For years, large sums of money were leaving Montenegro unchecked, causing significant losses to the state budget. This occurred through payments made with domestic bank cards to foreign gambling websites and merchants categorized under gambling and betting.
Deputy Prime Minister Momo Koprivica revealed that in 2022, over 132,000 transactions totaling €6.3 million were made using 4,911 cards. In 2023, the trend continued with over 133,000 transactions from 5,118 cards, amounting to €6.18 million. These funds bypassed national oversight and taxation, while also contributing to social harms linked to gambling.
In response, a legal amendment was introduced in 2023, banning participation in foreign gambling services from within Montenegro and prohibiting the collection of stakes for such services on Montenegrin territory.
Despite this, in the first quarter of 2024, nearly 2,000 cards were used for over 30,000 transactions totaling €1.29 million. Following this, Montenegro’s Coordinating Body for Gambling Oversight, in cooperation with the Gambling Authority and Central Bank, acted swiftly.
All banks were instructed to block such transactions. By mid-2024, all Montenegrin banks had complied, effectively halting payments to foreign gambling sites. As a result, in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, no such transactions occurred, marking a successful implementation of the law and safeguarding of public interest.
