

Online gambling laws around the world

Today almost every country has its own rules regulating the land-based gambling. However, the situation with online gambling is more ambiguous. As can be seen, the attitude towards local and foreign operators differs fundamentally from country to country.

In the European Union, for example, the operators of the foreign gambling sites are subject to the requirements of the EU law. However, not all countries agree that foreign operators don’t pay taxes to the local treasury. Contrary to the requirements of the EU, they put the foreign operators under own regulations forcing them to obtain a local gaming license and pay taxes to the local budget. Among these countries France, Germany, Italy, etc.

The second reason for the different attitudes to local and foreign operators is that many countries (especially those not technologically advanced) simply do not have the resources or tools to prevent foreign companies from operating in their territories.

Summing up the availability of online gambling around the world:

• 32 countries prohibit the local operators from working without a license, but those gambling sites that operate from abroad can easily offer their services to local residents. Among them, the following countries: Seychelles, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.
• 32 countries allow online gambling only with the local license. For example, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, the Netherlands etc.
• 28 countries prohibit locals from gambling and block sites of local gambling operators. However, foreign platforms can work freely, even if they have no license. These states are either unwilling or are not able to prevent them. For example, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, etc.
• 93 countries do not prohibit online casinos and do not license them. They include Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bahamas, Argentina, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Kosovo, Gibraltar, etc.