Kosovo is a disputed territory and partially recognised state located in Southeastern Europe.
Gambling was legal and regulated in the state of Kosovo* from 2004 till 2019. In 2019 gambling an online gambling were made illegal in the country (actually online gambling was never explicitly legal, it was not regulated before)**. The reason for the near complete ban was two murders and robberies which took place in gambling establishments in the country. The killer was a policeman who had ties to organised crime, allegedly. This became headlines in the country and it became heavily politicized. The result was a heavy handed ban on gambling. The real issue is of course corruption in the police and organized crime but that’s not easily solved. In order to appear useful and provide quick solutions to this problem in a political show of force gambling was made illegal.
Making gambling entirely illegal in Kosovo resulted in the loss of 4000 jobs, the closure of 400 businesses, including 306 betting shops, 133 outlets with gambling machines and six bingo parlors.*** The tourism sector is estimated to shrink by about 10% due to the ban. And a lot of money will leave the country as people go to play slots and other games in nearby countries and border towns.
There was only one genuine, proper casino in Pristina before the ban, and most gambling establishments were smaller slot halls (basically pubs with a few slot machines or video poker or electronic roulette, no dealers, no card games). Online gambling is also illegal, on paper. Players are not prosecuted and most of the online casinos which accept players from Kosovo (see bellow) are not blocked.
The only exception to this near complete ban on gambling (the only country in Europe with such strict restrictions btw.) is of course the state-owned lottery Lotaria e Kosoves, which is allowed to operate just like before. You can read more about the lottery below at the lottery section.
Sources:
*Republic of Kosovo – Laws on Games of Chance
**BlakanInsight – NEWS Kosovo Clamps Down on Gambling After Double Murder
***Europegaming – Kosovo Gambling Ban
Online casinos accepting players from Kosovo
The following online gambling websites accept players from Kosovo:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
BGO
- 500 free spins
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: 65x
Wagering limitation:
- Slots: 100%
- Roulette: 25%
- All Blackjack Games: 25%
- 3 Card Brag: 50%
- Casino Hold'em: 25%
- Baccarat: 0%
- Everything else: 0%
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Betsson Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to €100
- 101 free spins on your first deposit
- €5,000 every week for one lucky active returning player (no wagering limitation, no playthrough requirement)
US players can not register. Betsson has over 1500 games, the most games of any casino. You can read the review of Betsson casino here.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus: • 100%: Slots • 10%: All Roulette (except Live), Caribbean Stud & Casino Stud Poker Games • 10%: All Casino Hold’Em, Red Dog, Pai Gow, Poker Games, Oasis Poker & Texas Hold’Em Poker Games • 5%: All BlackJack (except Live BlackJack), Baccarat, Video Poker, Pontoon, Beat Me, Punto Banco Games
Wagering limitation:
- The bonus cannot be wagered on the following games: 1429 Uncharted Seas, Aliens, Big Bang, Blood Suckers, Castle builder, Castle Builder 2, Champion of the Track, Dead or Alive, Devil´s Delight, Eggomatic, Epic Gems, Eye of the Kraken, Kings of Chicago, Pearls of India, Robin Hood, Scrooge, Sea Hunter, Super Monopoly Money, The Wish Master, Tower Quest, Wild Gambler, Wizard Shop, Zombies.
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
Summary:
- Casino gambling in Kosovo
- Bingo in Kosovo
- Poker in Kosovo
- Sports betting in Kosovo
- Lottery in Kosovo
- Bitcoin gambling in Kosovo
Casino gambling in Kosovo
Online casino gambling in Kosovo: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Gambling is no longer legal (since 2019) in Kosovo. It was legal between 2004 and 2019, but due to the infamous double casino killings by a corrupt cop, the government decided to make gambling illegal. All gambling operators operators, domestic and foreign were required to close. There weren’t many casinos in Kosovo before the ban, there was only one genuine casino in Pristina, but there were 132 gambling establishments (slots halls; pubs with gaming machines, slots, video poker, perhaps electronic roulette or coin games). The gambling scene was not thriving therefore the negative effect on tourism is said to be limited (bit just how reliable these estimates and sources are is questionable, the government of course doesn’t want to appear bad, god knows how reliable these estimates are). If you want to play online right now your only options are unlicensed online casinos. Some of them still accept players from Kosovo. It’s technicality illegal, but players are not prosecuted and most of these online casinos are not even blocked in the country (if the casinos below are blocked please drop a comment below).
The online casinos below accept players from Kosovo.
The following online casino websites accept players from Kosovo:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
BGO
- 500 free spins
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: 65x
Wagering limitation:
- Slots: 100%
- Roulette: 25%
- All Blackjack Games: 25%
- 3 Card Brag: 50%
- Casino Hold'em: 25%
- Baccarat: 0%
- Everything else: 0%
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Betsson Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to €100
- 101 free spins on your first deposit
- €5,000 every week for one lucky active returning player (no wagering limitation, no playthrough requirement)
US players can not register. Betsson has over 1500 games, the most games of any casino. You can read the review of Betsson casino here.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus: • 100%: Slots • 10%: All Roulette (except Live), Caribbean Stud & Casino Stud Poker Games • 10%: All Casino Hold’Em, Red Dog, Pai Gow, Poker Games, Oasis Poker & Texas Hold’Em Poker Games • 5%: All BlackJack (except Live BlackJack), Baccarat, Video Poker, Pontoon, Beat Me, Punto Banco Games
Wagering limitation:
- The bonus cannot be wagered on the following games: 1429 Uncharted Seas, Aliens, Big Bang, Blood Suckers, Castle builder, Castle Builder 2, Champion of the Track, Dead or Alive, Devil´s Delight, Eggomatic, Epic Gems, Eye of the Kraken, Kings of Chicago, Pearls of India, Robin Hood, Scrooge, Sea Hunter, Super Monopoly Money, The Wish Master, Tower Quest, Wild Gambler, Wizard Shop, Zombies.
