Gambling Laws in Macedonia
Gambling in Macedonia is legal in all of its variety. Within the
Macedonian gambling legislation, the
Law on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games (Закон за игрите на среќа и за забавните игри) published in the Official Newspaper of 5th of July 2017, is considered to be the main regulatory act of all gambling activities in the country. Thus, according to this act, all forms of land-based and
online gambling are legal in Macedonia.
The regulatory body of the land-based activities in the country is the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the legal functioning of the online gambling sector is also supervised by the same authority. But the Government of the Republic of Macedonia is the official body which grants licenses to all Macedonian casinos, sportsbooks, or other gambling providers, both brick and mortar or online.
And according to
Macedonian gambling laws, minors under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in gambling activities.
Online Casinos in Macedonia
Online casino sites in Macedonia are legal. However, the offer is limited to one licensed operator only, which is why gamblers access international platforms. Most of them accept Macedonians and even offer their website in the national language. Moreover, gamblers are offered a wider variety of casino games, along with better opportunities.
Online Poker in Macedonia
Poker is legal and part of the regular offer of every casino in Macedonia. The Macedonian Poker Federation is responsible for promoting the game at a sports level and organizing tournaments throughout the year. However, although the
Macedonian online poker laws allow it and the game is pretty popular in the country, there are currently no specialized
online poker sites in Macedonia. As a result, players are accessing international platforms.
Online Lottery in Macedonia
The Macedonian Lottery (Lotarija na Makedonija) was founded in 1972 as part of the lottery organizations of Yugoslavia but became an independent body 20 years later. The state-owned company is also responsible for organizing the only
online lotto site in Macedonia. For this reason, players regularly access offshore platforms that offer higher jackpot prizes.
Online Bingo in Macedonia
Bingo has a long tradition in Macedonia, especially in its variant as TV Bingo, being the most popular gambling game in the country in the 90s and early 2000s. Nowadays, however, there are no specialized
online bingo sites in Macedonia, as the State Video-lottery running the online gambling sector of the country has not yet introduced online bingo games on its platform. Thus, players access international platforms where they can play several types of bingo.
Online Sports Betting in Macedonia
Sports betting is a very popular form of gambling in the country, especially in football matches. Moreover,
online sportsbook sites in Macedonia are legal and highly popular. However, the game also falls under a monopoly, which poses restrictions to bettors. Hence, they tend to use more international platforms, that better opportunities such as higher odds and more sports.
Online DFS in Macedonia
Online DFS sites in Macedonia are not legally regulated. There is an ongoing debate on the status of this type of game, but considering the legality of online sports betting in the country, it is very probable that Daily Fantasy Sports would soon become legal in Macedonia.