The government of Bulgaria has rejected the opposition’s proposals to amend the country’s gambling regulations by introducing a blanket ban on gambling ads and increasing...
The government of North Macedonia has passed the Law on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games, effectively introducing full state control over online gambling and lottery and replacing the 2011 system that allowed private participation.
North Macedonia’s Assembly passed the legislation on June 29, 2026, after which, on July 14, it came into force, introducing strict prohibitions on gambling ads, land-based operators, and generally changing the country’s gambling sector.
Previously, private operators had the opportunity to offer online gambling through state partnerships where the state kept at least a 51% share in the venture and held final decision-making authority. The goal of the measure was to keep players under a locally licensed and taxed system, with the country also regulating B2B providers through the same licensing regime.
Although the law passed just recently, enforcement action against private operators had started back in 2024, as the newly elected government announced that online gambling reforms would be a priority. By September 2024, multiple private companies were ordered to stop their operations, including Mozzart, Vezuvm NOVO VLT, 77 BITS, and 2Win.mk, and by the end of 2024, the only licensed online gambling platform was MegaWin.
Under the new system, the state of North Macedonia will retain exclusive rights to offer online gambling. Games will be offered through state-owned joint-stock companies where the state will be the only shareholder.
While private operators will be permitted to offer land-based gambling, multiple new restrictions have been added to the sector as well: venues must be located at least 500 meters away from schools, operators must integrate GPS, seal, and register slot machines before placing them, and companies with multiple licenses will have to keep minimum capital for each license.
