Legal casino gambling age in Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina has no single national gambling law. Under the country’s constitution, gambling is a matter for its constituent parts: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), Republika Srpska (RS) and the Brčko District. Each has its own law on games of chance, its own supervisory authority and its own fee rules, and an approval issued in one jurisdiction does not authorise operation in another. In the Federation the Federal Ministry of Finance supervises the sector and the state-owned Lutrija BiH holds the exclusive right to classical lottery games. In Republika Srpska licences are issued by the entity’s Ministry of Finance, with the Republic Administration for Games of Chance carrying out administrative work, and Lutrija Republike Srpske runs the lottery. All three jurisdictions allow some form of licensed online gambling, but on different terms. Several reform proposals were before parliaments in 2025 and 2026, none of which had been adopted at the time of review.
Key points
- Gambling is not among the responsibilities that the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina assigns to the state. It is therefore regulated separately by the Federation, Republika Srpska and the Brčko District.
- In the Federation, the Law on Games of Chance of 2015 (Official Gazette of FBiH Nos 48/15 and 60/15) applies. The Federal Ministry of Finance approves casinos, betting operators and slot clubs, and Lutrija BiH has the exclusive right to classical (lottery) games, including online lottery sales.
- In Republika Srpska, the Law on Games of Chance of 2019 (Official Gazette of RS Nos 22/19 and 131/20) provides a five-year licence for internet games of chance, with a one-off fee of KM 300,000.
- The Brčko District adopted its own Law on Games of Chance on 9 February 2022. Its Tax Administration approves internet gaming against a KM 200,000 guarantee and a monthly fee of 20% of stakes less winnings paid.
- The minimum age is 18 in all three jurisdictions. Proposals to tax gambling more heavily in the Federation and to bring it into state-level VAT were stalled in parliament in mid-2026.
Last reviewed: 6 October 2026.
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Historical development
The present structure follows from the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995, whose Annex 4 is the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The constitution gives the state a short list of responsibilities, such as foreign policy, customs and monetary policy. Article III(3)(a) then provides that “all governmental functions and powers not expressly assigned in this Constitution to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be those of the Entities” (Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Gambling is not on that list, so each entity built its own regime.
In the Federation, the first post-war framework was the Law on Games of Chance of 2002. Its Article 11 stated that games of chance via the internet “are not games of chance within the meaning of this law and are prohibited” in the Federation. That ban was lifted by the current law, which the Federation parliament adopted in 2015. Fee revenue under the new law goes to the Federation, and half of it is earmarked for social causes (FEB, June 2015).
Republika Srpska replaced its earlier law in 2019. Klix reported in March 2019 that the new law raised the licence fee for internet games by KM 100,000 and raised the monthly fee on internet games from 5% to 20%. The Brčko District adopted its own Law on Games of Chance at a session of the District Assembly on 9 February 2022.
Legal framework
There are three parallel statutes and no state-level regulator.
| Jurisdiction | Main statute | Competent authority | Statutory lottery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federation of BiH | Law on Games of Chance, Official Gazette of FBiH Nos 48/15 and 60/15 | Federal Ministry of Finance; Tax Administration of FBiH for supervision | Lutrija BiH |
| Republika Srpska | Law on Games of Chance, Official Gazette of RS Nos 22/19 and 131/20 | Ministry of Finance of RS; Republic Administration for Games of Chance | Lutrija Republike Srpske |
| Brčko District | Law on Games of Chance of the Brčko District, adopted 9 February 2022 | Tax Administration of the Brčko District; Directorate of Finance | Branch offices of the entity lotteries |
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Law on Games of Chance, as published by the Federal Ministry of Finance, divides games into two groups. Classical games are lotteries, lotto, keno, sports prediction (toto) and television bingo. Special games are casino games, betting and games on gaming machines (Article 4). Under Article 8, classical games are reserved for Lutrija BiH, while other companies registered in the Federation may organise special games with the approval of the Ministry. Article 19 describes Lutrija BiH as a limited liability company in which the Government of the Federation exercises the founder’s rights, with its seat in Sarajevo.
Article 18 contains the main prohibitions. It forbids accepting payments for, and organising via the internet, any game of chance whose organisation via the internet is not permitted. It also forbids advertising operators who offer games of chance via the internet without the Ministry’s approval, and taking part in foreign games of chance with payments made in the Federation. The law’s own chapter on internet games begins at Article 109. Under its first paragraph, accepting online payments for classical games “is the exclusive right of Lutrija BiH” (FBiH Government text of the 2015 law).
