Serbia’s gambling sector continues to expand rapidly, with bookmakers and other operators of games of chance transferring more than 28.08 billion dinars to the state budget in 2025, highlighting the growing fiscal importance of betting and gaming activities within the country’s tax structure. The figure represents more than €239 million in public revenue and marks a significant increase compared with the previous year.
According to data from the Administration for Games of Chance, the amount paid into the budget rose 34.74 % compared with 2024, when operators contributed about 20.8 billion dinars through various fees and levies linked to gambling activities. The payments include fees for organising betting, online betting platforms, casino games and slot machines, as well as charges related to classic lottery-type games and promotional prize contests.
The largest share of revenue for the state came from slot machines, which generated around 11.3 billion dinars, or 37 % more than in 2024. Another major contributor was electronic or online betting, which brought nearly 9.8 billion dinars, representing a 52.66 % increase year-on-year and reflecting the rapid expansion of digital gambling platforms.
Traditional betting shops also produced substantial fiscal revenue. Fees associated with sports betting activities generated around four billion dinars, about 20 % more than in the previous year, confirming the continued growth of the retail betting market across the country.
Other segments of the gambling industry contributed smaller but still notable amounts. Casinos paid around 659.7 million dinars, a sharp 76 % increase compared with 2024, while classic games organised mainly through the State Lottery of Serbia generated roughly two billion dinars. Fees from promotional prize games in goods and services added another 165 million dinars to public revenues.
When these categories are combined, revenues from special games of chance alone reached about 25.8 billion dinars, accounting for the vast majority of total gambling-related fiscal inflows. Slot machines alone represented about 40.3 % of all payments, followed by online betting with 34.8 %, while traditional betting shops contributed roughly 14.5 % of the total.
The expansion of gambling revenues reflects the broader growth of Serbia’s gaming market, which has become one of the most profitable service industries in the country. Industry analyses estimate that the gambling sector generates well over €1 billion in annual turnover, supported by both physical betting outlets and rapidly growing online platforms.
From the state’s perspective, the sector has become a stable source of non-tax revenue. Levies on gambling operators are structured around the difference between total bets placed and winnings paid to players, with typical rates of around 15 % for online betting and lottery-type games and around 10 % for casino and slot-machine operations, although additional regulatory fees also apply.
The strong growth of gambling revenues has nevertheless sparked a broader public debate. While the sector generates hundreds of millions of euros for the state budget, critics warn about the social consequences of widespread betting activity, including addiction and financial distress among vulnerable groups. Betting shops are highly visible across Serbian cities, and their rapid expansion has raised concerns among social policy experts and public-health specialists.
At the same time, the fiscal importance of the industry continues to increase. With government budgets under pressure from rising public spending and infrastructure investment, revenue streams linked to regulated gambling have become an increasingly significant component of the country’s broader fiscal landscape.
The latest figures therefore illustrate a dual reality: the gambling industry is evolving into a major contributor to Serbia’s public finances, while also remaining one of the most controversial sectors in the domestic economy due to its social implications and rapid expansion.
