Montenegro collected €38.77 million in gaming-sector revenue during the first nine months of 2026, representing a 24.36% year-on-year increase, driven by higher receipts from online gambling and gaming machines.
Online Gambling Leads Revenue Growth
Online gambling generated €15.8 million, making it the largest contributor and recording a 38.62% increase compared with the same period a year earlier. Revenue from gaming machines reached €9.16 million, up 51.82%, while sports betting produced €8.37 million, an increase of 8.73%. Casinos generated approximately €4.89 million during the nine-month period. September alone brought around €5.46 million in gaming-sector revenue, according to figures from the Gaming Administration.
Digital Activity and Revenue Collection
The increase in gaming receipts reflects expanding digital activity, stronger regulatory oversight and improved revenue collection following changes to Montenegro’s gaming framework. Online gambling has become particularly significant because digital systems enable closer monitoring of transactions and tax liabilities than traditional cash-based operations.
The development creates an increasing source of fiscal revenue for the government. At the current pace, gaming receipts could become a more significant component of non-tax and concession income, although the sector remains smaller than VAT, income-tax and customs revenue.
Gaming Machines and Formalisation
The 51.82% increase in gaming-machine revenue also reflects stronger enforcement and formalisation of the sector, alongside changes in consumer spending. For gaming operators, tighter digital supervision increases compliance requirements and reduces the advantage for businesses operating partly outside formal reporting systems. The sector could consequently become more concentrated among companies capable of meeting higher technological, reporting and licensing requirements.
Online Gaming Gains Importance
The strongest structural growth is in online gaming, where collections increased by 38.62%. The rise reflects a shift toward platforms through which payments, customer activity and tax obligations can be monitored more systematically. For public finances, the development could make gaming revenue more predictable, while future industry growth increasingly depends on regulated digital platforms alongside traditional betting shops and casinos.
