How to promote online betting and gambling in Moldova

Publication date: 03 Mar 2023

Moldova is a very interesting country to promote casinos and betting in Europe. Formally, it is only possible to place bets through the state’s website. In practice, there are no blockages, residents can easily access any website, social network or messenger. In a new review on 3SNET, we tell in detail how to promote online betting and gambling in Moldova. 

 Which laws regulate betting and gambling in Moldova?

The main document regulating gambling and betting in Moldova is Law No. 291 of 16.12.2016 on the gambling organization and conduct. 

According to this law, gambling activities in Moldova include maintenance of casinos, organization and conduct of lotteries, organization and conduct of betting on sports/events, as well as organization of gambling through electronic communication networks. All these types are legal in Moldova. 

Nevertheless, the country authorities have reserved the right – a state monopoly – to place sports betting and any gambling on the internet.  

Thus, legal entities may officially apply for and set up a land-based casino in Moldova, but only a company with state capital may offer gambling and betting online. 

How to promote online betting and gambling in other CIS countries? 

• There are great prospects for making money in the Armenian gambling market! 
• How to promote betting and gambling if everything is banned? Check out Turkmenistan! 
• Pay attention to Tajikistan! The market is not yet oversaturated, but it is already developing steadily and effectively.
• Read and explore all reviews of CIS countries in one place!

 All rights for online betting and gambling have been handed over to the National Lottery of Moldova / the Loteria Nationala Moldovei (LNM).

The private partner of the state lottery is NGM Company which provides its services at 7777.md.

Only the residents of the Republic of Moldova can sign up: it is necessary to provide not only the full name and contact details of the family members (for identification purposes), but also the personal identification number (ID) of the Moldavian citizen. Bets on all popular sports are accepted; the most popular events are football, tennis, table tennis, basketball and eSports. Moldovans who play on the official site must pay 18% tax on winnings (if the amount exceeds 240 lei).

NML has published data on revenues for 2021: the net profit of the company was 105 million lei (about 5.56 million USD) and 52.5 million lei was paid to the state budget. These figures lead to the conclusion that gambling in Moldova is in demand, players are active and ready to play and bet! 

The regulator of gambling in Moldova is the Public Service Agency. It offers licensing services for offline casinos, and monitors the implementation of the legislation. 

What gambling is allowed in Moldova?

How are gambling and betting sites blocked in Moldova? 

Unlicensed gambling websites are searched and blocked by the Moldovan Public Services Agency. 

According to the data of February 21 2023, the list of banned websites in Moldova, that is, “web-pages/platforms/applications through which gambling is accessed and which are not authorized in the prescribed manner” contains 1270 websites: the Russian legal bookmakers Liga Stavok, Winline, GGbet, Pari and others, as well as “mirrors” of famous brands. 

Further, based on this list of banned sites in Moldova, the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology obliges public service providers to immediately block access of Moldovan users and inform them about it.

In fact (March 2023) – we checked it personally – access to the majority of sites of blocked bookmakers and casinos is free (e.g., 1xbet.com, favbet.com, 1stavka.ru, sports.bwin.com).

Social networks and messengers are not blocked in Moldova. Facebook and Instagram*, Youtube, Vkontakte, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber work without any restrictions.

*Facebook and Instagram are blocked in Russia by court order.

VPNs can be used in Moldova without restrictions and bans from the authorities, but there is no particular need to do so. 

Internet accessibility for the Moldovan population is also very high.  

• According to Datareportal, at the beginning of 2023 there were 2.14 million Internet users in Moldova, Internet penetration is 61.3%. Average mobile Internet connection speed is 28.64 Mbps. Average fixed Internet connection speed is 105.06 Mbps.
• According to Cable.co.uk (2022), Moldova has one of the cheapest Internet accesses in the world: 8.21 USD per month on average and the 6th place (out of 222) in the ranking!

The state Internet domain is .md. To register a site in Moldova, you can use the state enterprise “MoldData”, the domain registration costs 450 lei per year. Any person or organization from any country can buy free Moldovan web address.

Notably, with the official ban on online betting casino games, all domains with the names of world-famous brands are already occupied.  

What is the right way to advertise betting and gambling in Moldova

In autumn 2021, the advertising of gambling games, sports betting (betting) and lotteries as well as casino games was completely banned in Moldova. The ban applies to both land-based types of advertising (in shops, cinemas, video services), postal services and electronic distributors (TV, radio, internet).

How to attract users from Moldova to casino and betting sites? 

The Republic of Moldova is located in south-eastern Europe. Its population is about 2.6 million people, most of them are Moldovans, but there are also Ukrainians, Russians, Gagauzians, Romanians and Bulgarians. 

Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) is an unrecognised state in Eastern Europe. It is located on the left bank of the Dniester and part of its territory is controlled by Moldova (as an autonomous territorial unit / ATU). However, there is its own state structure, legislative and executive powers. The population is about 500,000 and the currency is the Transnistrian ruble.

The largest cities are the capital Chisinau (where more than 20% of the total population resides), Tiraspol (the capital of the PMR) and Balti. 

The national currency is the Moldovan leu (MDL). In February 2023, 1 leu was equal to 4 RUB / 0.05 USD / 0.05 EUR. 

The minimum wage from 2022 is 3500 MDL.

The most common languages are Moldovan and Romanian, while a large part of the population speaks Russian. In ATU Gagauzia one of the official languages is Gagauzian. 

According to Datareportal, 52.3% of the Moldovan population are women and 47.7% are men.

The average age of the population of Moldova is 35 years old: 

• 9.1% between the ages of 18 and 24.
• 16.4% between the ages of 25 to 34.
• 15.7% between the ages of 35 and 44.
• 11.6% between 45 and 54 years old.

What means of payment can be used in casinos and betting shops in Moldova?  

Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards are freely used in Moldova.

E-wallets are available: RunPay and Bpay local payment systems, Oiwi Moldova, PayNet, Neteller, ecoPayz.

The MICB Mobile internet banking application is popular.

You can withdraw and deposit money through postal services Moldpresa Grup and Posta Moldovei, Petronom petrol station network and Zolusca (Cinderella) specialized shops network.  

How to generate betting and gambling creatives for Moldova? 

• Representatives of the National Lottery announced the results of the survey ” How do Moldovans spend their winnings? It turned out that buying real estate or improving living conditions, purchasing a car or a trip, educating children and the health of the family are in the first place. These are the things that can attract Moldovans!  Besides, it is worth taking into account that it is an agrarian country, where the bulk of the population is engaged in agriculture. Perhaps they are more attracted by the image of a concrete home, with a plot, a tractor and a piglet, than by free-floating money, prizes and gifts. 
• Moldova is a secular country, although the majority of its inhabitants are Christians. Many religious holidays are official (Christmas, Easter, Parents’ Day). During these days, many people are focused on performing traditional rituals, spending time with their families and visiting events outside the home. Therefore, we do not recommend launching promotional campaigns or motivating gambling in any way on these days. 
• A number of holidays in Moldova are unofficial, but no less important for Moldovans. The most noteworthy are Dragobete (24 February, local Valentine’s Day), Mărțișor (1 March, the arrival of spring) and National Wine Day (8 October). The symbolism of these holidays can be perfectly exploited in generating creatives, promising prizes and gifts, associating them with joy and good humour.
• Joy and merriment are part of Moldovan culture. Beautiful, elegant jokes and healthy humour will be appreciated and will draw attention to the advertisement. Traditional characters – Păcală and Tândală- can also become heroes of original creations.

What sports are popular in Moldova?  

• The national football team participates in world and European championships. The most famous football clubs in Moldova are “Dacia”, “Zimbru” “Milsami” and “Sheriff”.
• Water sports are quite famous among the residents of Moldova: swimming, rowing, canoeing, sailing. 
• The national Moldavian wrestling is trînta. Competitions in trînta are always a traditional part of mass holidays. The Moldova Wrestling Federation holds competitions of different levels: Open Standart Youth Championship in Chisinau, various tournaments. 
• Since 1994, Moldova is a permanent participant of the Olympic Games. Prizes were won only in summer sports: rowing, boxing, wrestling and shooting.

Which traffic sources are popular in Moldova?  

Datareportal reports that in January 2023 there were 1.60 million users of social networks in Moldova, which accounts for 45.7% of the total population.

According to StatCounter service, the most popular topics among Moldovans in January 2023 were: 

• Among social networks, Facebook is the unequivocal leader with about 90% of mobile audience and 47% of desktop audience. Among the leaders are also Twitter (1,02% mobile / desktop 29,92%), Pinterest (1,57% / 16,85%), Youtube (0,54% / 7,99%), Vkontakte (0,23% / 2,21%) and Instagram (3,28% / 1,44%). 
• The most popular search engines: Google (95.42%), Yandex (3.55%), Bing (0.56%), DuckDuckGo (0.23%), Yahoo (0.16%), Mail.ru (0.03%).
• Among browsers, Chrome is the most popular with 73.77% of users. Safari (13.78%), Opera (3.07%) and Firefox (2.78%) are next in line for popularity among Moldovans.
• As always, mobile (59.52%) prevails over Internet access via desktop computers (39.66%). 

The Republic of Moldova is wonderful not only because of its nature and wines! The conditions for gambling are also excellent here. Complete absence of blockages allows players gain access to any casino or bookmaker’s website, while partners are able to run successful ad campaigns in social networks, messengers and search engines. The 3SNET network has prepared the top betting and gambling offers for Moldova. Don’t waste your time, get connected!