Simon’s Guide to Gambling and Casinos in Aruba

Casino gambling is legal in Aruba, and has a great tradition on the island state. Tourism accounts for about 84% of the country, due largely to the fact that the island is a popular destination for tourists looking to participate in gambling activities.*

Companies who wish to operate a casino in Aruba need to obtain a gambling license, and as land-based casinos may only be operated attached to a hotel. Casino operators are also required to have a hotel license.

Currently the island hosts 12 brick and mortar casinos, in which several forms of casino gambling are available. Games include, but are not limited to, baccarat, craps, blackjack, roulette, poker and slot machines. Most of the Aruban casinos are open from 11 am until the early morning, with the Crystal Casino in Oranjestad being the only one that is open 24 hours a day.

Locals are also allowed to visit these casinos, but are limited to 8 visits per month. However, this measure, aiming to prevent gambling addiction among the locals, does not seem to be strictly enforced. The legal age to enter casinos in Aruba is 18 years, and most of the casinos use US currency.

Online casino gambling is legal in Aruba, and while online casino operators need a license to provide services, the Aruban government is notoriously lax regarding the standards required to receive a license. The government has long since been criticised for opening the door for money laundering by failing to supervise online gambling operators.

As a result, Aruban online casino gambling platforms may be unsafe, and players are advised to utilise foreign casino gambling sites to satisfy their gambling needs. Several international casino gambling platforms are available in Dutch.

Bingo is legal in Aruba, although there are no dedicated Bingo halls on the island. Instead, Bingo games are available in most of the land-based casinos in Aruba, usually in the afternoon. Most famous for the Bingo games available is the Alhambra Hotel, hosting Bingo nights twice a week.

While most Arubans prefer live Bingo games, most of the online casino platforms also offer online Bingo games. Players from Aruba can register an account on most online Bingo websites.

Poker is legal in Aruba, and can be played in any of the country’s brick and mortar casinos. However, in some of the casinos the player base is very small, and games are not as lively as, say, in the Holiday Inn Casino.

The most popular Poker games are Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Caribbean stud. Caribbean stud Poker was, in fact, invented in (or possibly brought to, the games origins are not very well documented) here in 1987.

Aruba will be hosting one of the events of the Players Poker Championship in November 2015, a live Poker tour focusing on Poker tournaments in exotic tourist destinations. The event will be held at the Hilton Aruba Resort & Casino.

Online Poker is also legal in Aruba, with the government issuing licenses for online Poker sites as online casinos. Most Arubans, however, prefer either land-based Poker games or foreign online Poker platforms.

Sports betting is legal in Aruba. There are some dedicated betting shops in the country, but sports betting is also available at several of the brick and mortar casinos of the island. The most popular forms of sports betting in Aruba are wagering on football matches and on horse races.

Other betting options include American football, basketball, ice hockey and baseball. The most popular sports betting facility in Aruba is the Seaport Casino featuring 8 mega screens.

Online sports betting platforms based in Aruba require a license to operate, and may serve foreign players as well as Aruban residents. However, there have been reports of fraudulent Aruban sports betting sites, making it safer for local residents and foreign gamblers alike to choose foreign online sports betting platforms.

Lotto is legal in Aruba, and the country hosts several lottery operators as well as the Aruban national lottery, Lotto pa Deporte. The Lotto pa Deporte was founded in 1982, with the aim of providing financial support to physical and cultural education from its revenues. The Lotto pa Deporte offers several types of lottery games including Lotto 5, Big 4 and Catochi.

The lottery is not available for playing online, only at retailers throughout the country. Players looking to participate in online lottery may access offshore online lottery sites.

Bitcoin gambling is not specifically regulated in Aruba. Currently there are no Bitcoin casinos in Aruba, but locals may access offshore Bitcoin gambling platforms.

Bitcoin gambling is relatively new to Aruba, with very few people using Bitcoins in the country. The first company to accept Bitcoin payment – a restaurant offering Dutch pancakes – opened in 2014.