Online gambling in Bosnia and Herzegovina: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

There is no state-level gambling law. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), Republika Srpska (RS) and the Brčko District each license and tax gambling separately, and a licence in one entity is not valid in the other. Republika Srpska issues five-year internet games licences covering betting and casino games to companies seated in the entity, with a 20% fee on GGR and a 300,000 KM one-time charge. The Federation permits internet betting only for companies that already run at least 50 approved betting points, takes 5% of every stake and does not license online casino games. Both entity lotteries hold monopolies on classic games, and Federation amendments that would raise gambling taxes have been blocked in Parliament since March 2026.

Partially regulated: Some verticals are licensed (usually betting); others are prohibited or unaddressed.

Who regulates gambling in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

• Republička uprava za igre na sreću (Republika Srpska Games of Chance Administration), Ministry of Finance of Republika Srpska (RUIS) — Supervises operators in Republika Srpska, processes licence files and fee returns for the RS Ministry of Finance, which issues the licences
• Federalno ministarstvo finansija (Federal Ministry of Finance) with the Tax Administration of FBiH (FMF) — Issues approvals for betting, casinos, slot clubs and internet betting in the Federation; the Tax Administration supervises operators and collects fees and winnings tax

Bosnia and Herzegovina gambling licence: how it works

In Republika Srpska the Law on Games of Chance (Official Gazette RS 22/19 and 131/20) lists internet games of chance as a separate licensed activity. The Ministry of Finance grants the licence for five years, renewable, to a legal entity seated in the entity with at least 1,000,000 KM in capital, a certified gaming system and bank accounts in a bank present in Republika Srpska; a one-time fee of 300,000 KM is paid on issue. In the Federation, the Law on Games of Chance (Official Gazette FBiH 48/15 and 60/15) allows internet betting only under a special approval of the Federal Ministry of Finance for companies that already hold a betting approval for at least 50 payment points; the approval costs 150,000 KM, requires 1,500,000 KM in capital and an 800,000 KM guarantee, and lasts as long as the land-based approval. Online casino games are not licensable in the Federation. Brčko District applies its own smaller regime.

What an applicant needs

• Company registered in the entity where the licence is sought; a licence from one entity does not cover the other
• Republika Srpska internet licence: minimum capital 1,000,000 KM, one-time fee 300,000 KM, certified gaming system, bank accounts with a bank present in the entity and an annual guarantee equal to 25% of planned fees
• Federation internet betting approval: existing betting approval with at least 50 payment points, capital 1,500,000 KM, 800,000 KM bank guarantee or deposit, hardware and software in the Federation connected to the Tax Administration
• Registered players only, one account per player, age 18+, with mechanisms that stop minors from registering
• Software manufacturer's certified statement that the system has no hidden functions; tax-compliance and clean-record certificates for owners and managers

Gambling taxes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Operators: Republika Srpska: 20% of GGR on internet games, plus fixed fees for retail betting and slots, and corporate income tax. Federation: 5% of each betting stake withheld from the player, 5% monthly fee on slot GGR, 10% of turnover for Lutrija BiH on classic games, plus corporate income tax (2026).
• Players: Republika Srpska: 10% on wins above 1,000 KM, 15% above 10,000 KM, 20% above 50,000 KM and 30% above 100,000 KM, withheld by the operator, with betting taxed on the payout net of the stake. Federation: 10% withholding on every win above 100 KM under the Income Tax Law.
• Also: Gambling services are exempt from the state-level 17% VAT; a bill to end the exemption passed the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly in 2026 and awaits the House of Peoples. A Federation bill to tax wins below 100 KM and lift the sector's contribution to about 200 million KM a year has been stuck since March 2026.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Both entity laws ban advertising of operators without an entity licence and prohibit gambling advertising in programs and print aimed at children and minors. There is no watershed or general advertising ban, and sponsorship of sports clubs is common.

Responsible gaming

Persons under 18 may not enter venues or play online. Operators must publish game rules, issue win certificates on request and keep records for five years; Republika Srpska prohibits organizing internet play at public premises such as cafés. Formal self-exclusion registers are not yet prescribed by law in either entity.

Identity and age verification

Players register with an application form and identity data before they can play; Republika Srpska requires a virtual account per player and gives the Administration access to bank transaction records. Operators are obliged entities under the state AML law.

Payments

Republika Srpska internet games run through the operator's accounts in a bank present in the entity, with deposits only by card, bank transfer or other cashless means. In the Federation, online betting credits and payouts are handled through the operator's approved betting shops or commercial banks operating in the Federation. Crypto is not a recognized payment method in either entity.

