Online gambling in Monaco sits in an unregulated grey zone: the Principality has no online-gambling licence or framework, so there are no Monaco-licensed betting or casino sites, and any offshore platform a resident might reach operates without local authorisation or consumer protection. There is no explicit ban and no active prosecution of players either. Land-based gambling, by contrast, is legal and tightly controlled: the state-linked Societe des Bains de Mer (SBM) holds the exclusive casino concession, and Monegasque citizens are banned from the gaming rooms. Treat online play cautiously, verify any site’s own licence elsewhere, and gamble responsibly.

Monaco’s gambling law is built around land-based casinos. The core statute, Law No. 1.103 of 12 June 1987 (relative aux jeux de hasard), governs physical gaming houses and does not create a licensing regime for online casinos or sportsbooks. In short, you cannot obtain a Monaco online-gambling licence, and there are no domestically regulated online operators.

Because there is no domestic online framework, residents who access offshore sites do so outside any Monegasque licensing or protection. There is no explicit ban and, reportedly, no active prosecution of individual players, but there is also no legal recognition or safeguard. We characterise online gambling here as grey/unclear rather than clearly legal or illegal.

Who regulates gambling in Monaco?

Oversight sits with the Gambling Authority (Autorite des jeux, historically the Service de Controle des Jeux) under the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Its remit is the physical casinos - supervising gaming houses, access controls, operating hours and game conditions - not the internet. There is no online-gambling regulator in Monaco.

Licensed vs offshore

Land-based casino operation is an exclusive concession held by SBM, a company in which the Monegasque government is the majority shareholder. There is no route for competing private land-based or online operators. So the practical landscape is: SBM casinos on the ground, and no licensed online sector at all. Any online site is, from Monaco’s perspective, offshore.

Payments and crypto

Monaco uses the euro, and in-person casino play relies on cash and standard card payments subject to each venue’s rules. Cryptocurrency is legal to hold and trade, and digital-asset service providers are regulated under Law No. 1.528 of 7 July 2022, with authorisation from the Minister of State and/or the CCAF. However, crypto is not recognised as legal-tender currency. Crypto gambling specifically is a grey area with no dedicated law, and Monaco’s financial-markets authority (AMAF) has warned about fraud and volatility risks around crypto-assets. Anyone considering crypto play should be especially cautious given the absence of local oversight.

Are winnings taxed?

Monaco has imposed no personal income tax on Monegasque residents since an 1869 ordinance under Prince Charles III, funded historically by casino revenue. As a result, gambling winnings are not taxed at the personal level in Monaco. The significant exception is French nationals resident in Monaco, who generally remain subject to French income tax under the Franco-Monegasque convention of 18 May 1963. Your own country of residence may tax you regardless of Monaco’s rules.

Safety and responsible gambling

With no local online regulator, the usual consumer safeguards (dispute resolution, licence checks, mandated player-protection tools) are absent for online play. If gambling stops being fun, help is available. Monaco residents can use the French national helpline, Joueurs Info Service, on 09 74 75 13 13, free and anonymous, 8am to 2am, seven days a week.

Gambling should be entertainment, never a way to make money. Players must be of legal age. If it stops being fun, seek help.

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