The official consolidated version on the Tax Administration of the FBiH website still lists only Gazette Nos 48/15 and 60/15, which indicates that the law has not been amended since 2015.
Republika Srpska
The Law on Games of Chance of Republika Srpska treats the organisation of games of chance as an activity of public interest and the exclusive right of the entity, which may grant it to operators by licence. Article 3 gives the Republic Administration for Games of Chance responsibility for administrative work in the field. Licences are issued by decision of the Minister of Finance for a period of five years (Article 19). A consolidated text gives the gazette references as Nos 22/19 and 131/20.
Article 11 prohibits, among other things, taking part in foreign games of chance, collecting stakes for games organised abroad, and the organisation of games in Republika Srpska, including via the internet, by foreign operators.
Brčko District
The Brčko District law follows the same structure (Article 19). Lottery games in the District may be offered only through branch offices of an entity lottery (Article 27). The District’s Tax Administration issues approvals, including approvals for internet games under Article 84.
Regulator and licensing model
All three jurisdictions use a mixed model: lottery games are a statutory monopoly (only one operator may offer them by law), while casinos, betting and gaming machines are open to private companies through licensing.
Federation: approvals from the Federal Ministry of Finance
The Federal Ministry of Finance publishes the law, its implementing rulebooks and a quarterly list of approved operators. The most recent list we found, dated 30 June 2026, sets out operators of casinos, betting shops and slot clubs, with separate columns for land-based and internet approval. The main approval terms in the consolidated law are:
| Game type | Approval period | Minimum capital | Approval fee | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | 5 years (Art. 67) | KM 2,000,000 | KM 500,000; renewal KM 200,000; plus KM 100,000 a year per casino | 5% of the base (Art. 74) |
| Betting | 2 years (Art. 89) | KM 1,000,000 | KM 150,000; renewal KM 50,000; KM 10,000 per new betting point | 5% of each player payment (Art. 92) |
| Slot clubs | 2 years (Art. 103) | KM 250,000 | KM 150,000 for the first club, KM 100,000 for each further club; KM 1,000 per machine | 5% of the base (Art. 107) |
Casinos must also lodge a guarantee or deposit of KM 1,000,000, and betting operators KM 600,000. Lutrija BiH pays a monthly fee of 10% of turnover from classical games (Article 6). Under Article 7, half of the monthly fees, including those from internet games, funds social causes such as addiction prevention.
Republika Srpska: licences from the Ministry of Finance
In Republika Srpska, the 2019 law sets the licence fee for internet games at KM 300,000 (Article 17(1)(4)). Betting operators pay a monthly fee of 20% of total stakes less total winnings paid, but not less than KM 1,000 per betting shop (Article 70). Betting shops may open from 7 a.m. to midnight (Article 68). According to the consolidated text, casinos pay a monthly fee of 10% of the base plus an annual fixed fee of KM 100,000 (Article 57), and the minimum capital is KM 2,000,000 for a casino and KM 1,000,000 for internet games (Article 16). Lutrija Republike Srpske pays a fee of 5% of stakes less winnings on electronic games (Article 39).
Brčko District: approvals from the Tax Administration
Under the Brčko District law, a casino pays a one-off fee of KM 500,000, KM 200,000 on renewal, KM 100,000 a year and a monthly fee of 10% (Articles 40 to 42). Betting and gaming machines carry monthly fees of 20%, plus one-off fees of KM 20,000 per betting point and KM 2,000 per machine (Articles 56, 58, 69 and 70).
Online gambling: what is permitted and how it is enforced
Federation
Apart from online lottery sales, which Article 109 reserves for Lutrija BiH, internet games are governed by the law’s chapter on internet games and by the Ministry’s Rulebook on technical conditions, rules and procedures for internet games of chance (Official Gazette of FBiH Nos 59/16 and 23/24). The rulebook requires:
- the operator’s server, and the premises where it is kept, to be located in the Federation (Article 13);
- a direct online connection between the operator’s central server and the server of the Tax Administration, giving it continuous access to transaction data (Article 17);
- registration of each player with name, date of birth, personal identification number, residence and bank account, and verification of identity either by qualified electronic certificate (electronic signature) or by inspection of a valid identity document (Articles 24 and 26);
- one account per player per operator, with player funds kept apart from the operator’s own funds (Articles 28 and 31).