Notable restrictions

• No online casino licence exists in the Federation; only Lutrija BiH may take payments online for classic games
• Federation approvals require at least 50 approved betting points before internet betting is allowed
• Republika Srpska data on internet games must be stored on servers in the entity and be accessible online to the Ministry
• Receiving payments in the Federation for foreign or other-entity games of chance is prohibited
• Entity lotteries Lutrija BiH and Lutrija Republike Srpske hold monopolies on classic lottery games
• Casino concessions in Republika Srpska are awarded by public tender for ten years

Bosnia and Herzegovina iGaming market: size, players and payments

Betting turnover in the Federation reached 1.62 billion KM in 2024 across ten licensed betting companies (Tax Administration of FBiH, cited by Avaz). Henk Wolff estimated total 2025 GGR at USD 155 million, of which USD 65 million was regulated.

The Federation had 1,792 licensed betting locations at the end of 2024; the Speaker of the Republika Srpska Assembly said in December 2025 that about 80% of the entity's gambling revenue comes from online betting.

Industry estimates put the mobile share of online play at about 75% in 2025 (Henk Wolff).

Premier World Sport is the largest operator with about 540 Federation locations and 144.8 million KM of 2025 revenue, followed by EVL (a Lutrija Republike Srpske venture), Mozzart, Bet-Live and WWin, the first Republika Srpska internet licensee (2011).

Timeline: how Bosnia and Herzegovina got here

1. 2011-01Republika Srpska issues its first internet gambling licence to WWin
2. 2013-01The state Communications Regulatory Agency orders blocking of foreign gambling sites, then lifts the order after public criticism
3. 2015-06Federation Law on Games of Chance (Official Gazette FBiH 48/15) allows internet betting for large betting-shop operators only
4. 2019-03Republika Srpska adopts its Law on Games of Chance (Official Gazette RS 22/19) with a standalone internet games licence and 20% GGR fee
5. 2020-12Republika Srpska amends the law (Official Gazette RS 131/20)
6. 2025-12Republika Srpska Assembly rejects a citizens' initiative for a 500-meter school distance rule; Federation amendment bill filed
7. 2026-03Federation Government backs the amendment bill on 5 March; debate postponed on 11 March and not resumed

Outlook

Three files decide the next two years: the Federation amendments on winnings tax and operator fees, the state-level VAT bill that would end the exemption for gambling services, and any move in Republika Srpska to update its 2019 law. Politics is the constraint, since the Federation Parliament has not returned to the bill since March 2026. Operators should expect higher effective taxation in the Federation if either bill passes.

Launching in Bosnia and Herzegovina with GameBridge

Turnkey (your licence, our platform). Entity licences are granted to companies seated in Republika Srpska or the Federation, so the operator holds the licence and runs its brand on GameBridge; GameBridge holds no licence in either entity and its international licence route does not cover residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A brand on GameBridge for Bosnia and Herzegovina is scoped to one entity at a time. For a Republika Srpska licensee the platform runs with a Bosnian, Serbian or Croatian front end on request, a BAM wallet, geo-controls that admit residents of the licensing entity, data hosting in the entity with online access for the Ministry, cashless deposit rails through the operator's local bank and automated withholding of the progressive winnings tax. For a Federation betting operator the configuration is sportsbook-led, with retail top-ups from the operator's shops, the 5% stake fee and 10% winnings withholding built into the wallet, and casino content switched off. Game certification files are supplied for the system review in either entity.

• Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian front ends and a BAM wallet
• Entity-level geo-controls and player registration with one account per player
• Automated winnings-tax withholding at entity rates
• In-entity data hosting with regulator access
• Retail top-up integration for betting-shop networks
• Sportsbook-only configuration for Federation licensees
• Certification files for every GameBridge Studios and Originals release

Football and live betting drive both entities, with slots and live casino permitted online only in Republika Srpska; the aggregated catalog supplies the studios regional players know, and GameBridge Studios can build exclusive titles for the Republika Srpska casino lobby.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

• Zakon o igrama na sreću Republike Srpske (Sl. glasnik RS 22/19, 131/20) — Advokat Prnjavorac, accessed 2026-09-11
• Law on Games of Chance 22/19 (unofficial English translation) — Government of Republika Srpska, accessed 2026-09-11
• Zakon o igrama na sreću Federacije BiH (Sl. novine FBiH 48/15) — Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, accessed 2026-09-11
• Republička uprava za igre na sreću — Government of Republika Srpska, accessed 2026-09-11
• Bosnia and Herzegovina has no quick fix to modernise gambling laws — SBC News, accessed 2026-09-11
• Kladionice u FBiH najprofitabilniji biznis — Dnevni avaz, accessed 2026-09-11
• Koči li kladioničarski lobi zapravo funkcioniranje države? — Hercegovina.info, accessed 2026-09-11

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.