How We Compare Licensed Operators

This page explains how we rate casinos and bookmakers on Balkan Gambling, and the answer is short: we do not give scores. We list only operators that hold a licence in the reader’s country, checked on that country’s official list, and we compare them on five published points: licence status, product scope, payments and withdrawal rules, responsible gambling tools and self-exclusion coverage, and app and support. There are no links to operators, no paid placement, no bonus figures and no numeric scores.

Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over (21 in Albania). Help services for each country are on our responsible gambling page.

Step one: the operator must be on the regulator’s list

Before we write a line about an operator, we look it up on the official list of licensed online operators in the country concerned and match the company name and the website domain. If the operator is not on the list on the day we check, it does not appear in our lists for that country. Being well known, or licensed in a neighbouring country, is not enough.

Two examples show why the list comes first. Mozzart is on the Serbian list and, as Mozzart BH Play, on the Federation’s online list, but it is not licensed in Croatia, where mozzart.com is on the Porezna uprava block list. Pinnbet does not appear on the current Serbian list under any name, so we do not call it licensed. The same brand can also be a different company in each country: Admiral in Croatia is operated by Interigre, while admiralbet.rs in Serbia is run by ZBET.RS, so we always name the licence holder per country.

The five points we compare

Once an operator passes the licence check, every page that describes it reports the same five points, taken from the regulator and from the operator’s own published pages. Our guide to licensed online casinos breaks the same five points down into eight checks a reader can run step by step.

1. Licence status on the regulator’s list

We record the licence holder as the company named on the list, not just the brand, and add the licence or decision number when the operator publishes one. Germania Sport in Croatia, for example, has held an online betting licence since 2013 and an online casino licence since 2019. Where a list carries no date, as with Serbia’s list on the Games of Chance Administration website and Croatia’s list of 12 online operators, we say so and give the date we checked it.

2. Product scope

A licence covers specific games, and we describe only what it covers. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina the law gives no basis for online casino, so operators there appear for betting and lottery only. In Slovenia, Casino Portorož is the only online casino concessionaire, with SuperCasino.si, 777Casino.si and Casino.si, while Loterija Slovenije and Športna loterija hold classic-game concessions. In Serbia, lottery-type games are reserved by law to Državna lutrija Srbije.

3. Payments and withdrawal rules as published

Payment methods, currency, minimum amounts and withdrawal limits come from the operator’s own payment page and general terms, and we print the date we read them. Some of this is set by law. In the Federation, online deposits may be made only through licensed shops or Federation banks. In Montenegro, licensed sites take deposits by bank card, bank transfer, bank mobile or internet payment, and cash at a venue. In Croatia, licensed operators withhold tax on betting and lottery winnings at payout, at 10% to 30% depending on the amount. We do not publish payout times that are not stated in writing.

4. Responsible gambling tools and self-exclusion coverage

We check whether deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion can be set in the account, and which national scheme reaches the operator:

• Croatia: the HZJZ register of excluded players, visible to all licensed operators since 1 November 2025 (see the HZJZ instructions).
• Slovenia: national self-exclusion for six months to three years, covering all licensed gambling, online included; the form is on FURS eDavki, but you file it at a casino, a gaming hall or with a licensed online operator.
• Serbia: under article 95a, online operators must offer self-exclusion for at least 24 hours, a permanent exclusion cannot be reversed for 12 months, and the regulator passes your exclusion to every licensed online operator where you hold an account.
• Montenegro: operators must apply an exclusion or limit within 24 hours, and the regulator keeps a register of excluded persons.

These schemes reach licensed operators only, which is one more reason we list nobody else.

5. App and support

We note whether the operator publishes an official app and where it is distributed, which support channels it offers and when, whether support is available in a local language, and what its complaint procedure says, including which regulator a player can turn to. We do not link to apps or app store pages.

What we do not do

• Give numeric scores, star ratings or “best” rankings. The order of operators in a list is not a ranking.
• Link to operators or their apps, or use sign-up wording.
• Take payment for a place in a list. We have no commercial relationship with any operator we describe.
• Quote bonus figures. Croatian law bans gambling ads that invite play with bonus offers outside licensed operators’ own websites, and we have no deals to promote.
• Invent test deposits, payout times, player numbers or quotes.

Unlicensed sites: a risk, never an option

Sites without a licence in the reader’s country are never listed. We mention them only to explain what a player gives up: no local complaint route, no coverage by national self-exclusion, and blocking. Croatia’s public block list held more than 1,400 domains in its version of 9 October 2026, published on the Porezna uprava page on unlicensed online gambling, and North Macedonia had blocked 307 sites by January 2026. In some countries the player can be fined too: the law sets EUR 1,320 to 6,630 in Croatia and EUR 1,000 to 2,000 in Montenegro and North Macedonia.

Re-checks and changes to the method

We re-check each country’s list at least every three months and whenever a regulator publishes a new list, an operator changes its terms or a law changes. An operator that drops off a list leaves ours. Changes to this method are dated on this page, as our editorial policy sets out. The country guides for Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina apply this method, as do our guide to licensed bookmakers and the online casino guide. More about the team is on our about us page, or go back to the home page.

How we checked this page

On 15 October 2026 we opened the Serbian list of approved online operators, the Porezna uprava page with Croatia’s 12 licensed online operators and its block list, the Federal Ministry of Finance online list of 30 September 2026 and Slovenia’s 2026 concession registers, and we confirmed that no public online licence list was found for North Macedonia, Republika Srpska or Brčko District.

Frequently asked questions

Do you give casinos or bookmakers a score?

No. We list only operators licensed in the reader’s country and compare them on five published points: licence status, product scope, payments and withdrawal rules, responsible gambling tools and self-exclusion coverage, and app and support. There are no numeric scores, star ratings or “best” rankings, and the order of operators in a list is not a ranking.

Which operators can appear on Balkan Gambling?

Only operators we find on the official list of licensed online operators in the country concerned, matched by company name and website domain on the day we check. An operator licensed in one Balkan country is not listed for another. If a country has no licensed online operator, as in Albania, that page shows no list at all.

Can an operator pay to be listed or placed higher?

No. We have no commercial relationship with any operator we describe, take no payment for a place in a list and run no sponsored positions. Operators appear because they hold a licence in the country, and they leave our lists if they drop off the regulator’s list.

Why don’t you link to the operators you list?

Because we are a guide to the licensed market, not a route into it. Links can look like promotion, and several countries in the region restrict gambling advertising. If you want to visit an operator, type its address yourself after checking the domain against the regulator’s list, which our country guides link to.

Why are offshore casinos not listed?

A site without a licence in your country gives you no local complaint route and is not covered by national self-exclusion schemes. Its domain may be blocked, and in Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia the law allows fines on players who take part. We mention such sites only to explain these risks.

How often do you re-check the lists?

We re-check each country’s list at least every three months, and sooner when a regulator publishes a new list, an operator changes its terms or a law changes. Payment and withdrawal details carry the date we read them, and any change to this method is dated on this page.