
Guide to the Legal Status of Online Gambling in the World (on the picture: the tropical roof garden of the Reef Hotel Casino in Australia)
Have you ever wondered whether online gambling is legal in your country? Or do you know how offshore online casinos operate? Have you ever wondered, why you can play in one online casino but not on another? Is cross-border online gambling even legal? Which online casinos I can play in legally?
If you ever wanted to know the answers to any of those questions you are at the right place!
Online gambling legality – Where can I play online?
Despite the vast size and continuous growth of the online gambling market the legal status of online gambling in most countries is not as clear as one would expect.
Many countries choose to boost their tourism sector and economy and try to benefit from the growth of the global gambling indsustry, and in others it is not only illegal for hundreds of years, but it is also considered a sin (most Muslim countries).
In this list I personally analyzed:
- the legal status of online casino gambling in all the countries of the world;
- the legal status of online bingo in all 194 countries recognized by the United Nations (including some disputed territories);
- the legal status of online poker globally;
- the legal status of online sports betting around the globe;
- the legal status of online lottery, keno and scratch cards in all the countries of the world.
UPDATE 2022: Info about the legal status of bitcoin gambling was added to every country (194 countries + 29 territories + all the US states).
The only purpose of this list – which took a year to make and it is updated constantly – is to help answer one, single question:
In which countries can a player legally play casino games, play bingo, place bets on sports, play poker, purchase lottery tickets online? (+ Bitcoin gambling) And which gambling websites accept players from which country.
Online gambling legal complexity
Many online players often worry about the legal status of online gambling in their country. To be more precise, we often worry whether we can get into any trouble for playing online or not.
Truth is, except for a few countries in the world (marked with red on the map, less than 5%), players gambling online have little to to worry about. But in these countries online gambling is illegal and players who place bets online can be prosecuted (typically a small fine, but in some of them even incarceration is possible, see the table below).
As a thumb rule, governments mostly penalize illegally operating gambling firms and rogue online gambling websites and not the players.
So is online gambling legal in my country? And which forms? Where can I play?
It is definitely not prosecuted if you are a playing online in the privacy of your own home (except for Cyprus, Poland, North Korea, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia).
However, online casinos all have different gambling licenses, which allow them to accept players from different countries. To find online gambling websites (casinos, bingo, poker, sportsbooks, lotteries, Bitcoin casinos) just find your country in the table click on the flag ,or the name of your country, and you will be taken to the country’s webpage. On that webpage you will find detailed information about the legal status of all forms of gambling and online gambling websites which accept players from that country.
UPDATE 2021: The interactive map was revamped and updated. It is now an entirely HTML 5 interactive map, which loads loads faster and it is mobile compatible. Some countries might be missing, they will be added over time. Thank you for understanding.

Interactive Online Gambling Map
Explanation:
BLUE – Online gambling is either legal or not regulated, players can freely play online (for a list of websites, where you can play online click on the flag of your country or its name in the table below)
YELLOW – Players, who place bets online are not actively prosecuted, but the legal environment is very hostile towards online gambling, we do not recommend playing from these locations (a few online casinos still accept people from these locations, click on the flag of the country or its name in the table below to see these websites)
RED – Online gambling is illegal and players are prosecuted, we definitely do not recommend playing online from these countries
Legal status of online gambling in Europe (+ Russia and Turkey)
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Country | Online casino gambling | Online Bingo | Online Poker | Online sports betting | Online lottery | Bitcoin gambling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | illegal, players are not prosecuted | not specifically regulated | |
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legal | legal | legal | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence |
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legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal | legal | legal | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
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illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | illegal, players are not prosecuted |
![]() Georgia |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | illegal |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence |
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legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
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illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
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not regulated | not regulated | not regulated | legal, requires licence | not regulated | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence |
![]() Italy |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal | illegal, players are not prosecuted |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence |
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gambling and online gambling are fully legal in Liberland; Europe’s libertarian micronation, however the territory is still very much disputed | |||||
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Luxembourg |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Macedonia |
legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | illegal, players are not prosecuted |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Moldova |
legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Monaco |
not regulated | not regulated | not regulated | not regulated | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Montenegro |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not regulated | not specifically regulated |
![]() Netherlands |
legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal | legal, requires licence | legal | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
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illegal, players are prosecuted | illegal, players are prosecuted | illegal, players are prosecuted | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Russia |
illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal | illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() San Marino |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
![]() Serbia |
legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Slovakia |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Slovenia |
legal | legal | not regulated | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Spain |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
