Serbia Announces New Online Gambling Laws

A new set of laws have recently been signed into legislation in Serbia that will create a legal framework for licensed online casino operators while also empowering government authorities to shut down unlicensed and unregulated black market casinos that have been plaguing the Serbian industry for years in addition to facilitating money laundering.

The Serbian umbrella organization that represents all the local gaming operators, JAKTA, convened with the Serbian Gaming Board (SGB) one day after the signing.  JAKTA can be credited with lobbying the Serbian government to pass these laws.  They were also the organization put in charge of researching the Serbian market, as well as European gambling markets and their respective regulatory frameworks.  At the meeting with the SGB, they conveyed their optimism that the new laws will herald a new era of legal casino online gambling for Serbia. 

The director of the Serbian Gaming Board stressed that the new legislation will address three critical issues.  The new laws provide for the regularization of taxation, provide for the authorization of electronic casino monitoring, and provides for online gambling supervision.  Before the legislation, it was nearly impossible for a legitimate casino operator to compete against the untaxed black-market casinos.  The new laws give power to the SGB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Tax Authority to enforce regulation and shut down the clandestine operators.  The hope from these laws is double – not just to get rid of the illegal industry and its money laundering, but also to develop a local industry and gain tax revenue.