Mongolia’s gambling culture is rooted in nomadic folk games rather than commercial casinos — and as of 2025 the country has banned virtually all paid gambling. For centuries a defining game of chance-and-skill was shagai, played with animal anklebones, while a modern lottery scene grew in recent decades. That commercial era narrowed sharply on 1 July 2025, when amendments to the Law on Permits prohibited paid betting, online gambling and lotteries nationwide. This article traces the history, the games people actually play, prevailing attitudes and the notable laws — noting that the current legal position is one of prohibition.

Traditional games and their meaning

The heart of Mongolian gaming is shagai — sheep or goat anklebones (knucklebones). Depending on the game, shagai are tossed like dice, flicked like marbles, shot at with arrows, or collected by the roll of a bone. A thrown shagai lands as one of four animals — horse, camel, sheep or goat (a fifth, cow, on uneven ground) — and these outcomes drive many distinct games.

Shagai carries meaning far beyond play. Anklebones are exchanged as tokens of friendship and used in fortune-telling — in one divination method four shagai are rolled and the convex “horse” and “sheep” faces are considered lucky. A competitive anklebone-shooting/flicking discipline, in which players flick a piece along a wooden rail to hit a target roughly 10 metres away, is played during the Naadam festival.

The modern lottery and betting era

Alongside folk games, Mongolia developed a state-linked lottery culture. The government printed a lottery entry on retail VAT receipts (registered via ebarimt.mn) to encourage tax compliance, and in December 2022 the large-jackpot Megaball lottery launched. Sports betting — especially on football — and online gambling grew rapidly, much of it through offshore sites accessed online.

Attitudes and the 2025 turn

As online gambling spread, lawmakers grew alarmed at capital leaving the country and at gambling-related fraud and harm. Financial-investigation data pointed to roughly MNT 1.7 trillion (reported at around USD 500 million / EUR 400 million) flowing abroad, and the Communications Regulatory Commission restricted access to over 6,000 gambling domains — yet operators kept resurfacing under new links. The State Great Khural responded with amendments to the Law on Permits and the Criminal Code, banning paid prediction, betting, online gambling and paid lotteries, effective 1 July 2025. Organising or facilitating gambling for profit is now a criminal offence.

Where things stand

Mongolia today has no legal, licensed gambling market. The enduring gambling-adjacent culture is the folk tradition of shagai rather than any commercial casino or betting sector. For anyone affected by gambling harm, Mongolia’s National Center for Mental Health provides support.

18+. Gambling is illegal in Mongolia and can carry criminal penalties. If gambling is harming you or someone you know, seek help.

Sources