![]() Sweden |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Switzerland |
legal, requires licence | legal | legal, requires licence | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Turkey |
illegal, players are prosecuted | illegal, players are prosecuted | illegal, players are prosecuted | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Ukraine |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
![]() United Kingdom |
legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence |
Legal status of online gambling in North America
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Country | Online casino gambling | Online Bingo | Online Poker | Online sports betting | Online lottery | Bitcoin gambling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted |
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not regulated | not regulated | not regulated | not regulated | not regulated | not regulated |
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In general gambling is legal in Canada, in many provinces even online gambling is legal and regulated. What is legal for you, depends on which province\territory you are located. First Nations reserves also have their own gambling, internet gambling laws in many cases. Click on the flag to the left or here to read about gambling laws in Canada, its provinces and First Nations reserves. | |||||
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illegal | illegal | illegal | illegal | illegal | illegal |
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legal | legal | legal | legal | legal | not specifically regulated |
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legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | legal, requires licence | not specifically regulated |
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illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | legal, requires licence | legal | not specifically regulated |
![]() Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
French overseas territory, French gambling laws apply, details guide coming soon | |||||
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illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | not specifically regulated |
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in general it is legal, but the domestic online gambling situation is complicated and depends on which state you are located in (click on the flag for information on all states and a list of gambling websites, which accept players from each state), foreign online gambling websites might be blocked, but players are not prosecuted | |||||
legal | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | illegal, players are not prosecuted | not specifically regulated |
Legal status of online gambling in Central America
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Legal status of online gambling in South America
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Legal status of online gambling in Asia
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Legal status of online gambling in the Middle East
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Legal status of online gambling in Africa
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Legal status of online gambling in Oceania
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Legal status of online gambling in Australia and New Zealand
Click on the flag or the name of the country for more information and a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from that country.
Explanation of the different online gambling legal statuses:
- legal: that specific form of online gambling is legal and regulated, and also, no license is required, you can freely play in any online casino, which accepts your registration
- not regulated: that specific form of online gambling is not regulated at all, or the law is too ambiguous to be applicable to that specific form
- legal, requires licence: that particular online gambling activity is legal and the operator must obtain a licence, this can mean a liberalized online gambling market, where private operators can apply for a license or this can mean a monopoly with only one licenced company (details can be found on the country’s webpage, click on the name or flag)
- illegal: that form of online gambling illegal, and for various reasons it is unknown, not possible to decide whether players are prosecuted or not at the moment
- illegal and players are not prosecuted: that specific form of online gambling is illegal in the country, but players are not prosecuted for various reasons
- illegal and players are prosecuted: that specific online betting activity is illegal and players are prosecuted
- unknown: no information could be found
Other:
The online lottery column includes other lottery type games, such as keno, scratch cards and raffles.
In general:
- The more undeveloped a country is, the more unregulated gambling and online gambling are (e.g.: in case of some African countries even regular, land based gambling is totally unregulated).
- In the West (North America, Europe) gambling and online gambling is more tolerated and more regulated in general than the East (China, India, Asia).
- In almost every Islamic country gambling and online gambling are illegal. But, interestingly, because gambling has been illegal for such a long time in these countries online gambling has often avoided the attention of the state and players who play online are not actively prosecuted.
- Despite claims to the contrary, Bitcoin gambling is also illegal in almost every country where online gambling is illegal.
Offshore online gambling legal issues
There are two big problems (or loopholes, depending on your perspective) of international; global online gambling.
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1., Countries only have jurisdictions within their own territories. Example: let’s say you play online in Hungary and place bets on a foreign online bookmaker.
If you are an average Hungarian citizen you probably do not know that it is in fact illegal*.
/*In Hungary all forms of online gambling are the monopoly of the state-run company Szerencsejáték Zrt. and placing bets on foreign online gambling websites is an offence punishable with a fine./
It’s illegal, but you could win € 100 K online and still nothing would happen. No single citizen has ever been prosecuted for online gambling in Hungary. There are numerous problems with prosecuting someone for gambling online in Hungary. Some of the issues:
- State surveillance of your online activity violates EU privacy rights (Hungary is a member of the EU), and without proof of your online gambling the state can not prosecute you.
- Restricting access to foreign online gambling operators violate the EU’s directive of online gambling market liberalization and harmonization. (For more info, go to the page
And many many more issues.
The big issue is that online casinos are registered in one country only. This country grants the online casino its gambling license. This lets the online casino accept players from many countries in the world. However, some of those countries try to protect their domestic online gambling market (often a state run monopoly) by requiring online casinos to also get a local gambling license and pay taxes locally as well.
In this case, which country’s laws should be enforced? What authority should enforce these laws (both countries have jurisdictions within their borders only!)? The answer to this is different for every single country (and super-national entities like the EU).
