Lottery tickets are strictly illegal in Mongolia following comprehensive gambling legislation passed by the State Great Hural in May 2025, which became effective on July 1, 2025. Prior to this blanket ban, Mongolia had considered regulating gambling activities, with draft laws on casino, betting, and lottery submitted to Parliament in December 2022 as part of efforts to boost tourism during the Years to Visit Mongolia campaign (1). The draft Casino Law aimed to regulate casino management activities in Mongolia as part of a broader framework to establish legal gambling operations.
The ban criminalizes all forms of paid betting activities, both online and at brick-and-mortar venues, with violators facing legal action according to Mongolia's Criminal Code (2). The amended regulation forbids online gambling, sports betting, lotteries, and all other paid prediction games. Hosting or facilitating paid games of chance online or at a physical location now constitutes a criminal offense punishable by financial penalties, mandatory community service of up to 720 hours, up to three years of prison time, and up to one year of travel restrictions.
"The ban criminalises all forms of paid betting activities, both online and at brick-and-mortar venues and has been effective since July 1, 2025. Facilitating any form of gambling activity in Mongolia will now attract legal action according to the country's Criminal Code."
A massive outflow of capital totaling 1.7 trillion Mongolian Tugrik, approximately €404 million abroad via online gambling between 2023 and 2024, prompted a financial investigation that forced the government to take decisive action (2). This amount equates to approximately 485,000 MNT per Mongolian citizen, posing a major financial risk to Mongolia's foreign reserves. The amended legislation also bans all forms of online gambling promotions, with violations subjected to administrative penalties under the nation's Law of Administrative Violations, targeting both direct promotion and collusion with violators.
Source:
https://www.parliament.mn/en/nn/29415/
https://acealliance.com/news/mongolia-bans-gambling-and-sports-betting-in-sweeping-reforms/
Last updated: 16-10-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
