Serbia is situated in the southeastern part of Europe and is part of the Balkan Peninsula it shares its borders with Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Albania. Serbia is one of the most advanced countries when it comes to organizing gambling systems, and this also applies to the online gambling systems. The legal system of the country is quite Developed and encompasses lotteries, sports betting, casinos, poker, and Serbia bookmakers
Table of Contents
Summary of Key Events
Legal framework of Serbia Bookmakers
Bookmakers in Serbia are subject to stringent regulations overseen by multiple departments:
- Gambling Administration (GCA): This body is the one that regulates the issuance of licenses and oversees all the activities of all the casinos and other online gambling portals.
- Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance: This department checks on the legal issues, makes financial checks, and make sure that there are proper payments of fees and taxes.
- Ministry of Defense: By checking the gaming equipment and software in accredited labs, it regulates the gambling businesses.
The history of gambling laws in Serbia began in 1964, and as of today, these laws remain rather stable with the Games of Chance Administration being an essential structure within the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
Historical overview of Serbian gambling laws.
Analyzing the development of Serbia’s gambling laws reveals critical junctures in the course of its history.
- 2006: The recent development that is legalization of gambling in Serbia.
- 2011: Introduction of new and more detailed gambling laws to meet the requirements of the European Union, for instance, the revamp of the online gaming legal framework. Online gambling started to be regulated from 2012 when the legislation was passed enabling the licensed operators to offer online gambling services.
- 2013: Rules on online gambling were also established in detail.
- 2020: These amendments concerned such aspects as advertising, the provision of responsible gaming, and the anti-money laundering measures.
Serbia Bookmakers: Licensing, Fee and Taxes
License Requirements
Obtaining a gambling license in Serbia involves stringent criteria:
- Eligibility: It is possible to get a license only Serbian companies registered in the country; the minimum amount of the charter capital of which is 250 thousand euros.
- License Validity: The licences for hosting online games are issued with a validity of 10 years.
- License Fees: The charge for an online casino license is 2500 euros monthly.
- Taxation: They are charged at 15% of gross gaming yield with a minimum monthly payment of 7,500 euros.
Conditions for License Application
When applying for a license, operators must provide:
- Company name and address
- Registration data
- The documents that confirm the required investment amount and its origin
- Enormous information about IT systems, backup tactics and procedures, and other technical papers.
There is a provision to issue only 10 licenses for land based casinos and the same has to be done only after consultative process.
Prohibited and Allowed Bets
Serbian law clearly defines the types of bets allowed and prohibited:
- Allowed Bets: Comprise of casino games, sports betting, poker, and lotteries.
- Prohibited Bets: Any type of gambling not allowed under the regulation of the law is strictly prohibited.
Regulation and Monitoring
The regulatory framework ensures that all gambling activities are monitored and controlled:
- Blacklist: The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Serbian Gaming Board maintain a list of blacklist for unlicensed operators.
- Monitoring System: Probity checks are applied to unlicensed sites; thus only licensed operators can provide gambling services to the customers.
Serbia Sports Betting: An Insight
Sports betting is one of the most important segments of the gambling business in Serbia. Thus, owing to the country’s long sporting history and passionate fans, it is a highly profitable region for bookmakers.
Sporting Event Glory Milestones
Serbia has a storied history in various sports, with numerous milestones:
- Basketball: Organizer of EuroBasket 2005; Serbian national team is considered to be the continuator of the Yugoslavia national team.
- Football: Football is the national sport with the famous clubs like Red Star Belgrade and FK Partizan.
- Tennis: Having the best players as Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic among others.
- Water Polo: The men’s team has several Olympic gold medals to their name.
- Volleyball: It can be noted that the men’s team is very successful in international competition.
Key Sports Figures
- Aleksandar Čanović: A well known football player, specifically a goalkeeper.
- Novak Djokovic: The best tennis player of all time, that is a title that he definitely deserves.
- Ana Ivanovic: The all time world number one in women’s tennis.
- Vlade Divac: An ex basketball player in the NBA and a popular basketball personality.
- Dejan Savic: A famous water poloist and an Olympic champion.
Sports Related Events in Serbia
- Serbia has hosted numerous international sports events, including:
- 2014 European Rowing Championships
- The women’s Handball championship of the world held in the year 2013
- The Davis Cup World Group Final that took place in 2013.
- Women’s individual chess championship of Europe in 2013
- European Women’s Handball Championship of the year 2012.
Conclusion
In regard to the Serbian gambling industry, with a specific focus on bookmakers and sports betting, it is possible to outline certain well-organized and clearly defined legal requirements that govern this activity and ensure the proper functioning, as well as compliance with the key principles of business responsibility and consumer protection. Serbia can be considered as one of the most promising jurisdictions for the development of the gambling business due to the state’s interest in the further enhancement of the legal framework, and the well-developed infrastructure for sports.
FAQ about Serbia Bookmakers
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