Article 4 of the rulebook prohibits offering, via the internet, games based on recorded events such as dog or horse races and on computer-generated events in which a random number generator selects the event, such as virtual bingo. Betting on lottery draws from different countries is exempt. An industry market guide published by GameBridge states that the Federation permits internet betting only, for bookmakers holding at least 50 approved betting points, and does not license online casinos. We could not confirm this against the full statute.
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska has a distinct internet licence. Under the 2019 law the licence runs for five years, and the operator must keep its technical and functional equipment in the entity (Article 86). It must also give the Ministry of Finance real-time access to its systems (Article 87). It pays a monthly fee of 20% of total stakes less total winnings paid (Article 88). The law prohibits the organisation of games of chance in the entity through the internet by operators from abroad (Article 11).
Brčko District
The Brčko District law allows internet games with the approval of its Tax Administration (Article 84). The applicant’s main registered activity must be gambling and betting, and its certified computer system must be connected to the Tax Administration’s information system (Article 85). It must lodge a bank guarantee or deposit of KM 200,000 (Article 88) and pay a monthly fee of 20% of the difference between total stakes and total winnings paid (Article 89).
Enforcement against unlicensed sites and advertising
We found no statutory system in any of the three jurisdictions for blocking unlicensed gambling websites at internet service provider level, or for blocking payments to them. In 2017 the Federation government proposed amendments allowing the Ministry to ask the competent bodies to take “all technical and other measures” to prevent access to unlicensed websites, and to order banks to block transactions (Federation Parliament, 2017 proposal). They were not adopted.
Advertising and location rules differ by jurisdiction:
- Federation: Article 18 bans advertising of operators offering internet games without the Ministry’s approval. Casinos, betting shops, slot clubs and bingo halls may not be located within 100 metres of religious buildings or primary and secondary schools.
- Republika Srpska: advertising of an operator without a licence is prohibited (Article 11). Gambling advertisements may not appear in radio and television programmes or print media intended for children and minors (Article 12). Advertisements must also warn that games of chance can cause addiction and stress, affect health and lead to significant financial loss (text of the 2019 law).
- Brčko District: operations must be socially responsible, with the aim of protecting minors and preventing addiction. Operators must display posters of 100 by 80 centimetres near entrances with information on addiction prevention (Article 7).
Position of players
The entity laws address players directly. Article 18 of the Federation law prohibits taking part in foreign games of chance with payments made in the Federation. Article 11 of the Republika Srpska law prohibits taking part in foreign games of chance. We could not read either law’s penalty provisions in full, so cannot say whether players face fines. We found no reported prosecution or fine of a player for using an unlicensed online site.
Taxation
Operators
Operators pay the monthly fees set out above to the entity or District budget, in addition to ordinary corporate taxes. In the Federation, the 5% betting fee is charged on each player payment and retained from the player’s stake (Article 92). Games of chance are currently exempt from value added tax (VAT), which is a state-level tax. In January 2026 Mia Karamehić-Abazović (Naša stranka) proposed bringing betting, slot and casino stakes into VAT (Hercegovina.info, 22 January 2026).
Players
- Federation: under the Law on Income Tax, individual winnings of KM 100 or less are not taxable (Article 23). Larger winnings are taxed at 10%, withheld by the organiser at each payout (Article 34).
- Republika Srpska: according to Klix’s summary of the 2019 law, winnings are taxed at 10% above KM 100 and below KM 10,000, 15% from KM 10,000 to KM 50,000, 20% from KM 50,000 to KM 100,000 and 30% above KM 100,000. We could not check these bands against the consolidated text, which may have been changed by the 2020 amendment.
- Brčko District: we could not verify the tax treatment of winnings.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
The minimum age is 18 throughout the country. Article 5 of the Federation law forbids accepting payments from, or participation by, persons under 18 in casinos, betting shops, slot clubs and internet games. Article 12 of the Republika Srpska law and Article 6 of the Brčko District law contain equivalent bans.
Responsible-gambling duties vary. The Republika Srpska law requires operators to act in line with international standards of responsible gaming to protect players from harm (Article 13). According to Klix, it also requires them to fund free psychological counselling, in person or by telephone. The Brčko District law requires every operator and entity lottery branch to adopt a responsible gaming policy. Operators of casino and electronic games must offer self-exclusion and deposit limits (Article 8). We found no comparable provision in the Federation law.
