The Croatian Ministry of Health has adopted the first set of administrative rules governing the management of the self-exclusion register. More than 11,200 citizens have requested exclusion since the register was established a year ago.
The biggest change compared with the previous system is that players no longer have to exclude themselves separately with each individual gambling operator. Once a person is entered into the Register, the exclusion automatically applies to all licensed gambling operators in Croatia.
The administrative rules, which enter into force on 30 July, set out in detail the content and method of maintaining the Register, the procedure for entering and deleting data and the rights and obligations of all participants involved in the system.
Citizens may submit exclusion requests electronically via the e-Citizens system or with the assistance of authorised bodies, including organisers of games of chance, the Croatian Institute for Social Work and institutions dealing with mental health protection and addiction treatment.
As a rule, written consent from the person requesting exclusion is required, except when it is determined as a protective measure or a special obligation in court proceedings.
Exclusion may be requested for three months, six months, one year, three years, five years or permanently. A three-month exclusion cannot be revoked, while a request for early revocation may only be submitted after at least three months have passed since the request was submitted.
Data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health indicates that 1.7% of adults experience severe gambling problems, while 3.1% have moderate issues and 2.7% have low-level gambling-related problems.
The Register began operating on 1 August 2025, while its further functionality was established on 1 November after connecting all licensed organisers to the central system