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2., Going after private online players cost more money for the states than it brings in.
Let’s not forget few very important things. States always ban online gambling either for:
- protectionism, protecting state monopoly (e.g.: online lottery in most countries)
- economic reasons (poor countries trying to avoid trade deficits)
- religious (Islamic countries)
- or political reason (Gambia’s recent total ban on all forms of gambling)
As you can see, except for the last two reasons, it’s always about the state wanting to make money or avoid losing more money. Therefore they attack, ban & block big gaming brands. But going after the players is costly and time consuming (the state would have to sue each of these individuals and the fines are usually very small). And it is also legally problematic (see above).
Therefore, only a handful of countries actively prosecute players, you can find these marked red on the interactive map on the top of the page.
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If you have any questions or you have something to add, just leave a comment below.
Last updated: 2023-02-15
Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer
Last Updated on 2023-02-15 by Simon
![]() That's me, Simon, thank you for visiting. I'm an independent gambling blogger since 2012. In this sector dominated by huge media companies, casino operators and online marketing networks, who can easily spend $ millions on their online gambling blogs, it's not easy for an independent nobody like me to survive. It took me about 6 years, working my ass off, to even have a chance to be noticed by visitors like you. I'm lucky enough that for a few years now, I make enough money to be able to do this full time (before that, I had part-time jobs, ghost writing gigs, online marketing this and that). Now I can finally do this full time, thanks to visitors like you! And it means a lot! If you are interested, please bookmark this site (no social media profiles, I no longer have any, but please feel free to share anything on any social media networks, if you still use them). I don't have any money to advertise, and if you have a personal blog, any social media profile, please mention my gambling blog and link back to it. This the only way for a small website like this to grow. Thank you! |
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Hello Simon!
First, congratulations on your Guide. Extremely helpful.
Regarding “Offshore online gambling legal issues”, when you say “legal, requires licence: that particular online gambling activity is legal and the operator must obtain a licence, this can mean a liberalized online gambling market, where private operators can apply for a license or this can mean a monopoly with only one licenced company (details can be found on the country’s webpage, click on the name or flag)” the licence the operator must obtain is at the country where the operator is located, not the country the operator “sells its services”, right?
That is to say if a operator is located in a country where Gambling is legal, and the operator has been licenced to operate online, it’s right to say the operator can operate online in almost every country around the globe (with a few exceptions, such as the 8 countries mencioned at your Guide + USA). Is that right?
I really need to know about this topic.
Appreciate your attention!
Best regards,
Daniel Faouakhiri
Thanks! Let me illustrate it using the UK’s system:
So, in order for an offshore online casino to accept players from the UK:
1., it needs to be an online casino already, which means registered somewhere with a valid gambling license,
2., then they have to apply for a local license at the UK Gambling Commision, so they can accept players from the UK.
If the company fulfills the long list of criteria, and agrees to the terms and conditions (and pays the taxes afterwards! – most importantly), then they can accept players from the UK, legally.
You might be wondering: Wait a minute! Why on earth does a legally operating foreign online casino with a valid license would need to acquire another local license?
Well, simple, the government of the UK (and every other country) want tax money, as much as possible. Before this, offshore casinos did not pay a single £ in taxes. The UK realized that the tremendous amount of purchasing power, and their liberal gambling laws make the UK market extremely valuable to offshore casinos (probably the most desirable gambling market in the entire world), so they can dictate the conditions. That’s why.
Online gambling websites without a license are blocked by the ISPs, the companies without a license can not advertise in the UK, and generally they try to make unlicensed operator’s life a a living hell, as much as possible. Not to mention, most offshore gambling license regulatory boards don’t let casinos accept players from the UK anymore. Hope this made it easier to understand.
Got it! That makes a lot of sense.
I was using UK Gambling Commision’s fees calculator and to run the business I intend to, fees are about £4.000 per annum. Isolated, it’s not a lot of money, but if you consider you might do the same thing for more than one country… then, money will be spent.
__________
Simon, is there any Guide where I can find information about from where to legally (valid gambling license) operate online gambling (lottery), taking in consideration fees and taxes issued by country’s Gaming Authority?
I’ve been looking for that, and Malta seems like a good idea.
Thanks again!
Glad I could help. There is no such guide to the best of my knowledge. This is the closest thing to it:
http://www.iclg.co.uk/compare?practice_area=gambling , but they only deal with a handful of countries, not all of them. And a lot of the stuff on the website is not free. I’m might do such a guide eventually, but no plans yet (it’s a lot of work).