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
Bingo in Kosovo
Online bingo in Kosovo: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Bingo along with games like lottery, sports betting and keno were a state monopoly, controlled by the Ministry of Finance (MEF) and organized by the Kosovo Lottery (Lotaria e Kosoves). However, bot the lottery and bingo with it were banned in 2019. Online bingo is also illegal.
I could only find one bingo website that accepts players from Kosovo, this online casino has live bingo and accepts players from Kosovo:
BGO
- 500 free spins
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: 65x
Wagering limitation:
- Slots: 100%
- Roulette: 25%
- All Blackjack Games: 25%
- 3 Card Brag: 50%
- Casino Hold'em: 25%
- Baccarat: 0%
- Everything else: 0%
Poker in Kosovo
Online poker in Kosovo: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Many would argue that poker requires more skill&strategy than luck, and that is why poker is not considered a game of chance in many countries. However, in Kosovo poker is still considered a form of gambling, and therefore illegal since 2019. The poker scene was never big in Kosovo (a country with a strong muslim history, a religion vehemently opposed to gambling). You could only play poker in the only brick-and-mortar casino in Kosovo, Pristina, the King Casino before the ban. Online poker is also illegal in the country, therefore you can only play poker in foreign online poker networks.
The following online poker sites below accept players from Kosovo.
The following online poker websites accept players from Kosovo:
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Betsson Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to €100
- 101 free spins on your first deposit
- €5,000 every week for one lucky active returning player (no wagering limitation, no playthrough requirement)
US players can not register. Betsson has over 1500 games, the most games of any casino. You can read the review of Betsson casino here.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus: • 100%: Slots • 10%: All Roulette (except Live), Caribbean Stud & Casino Stud Poker Games • 10%: All Casino Hold’Em, Red Dog, Pai Gow, Poker Games, Oasis Poker & Texas Hold’Em Poker Games • 5%: All BlackJack (except Live BlackJack), Baccarat, Video Poker, Pontoon, Beat Me, Punto Banco Games
Wagering limitation:
- The bonus cannot be wagered on the following games: 1429 Uncharted Seas, Aliens, Big Bang, Blood Suckers, Castle builder, Castle Builder 2, Champion of the Track, Dead or Alive, Devil´s Delight, Eggomatic, Epic Gems, Eye of the Kraken, Kings of Chicago, Pearls of India, Robin Hood, Scrooge, Sea Hunter, Super Monopoly Money, The Wish Master, Tower Quest, Wild Gambler, Wizard Shop, Zombies.
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
Sports betting in Kosovo
Online sports betting in Kosovo: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Sports betting in Kosovo was a state monopoly, organized by the Kosovo Lottery and regulated by the Ministry of Finance. However, since the 2019 casino killings sports betting was made entirely illegal and Lotaria e Kosoves has stopped its sports betting activity entirely. The lottery section is still in operation but it is no longer possible to bet on sports on their websites and it is not possible to bet in betting shops (all of them were closed). Right now both private and state-owned sports betting is illegal and banned. Online sports betting is illegal in Kosovo. If you want to bet on sports you can only do with foreign bookmakers, a few of them accept players from Kosovo (it’s illegal, but players are not prosecuted).
The following online sportsbooks below accept registrations from Kosovo.
The following online sports betting websites accept registrations from Kosovo:
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Betsson Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to €100
- 101 free spins on your first deposit
- €5,000 every week for one lucky active returning player (no wagering limitation, no playthrough requirement)
US players can not register. Betsson has over 1500 games, the most games of any casino. You can read the review of Betsson casino here.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus: • 100%: Slots • 10%: All Roulette (except Live), Caribbean Stud & Casino Stud Poker Games • 10%: All Casino Hold’Em, Red Dog, Pai Gow, Poker Games, Oasis Poker & Texas Hold’Em Poker Games • 5%: All BlackJack (except Live BlackJack), Baccarat, Video Poker, Pontoon, Beat Me, Punto Banco Games
Wagering limitation:
- The bonus cannot be wagered on the following games: 1429 Uncharted Seas, Aliens, Big Bang, Blood Suckers, Castle builder, Castle Builder 2, Champion of the Track, Dead or Alive, Devil´s Delight, Eggomatic, Epic Gems, Eye of the Kraken, Kings of Chicago, Pearls of India, Robin Hood, Scrooge, Sea Hunter, Super Monopoly Money, The Wish Master, Tower Quest, Wild Gambler, Wizard Shop, Zombies.
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
Lottery in Kosovo
Online lottery in Kosovo: legal, state monopoly of Lotaria e Kosoves
Lottery and online lottery are the only two remaining legal forms of gambling in Kosovo. The current piece of legislation that regulates the lottery is Law No. 04/L-080 Law on Games of Chance from 2012 and its amendments.* Kosovo’s lottery is a state monopoly, organized by the Lotaria e Kosoves. The company offers many different types of lottery games, e.g.: lotto and keno, which are the most popular. You can even purchase lottery tickets online.
Apart from Lotaria e Kosoves, the following websites let people from Kosovo purchase lottery tickets online:
*Source: Republic of Kosovo – Law on Games of Chance
Bitcoin gambling in Kosovo
Bitcoin gambling in Kosovo: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Gambling with cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin still counts as gambling and therefore illegal since 2019.
The following Bitcoin casinos below accept players from Kosovo.
The following online casino websites accept digital currencies and players from Kosovo:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
If you have questions or any feedback don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. Please let me know in the comments section if you think we might have gotten something wrong or if you have additional information, clarification about the legal status of online gambling in this country.
This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2020-12-30
Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer