eGambling Montenegro

The Gambling Commission of Montenegro was established in 2008 and operates on the basis of the "Gambling Law." The organization is subordinate to the Ministry of Finance and is engaged in state gambling regulation. Its purpose is to issue gambling licenses for various types of gambling, including land-based and online casinos. In general, the Commission issues more than 11 types of licenses. It also regulates, together with the Ministry of Finance, the permissible norms for the location of buildings in which gambling is carried out.

Regulator licensed casinos

On the official website of the Administration, there is no information about the full list of online casinos with this license. After analyzing a large amount of information, Casinoz found no reliable casino licensing information in this jurisdiction. This is quite understandable, according to the laws of Montenegro, as access to online casinos in another country is not punishable for players, so there is virtually no need for large gambling operators to obtain a license.

eGambling Montenegro review

The head office of the organization is located in Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro). The date of establishment of the Commission is October 2008.

E-gambling Montenegro (eGM) or Games of Chance Administration is the only organization that has the right to license the gambling business in Montenegro.

The Commission cooperates with the Ministry of Finance, but in general, its activities are characterized as independent.

The main peak of popularity of these licenses in Internet gambling occurred in 2014, along with a number of compromising statements. Online casino sites licensed in this jurisdiction did not use the original pokie machines from Netent and Novomatic. Perhaps this is due to the low cost of the license for online casinos, on average it is 10 000 Euros per month.

In 2015, the bookmaker Exbinog cheated its players and was subsequently deprived of a gambling license, but at the same time, the regulator refused to deal with customer complaints, even filed during the license period.

Also, the social aspect of the gambling Commission of Montenegro is not sufficiently developed in comparison with other world regulators. On the official website, there is no information or contacts to help players suffering from gambling addiction. In general, everything comes down only to the prohibition of placing gambling establishments no closer than 250 meters from schools and children's institutions.

Only persons over the age of 18 years are allowed to play.

The regulator has the following functions:

• Game definition of (gambling or not),
• Definition of gambling rules ,
• Compilation of the register of gambling organizers,
• Check of the commissions participating in draws,
• Verification of gambling operators ' capital,
• Issuance of permits for making payments,
• Competitions for the issuance of gambling licenses to companies,
• Development of laws regulating gambling,
• Determining the location of the casino and other gambling establishments,
• Issuance of brochures indicating the dangers of gambling,
• And other tasks.

More information is available on the official website.

License types of eGambling Montenegro

The Gambling Commission licenses all possible types of gambling entertainment. Moreover, the regulator has the right to decide on its own whether a game belongs to the gambling category and can actually bring any game under this analogy.

• Bingo
• Ekspres i instant lutrija (Instant lottery)
• TV tombola i tombola zatvorenog tipa (Tombola) and broadcasting this game on television - the license is valid for three years, it can be extended once for two years.
• Loto
• Keno
• Sportska prognoz (sports betting) 
• Toto - only football
• Lutrija (games based on Lotto and Toto)
• Druge slične igre na sreću s izvlačenjem (Games based on equal chances) 
• Online casino: the license is not limited by regulations, but based on practice, the license period is three years with the possibility of an unlimited extension.
• Kockarnice na terenu (Land based casino) licenses are issued on a competitive basis. The winner must pay a one-time fee of 2 million Euros. The period of validity of the license is 10 years, with the possibility of renewal once for five years.
• Igre na sreću na automatima (gambling machines) is valid for three years, can be extended once for two years.
• Kladioničke igre (Bookmaker) is issued for three years, with the possibility of renewal once in two years.

All licenses issued for different types of lotteries, Toto, bets on equal chances are valid for 10 years with the possibility of prolongation once for five years.

Only the operator who already has a license to organize offline gambling can provide a gambling license for online casinos. Another requirement is that online operators be connected to the Commission's electronic licensing and information systems.

Gambling licensing takes place without specific requirements on the number and type of video pokies and games. For example, you can be the owner of one pokie in a land-based institution and apply for a gambling license for an online casino. Naturally, such a licensing system raises a number of questions from world experts.
Only companies registered in Montenegro can obtain a gambling license. The monthly fee to the regulator is:

• Lotteries (all types) – monthly 10% of the number of tickets sold, net of winnings.
• Land-based casino – monthly 10% of the number of bets made, net of winnings. Annually 50 000 Euros.
• Online casino – 10 000 Euro per month.
• Pokie machine halls – monthly 10% of the number of bets and 50 Euros for one pokie machine. 
• Bookmakers – monthly 10% of the bets made, net of winnings, and 500 Euros for the placement of the betting shop.
  

Dispute resolution

Dispute resolution is the problem side of the license. If we assess the situation with land-based casinos and bookmakers in this country, everything can be resolved at the legislative level. The player can simply go to court, although the Commission is not particularly trying to grasp the essence of the player's problem.

The situation with online casinos is much worse. The regulator ignores user complaints and does not want to participate in their decisions. The punishment for the operators themselves does not go beyond the verbal warning.

Conclusion

It was disappointing that the Montenegrin Commission was not making sufficient efforts to punish operators accordingly. Because of this, gambling licenses for online casinos in this jurisdiction currently have no good reputation among players and regulators of online gambling. However, recently, there have been a number of positive changes. For example, the casino has become mandatory to verify the identity of the player if the total sum of his deposits reaches 2000 Euros.

In 2016, the Constitutional Court declared the placement of pokie machines in hotels illegal. However, after analyzing the official sources, Casinoz's opinion is clear: online gambling in Montenegro is in a sad state. In 2019, the government plans to improve the quality of gambling regulation on the Internet significantly.