The Council of Ministers has paved the way for online casinos in Northern Cyprus

On December 8, 2025, the Council of Ministers of the TRNC made a decision that, according to media reports, opens the way for online casinos in Northern Cyprus. Previously, on December 3, the Official Gazette published the corresponding new edition.

According to the adopted decision, any domain granted permission by the Lottery Department under the Sports Administration will be able to organize virtual casinos. Article 13 of the Gambling Law allows online sites to conduct casino games in a virtual format.

The decision reportedly pleased the owners of virtual betting sites and elicited public reaction. It is also noted that in Turkey, the MASAK agency and the police conduct large-scale operations against online gambling platforms, with daily arrests; according to the source, this caused surprise in light of the initiative adopted in the TRNC.

Legal circles indicate that the amendment published on December 3 cannot formally be implemented without changing the Gambling Law. In their view, applying the adopted decision requires making the corresponding legislative amendments.