Online casino gambling is not explicitly regulated in Kiribati. Officially named the Republic of Kiribati, the country is part of Micronesia, and is located in the central Pacific Ocean. Kiribati is named after the local pronunciation of Gilbert, the name of the British explorer after whom the main islands of the arhipelago are named. The islands became a British protectorate with the local authorities’ agreement in 1892; the islands were then declared a crown colony in 1912. The islands remained a British colony until Kiribati gained its independence in 1979.

Even though Kiribati became independent from the UK relatively late, the local gambling laws were created independently of the UK gambling laws. The gambling act that is currently in effect on the islands is the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1988. As the date of the act suggests, this regulation makes no mention of online casino gambling – even the internet itsealf wasn’t exactly in widespread use at the time.

The Gaming and Lotteries Act does not appear to have been amended since then – in any case, not with regulations concerning online casino gamlbing. Casino gambling in general is legal in Kiribati for licensed societies, as long as they adhere to the regulations set forth in the act. In theory, societies with a licence to offer legal gambling in Kiribati might be allowed to operate online casino gambling as well.

However, to date no online casino operator has applied for a gambling licence in Kiribati. As a result, there are currently no legal and licensed online casino operators based on the islands. on the other hand, the lack of online casino regulations in the Kiribati gambling laws also means that individual players are not prohibited from playing on international online casino sites without a Kiribati licence. Most international online casinos welcome players from Kiribati.

Unlike online casinos, brick and mortar casino gambling is legal in kiribati, at least in certain forms. Casino gambling on the islands is regulated by the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1988. The kiribati Gaming Act does not strictly regulate the types of games that may be offered on the islands, but it does heavily limit the ways any gaming may be conducted.

Casino games may only be legally conducted by licensed societies. Games may not depend entirely on luck, nor may they be played on gaming machines. Also, all proceeds apart from those set aside for expenses must be offered as prizes. There is also a limit on the buy-in for any given game ($1) as well as a limit on payout ($300).

In accordance with these regulations, no traditional, for-profit casino can be legally established in Kiribati, nor any slot machines halls. There are definitely some occasinos where the locals can participate in certain casino games, but these are generally one-time events rather than established gambling venues. It is important to note, however, that while organising casino games without an appropriate licence is illegal, participating in casino gambling is not.

Online sports betting, online poker and online lottery are just as unregulated in kiribati as online casino gambling; there are no laws in Kiribati that would explicitly state the legal status of online gambling. This is first and foremost due to the fact that the country’s gambling laws were established in 1988-

Online sports betting and online poker both fit into the category of gaming not completely based on luck, which is allowed in Kiribati in accordance with the Gaming and Lotteries Act. Lottery, on the other hand, is completely based on luck, but is excluded from this rule. Even so, the general gaming laws of kiribati only allow low stakes, non-profit gambling.

As a result, there are currently no online gambling operators based in Kiribati; nor is there any way a for-profit online gambling operator could obtain a gambling licence under the Kiribati gaming law. However, due to the lack of specific online gambling regulations, Kiribati gamblers are actually free to play on unlicensed international online gambling sites with no repercussions. most international online poker, online sports betting and online lottery sites welcome players from Kiribati.