Montenegro Gaming at Peril as Country Contemplates Electronic Payments Ban

The Montenegro government recently announced its plans to ban the use of electronic payment methods on betting sites, sparking industry concerns. Montenegro Bet, a local trade association, has expressed its disagreement with the measure, calling it “unconstitutional.”

The change is outlined in the proposed Article 68f of Montenegro’s gambling law. If passed, it would prohibit gambling operators from accepting mobile and online banking deposits. This would force players to either deposit cash at betting shops or use terminals at select betting locations to power their accounts via cards.

As the measure looms, Montenegro Bet introduced a petition to stop the amendment. The petition has so far collected 25,000 signatures, representing roughly 8% of adults in Montenegro. The trade union emphasized that the ban may greatly impact the gambling industry, forcing it to implement job cuts.

In addition to opposing the measure and warning of the impact it may have on the local economy, Montenegro Bet said that the measure is unconstitutional and in breach of the European Union’s laws. Montenegro is not a member state of the union but has been considering joining the alliance for a while.

Aside from European laws, Article 68f seems to contradict Montenegro’s own laws, which state that such drastic changes should be consulted publicly.

The Communication Crisis Highlights the Need to Adopt EU Standards

European Gaming, a news outlet covering the gambling industry, discussed the matter in detail with Jovana Klisić, a representative of Montenegro Bet. As someone with years of experience in gaming and business, Klisić outlined the problems with Article 68f, warning of potential adverse effects.

First of all, she noted that Montenegro’s gambling industry currently employs 2% of the country’s population. Should some of them lose their jobs, this would exacerbate the problematic unemployment rates the country is already facing.

In addition to mentioning the measure’s incompatibility with EU standards, Klisić pointed out that the FATF and Moneyval believe that electronic payments are generally safer.

Klisić concluded that the country’s financial technology sector is now at a crossroads as it seeks to mitigate any potential negative impacts Article 68f could cause. The silver lining, she believes, is that the current communication crisis highlights the importance of aligning Montenegro to EU standards.