Serbia gambling regulation, licensing and taxation

Gambling business in Serbia

Serbia is a south-eastern European country with a legalized gambling business. Anyone over the age of 18 can play in both land and online casinos. Gambling is strictly regulated in the country today. Legislation in Serbia for 2017 clearly defines the system of organization and taxation in the lottery business, sports betting, casino games, poker, as well as all types of online gambling sectors. The government continues to work on reforming the laws, trying to completely close the black market and ensure the full legalization of all online and offline gambling establishments.

History of the development of Serbian gambling legislation

The Serbian gambling business has a long history. As a tool for the development of the economic and tourism industries, it was used after the Second World War, even during the existence of Yugoslavia.

The first official law on gambling was passed by the government in the sixties of the twentieth century. According to its provisions, gambling is divided into two broad categories:

• Classic games;
• Special games.

Around the same time, the first casino appeared in Belgrade.This law served as the main provision for the organization of gambling until the 1990s. With the onset of the crisis, most gambling establishments moved into the shadow economy.

A new round of industry development began in the early 2000s. In 2001, the Serbian government introduced a new piece of legislation to restore the legitimacy of the gambling business. Under its provisions, the state has a monopoly on the operation of all casinos and gambling halls.

In 2004, another transformation takes place in the industry. The country's leadership is adopting a new law on gambling. Entered into force in 2005, it divides games into 4 categories:

• Classic gambling - various types of lotteries, including lotto and bingo;
• Special games: roulette, card games, craps, video slots, other entertainment in land-based casinos;
• online games;
• Games in which participants play against each other.

The monopoly right to promote the gaming industry is still protected in the state.

By 2008, 5 licenses to open a casino in Belgrade were issued. The largest gambling house was the Loutraki Hotel-Casino.

Representatives of the Serbian Gambling Association JAKTA positively assessed the validity of the 2004 law. According to Association President Mirjana Adimov, the new regulations have had a positive impact on the development of the industry.

In particular, before the introduction of the above-mentioned act, according to official data, more than 5,000 slot machines and up to 300 bookmakers were registered. Since then, 78 operators have been legalized in the country - owners of 15,000 slots and more than 1,700 raffle sections.

Modern online gambling in Serbia

The last changes in the legislation, which completed the gambling business regulation system, were considered in 2011 and came into force in 2012. As a result of the introduction of new regulations, the Serbian government has lost its monopoly on organizing online games. This decision made it possible to open the market to all international operators with the relevant licenses.

At the same time, the government of the country began an active struggle against shadowy foreign sites. In a few months, about 70 web portals were blocked. This includes sites from well-known brands, including Bwin, William Hill, Bet365 and others. According to the government, the negative consequences of such a decision will be offset by the emergence of local sites. However, their number is quite limited.

At the same time, the mentioned companies are still given the opportunity to develop the Serbian market. This time under legal conditions. In order to be eligible for the service, you must issue a license.

An interesting feature of Serbian law is the player taxation system itself. Customers who receive winnings from sports betting must pay a 15% payout tax on the winnings. At the same time, winning poker or slot machines is not taxed.

Gambling Regulators in Serbia

Today, the gambling industry in Serbia is managed and controlled simultaneously by several departments:

• Gambling Management (Random Gaming Administration, GCA). The tasks of the department include issuing licenses, monitoring the activities of all casinos and online gambling portals.
• Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance. The Service is also involved in reviewing compliance with legal requirements, as well as auditing financial transactions, monitoring the timely payment of fees and taxes.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense is directly involved in controlling the gambling business in Serbia. Examines gaming equipment and software in certified laboratories of the Department and its affiliated institutions.

Conditions for obtaining a gambling license for online casinos in Serbia

According to the provisions of the Gambling Act of 2011, licenses are issued for certain categories of toys. The documents are valid for 10 years. In addition, the gambling business owner pays a monthly fee and related taxes.

The size of the rates depends on the type of activity. In particular, the cost of an online casino license is 2500 Euros per month. Tax rate - 15% of total income, but not less than 7,500 euros per month.

Only Serbian companies (legal entities registered in the country) with a capital of at least 250,000 euros are eligible to obtain a license.

When applying for a license, the operator must indicate:

• Company name and address;
• Registration data;
• Documents proving the existence of the required amount of investments, their sources of origin and many other documents.

In addition, a detailed description of IT systems, their backup memory, accident recovery backup procedures and other technical documentation confirming the reliability of the future online casino is given.

Modern online gambling in Serbia

Online gambling is currently actively developing in Serbia. There are 4 "local" operators in the country:

• Mozart;
• Balkanbet;
• MaxBet;
• RMco;

Originally established as a betting company, today they have their own casino gambling divisions. Operators are involved in the distribution and promotion of content by international game developers.

Citizens of the country are given the opportunity to visit multilingual online casinos, where Serbian is also available:

• Energy Casino;
• Bet on the casino.
• Both portals offer decent bonus policy terms, a wide selection of currencies and multiple methods of conducting financial transactions.

In addition, customers from Serbia are invited by casinos Omni, NetBet, Cherry and others. At the service of players are slot machines from the world's leading manufacturers NetEnt, Playtech, Microgaming and others.

The Serbian Dinar game is still available at several establishments. In particular, the online bookmaker 1xBet and Big Bet World accept this currency. However, given the dynamics of market development, we expect this list to grow.

Conclusions

Despite the legalization of the gambling business and the opening of markets to foreign operators, the country still has a large percentage of shadow casinos. The fight against illegal institutions continues to this day. At the same time, positive changes are observed: the introduction of effective laws and regulations contributes to the development of the industry.

Many well-known manufacturers are interested in developing the country market. In particular, with Oryx, Playtech, NetEnt, etc. The emergence of new operators and online gaming portals is attracting more and more local players.

Taking into account these factors, it is possible to predict the success of the development of the gambling business in Serbia. However, it is probably not as dynamic as we would like.