We found no national or entity-wide self-exclusion register. Self-exclusion is offered operator by operator. Lutrija Republike Srpske’s self-exclusion form allows exclusion from its games for three months, six months or one year, and revocation may be requested only after at least three months. Its “Check your game” page lists warning signs. We did not find a national gambling helpline. Press reports in 2026 cited estimates of 50,000 to 60,000 problem gamblers, but did not name a study behind that figure. See also our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Earlier Federation reform attempts (2016–2019). Government amendments would have taxed winnings progressively, at rates from 10% to 30% (Nap.ba, November 2016). According to Klix, the House of Representatives adopted amendments in July 2016, but they never won support in the House of Peoples. By November 2019 the issue had been off the agenda for over two years.
- HRS draft (December 2025). The Croatian Republican Party (HRS) prepared amendments introducing a tax on gross gaming revenue (GGR, stakes less winnings paid) at rates varying by game type. The Federation government gave a negative opinion, but the party said it would continue the procedure (HRS, 2 December 2025).
- Naša stranka bill in the Federation (pending). A bill submitted in mid-December 2025 received a positive opinion from the Federation government on 5 March 2026. It was placed on the agenda of the House of Representatives on 11 March 2026, but debate was postponed and no regular session had taken place by July 2026. Sponsors said it could raise the sector’s budget contribution from KM 30–40 million to about KM 200 million a year (Hercegovina.info, 7 July 2026).
- State VAT amendment (pending). The House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted the urgent procedure for the VAT amendment in January 2026, and the bill passed to the House of Peoples. In July 2026 Zenicablog reported that it had stalled in the House of Peoples.
- Republika Srpska and Brčko. We found no amendment adopted in 2024–2026.
Casino listings for players in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not by themselves show that an operator is approved in the Federation, Republika Srpska or the Brčko District. Online gambling is lawful only with an operator approved in the relevant jurisdiction. Foreign operators are expressly barred from offering games in Republika Srpska, and one industry guide states that the Federation does not license online casino games. The listings must not be read as an indication that a given operator is licensed locally or that playing with it is lawful. Readers in the Federation can check the Federal Ministry of Finance’s list of approved operators.
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Sources and further reading
- Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Federal Ministry of Finance, Zakon o igrama na sreću (Službene novine FBiH 48/15, 60/15) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Tax Administration of FBiH, Zakon o igrama na sreću, prečišćeni tekst (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Government of FBiH, Zakon o igrama na sreću (2015) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Government of FBiH, Zakon o igrama na sreću (2002) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Federal Ministry of Finance, Igre na sreću (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Federal Ministry of Finance, Spisak priređivača igara na sreću u FBiH – II. kvartal 2026. godine (2026).
- Federal Ministry of Finance, Pravilnik o tehničkim uslovima, sadržaju pravila i procedura i načinu priređivanja internet igara na sreću (59/16, 23/24) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Paragraf Lex, Zakon o porezu na dohodak (FBiH) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Parliament of FBiH, Prijedlog zakona o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o igrama na sreću (2017).
- Legalist, Zakon o igrama na sreću Republike Srpske (Službeni glasnik RS 22/19) (2019).
- Advokat Prnjavorac, Zakon o igrama na sreću Republike Srpske (22/19, 131/20) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Pravo BiH, Zakon o igrama na sreću Republike Srpske 2019 (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Assembly of the Brčko District, Zakon o igrama na sreću Brčko distrikta BiH (2022).
- Klix, Kakve promjene donosi novi Zakon o igrama na sreću u Republici Srpskoj (2019).
- Klix, Zaboravljeni Zakon o igrama na sreću FBiH (2019).
- FEB, Usvojen novi Zakon o igrama na sreću u Federaciji BiH (2015).
- Nap.ba, Igre na sreću: Porez na uplatu plaćaju priređivači, a na dobitak igrači od 10 do 30 posto (2016).
- HRS, HRS u dalju proceduru upućuje izmjene Zakona o igrama na sreću (2025).
- Hercegovina.info, Zastupnički dom PSBiH prihvatio hitnu proceduru, zakon o PDV-u na igre na sreću ide u Dom naroda (2026).
- Hercegovina.info, Koči li kladioničarski lobi zapravo funkcioniranje države? (2026).
- Zenicablog, BiH evropski rekorder po broju kladionica (2026).
- Lutrija Republike Srpske, Zahtjev za samoisključenje (2025).
- Lutrija Republike Srpske, Provjeri svoju igru (accessed 6 October 2026).
- GameBridge, Bosnia and Herzegovina iGaming regulation guide (accessed 6 October 2026).