If you – as you mentioned earlier – want to enter the UK gambling market, then your options are pretty limited. Only gambling licenses, which were “whitelisted” by the UK Gambling Commision are eligible for a licence in the UK:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitelisted_gambling_jurisdictions
I wholeheartedly recommend Alderney and Gibraltar, they are very reputable and most of the companies I partnered with are registered there. But I’m not sure if any of them issues a licence, that would cover lottery type games. Please check with them.
I would really appreciate if you would please hit the Google +1 button in return, it helps my website a lot, and if you have a blog, please mention and link back to this guide if you can, that also helps. Thanks a lot!
“Is it right to say the operator can operate online in almost every country around the globe (with a few exceptions, such as the 8 countries mencioned at your Guide + USA). Is that right?”
It’s much more than 8 (most of the yellow ones are state controlled, not every country is on the interactive map yet, the colours only tell you whether you can play from that country online – as a player). And it depends on the gambling license of the casino. The casino software provider, or the payment processor might also restrict the casino from accepting players from certain countries. And to make an already complicated issue even more complicated, some countries might choose to block the online casino regardless, even if the gambling license would allow it to accept players from the country. This is why I created this guide, so average players don’t have to know all this, they just simply click on the name of their country or the flag and they can pick from the online gambling websites that accepts them (and if they choose to, they can learn about it, after all, the information is there, just most people don’t read it :) – which is okay )
Indeed, all of that is complicated… but I got it. Thanks a lot! Very precise information.
Hi, is this actual?
Hi,
Please check the bottom of every webpage, there is a section “Last updated:” , it’s alway accurate up to that date (to the best of my knowledge, please let me know in the comments section if it’s not). Thanks for dropping by.
Hello Simon,
If someone decides to run online raffles (like the Dubai Airport Duty Free), from which countries should not accept players?
Depends on which country your company will be registered in, on the gambling license they provide.
Hello Simon
first thanks for your excellent guide. most of my question a similar to the ones asked by Daniel Faouakhiri, so your answers are valid me for as well.
However, I am also curious about the types of games one is allowed to offer. Lotto games seems to be exclusive to state-run offerings.
Have you encountered or know of any multi-number-draws or similar lotto-style games that can be offered legally?
thanks and all the best, Michael
Yes, in most countries, lottery, lottery-type games, raffles (excluding non-profit raffles), other type of lottery-style number games are a state monopoly. However, in most micronations and smaller countries, where the market is too small private investors and foreign companies are often allowed in (e.g.: Danske Spiel in Greenland, private lotteries can apply for a license in US Virgin Islands) but this is mostly on an invitation only, who’s who, strict B2B kind of thing with people/companies with ties to the local government, who are usally already active in the area.
If you are a private investor without the necessary B2B and political connections your best bet is to apply for an offshore gambling license that covers online lottery and start marketing it. In most countries, where lottery is a state monopoly accessing and playing in foreign online lotteries is not criminalized (mostly not regulated, outside of the country’s jurisdiction). So you can still start your own online lottery with an offshore company and with an offshore gambling license (it will cost a lot of money! – remember your company will always have to have enough money – from the start – to pay out the highest possible win, that’s one of the requirements of many reputable gambling license providers).
Hope this helps.
If you don’t have the necessary amount of money to start your own online lottery, you can become a lottery agent as well. I’m actually going to work with a few of them from 2017. They basically act as online platforms and resellers of the biggest legally operating, mostly state run lotteries (e.g.: Powerball, Euromillions) targeting players internationally. It’s a small but growing segment of the online gambling market.
Great Blog indeed, This information will surely give an advantage for starting online gaming business.
Thanks. Hope so ;) – but this is mostly for players.
Hi. If a gambling company is operating in the UK and you are able to place a bet in the US (as an example) is that gambling company eligible for a fine? If so, what is it?
A company can have multiple gambling licenses (an offshore online gambling license + many small local licenses they purchased for local markets), or it is done through a subsidiary. It is not that simple. Alss, it depends on what kind of payment method was used. However, what you can do is to check the website, see what kind of gambling license(s) they have, and you can message the license provider(s) about the suspicious behaviour. They will take care of it from there, that’s their job after all.
Dear Mr./Mrs.
I want to ask you about sport betting.
In which countries betting operators don’t need to be licensed in that country ?
For example, in Czech republic is new law since this year that obligates operators to be licensed in Czech… In earlier years they could operate “free” in Czech.
Do you have some summary or view in which countries you DONT HAVE TO BE LICENSED ?
Thank you very much for your time, appreciate that !
Best regards
Daniel Stastny
No, sorry. I don’t have such a list. Also, you can find more info about gambling and online gambling in the Czech Republic here, that might help.
Thanks Simon for your detaIled report,i reside in Mumbai, India. My citizenship is Indian .i wanted to run online bitcoin lottery business.. Can i run it without acquiring local lottery license for several months in beginning. Later once i get enough revenue i could buy license, but Until i dont own license.. Wil it be safe for me? if i host website on foreign server n domaiN. Will i be prosecuted? Waiting for ur reply. Thank u
The information is either already here, or you should post your question in the comments section of this webpage: Gambling, online gambling in India
What if you have a game similar to say Slotomania? It has slot machines in this game.
You don’t win real money just tokens inside the game, but you pay real money (in app purchases) for tokens. Do you have to have a gambling license?
It would be considered so called “social gambling” in about 90% of the countries, therefore no license is required. Speaking in general of course. One exemption I can remember from the top of my head is Turkey, where such websites are specifically illegal.
It is really helpful for me. Got it! That makes a lot of sense about gambling and online gambling.
Hi Simon,
first of all thanks for the helpful article.
I just wonder how the Onlinecasinos in general handle such scenarios where a valid CC card but the current Country of Residence of the Player is Blacklisted.
Currently I face the situation that I moved to an country which belongs to the red category and wonder about my withdrawal verification process.
I am not a citizen of that country and the credit card used is as well from a country where gambling is allowed.
Do you think the operator will decline the “proof of address” and therefore the withdrawel or even worse get me in legal trouble.
Best regards,
Mike
Sorry for the late reply, spam filter filtered this out. Your address and ID card is what matters not your credit card. Is your ID card from a country that is banned? Then no you won’t get your winnings. Is your ID card from a country that is allowed? Then yes you will get the money.
hello simon, first of all thank you for Detailed report, have you any information about Licence of the use of movie characters in slots or just famous heroes ?
No, I don’t have anything on those (and I have no intention of researching it, very few people would be interested in it) but I did notice that they are very restricted. In the terms and conditions of the casinos they are always mentioned separately with a huge list of restricted countries.
Simon,
Very helpful and informative report. Is it illegal for online casinos to accept monthly fees from members? I have heard that their money can only be made from player deposits, but I have had a very hard time confirming this. Maybe it varies by country? Thanks for taking the time.
Ryan
Which country? But no, in general, they can charge a membership fee, land-based casinos can ask visitors to pay an entrance fee too.
I am wondering if as I Canadian on holiday in the UK can I gamble online and collect winnings when I go home
It might be seen as suspicious activity, I wouldn’t risk it. (I assume the casino doesn’t accept players from the UK that’s why this is a problem, if it accepts people from Canada and the UK then it’s no problem whatsoever). Use a VPN and set it to Canada while in the UK that way there will be no issues, that’s my recommendation.
Hi Simon,
Thank you for this nice and very helpful website.
I kindly need sum guidance, all help is appreciated from anyone reading as well…thanks
I live in Jordan, I just can’t find a way to transfer (and then withdraw) funds to/from bookies sites. I have been trying for months now, I tried 3 different eWallets (Skrill, Neteller, and ecopayz), all of them have restrictions on transferring funds to gambling websites for those who reside in Jordan, (but they wont tell u before hand or on their terms and conditions section, you will only find out after you register and try transferring to a gambling site). I tried VISA debt card as well (as a last option) but still the transfers wont go thru (because of my local bank, and Central Bank, restrictions on such sites).
ANY suggestion……anybody?!! Its like going in cilrcles…:(
This belongs in the comments section the Jordan gambling page not here.
why do i need to disclose my source of income in the UK ??
You don’t, you are probably being scammed or are marked as a risk for money laundering, but its usually only if you are a high roller. Either way I wouldn’t trust it, just choose a different casino. Also, next time palase drop a comment at the UK gambling page instead of here…-
Hello,
Thanks for the fulfilled tables.
Could the empty ones be fullfilled as well ?
Is an update planned ?
Can we add a column for betting exchange? Because we can see country where online sport betting is legal but betting exchange (betfiar, betdaq, matchbook) illegal
Thanks in advance
Simon the information is very much interesting and detailed. Only one question can anybody from abroad can run this business in Europe while living in his own country and how?
Tnx for the list! That’s what I was looking for
Cool. I’m in the process of updating the whole thing right now. Most of the websites are 3-4 years old, but things don’t happen fast in the world of gambling laws and regulations. Aprrox. 80% of the info is still accurate. Hope you find it useful. I will fill out the rest of the map too in the coming weeks as time permits.
Thanks for the helpful site. Small comment – Israel is not in Africa. It is either part of the Middle East or Europe.
Yes, fixed it. You are right. Thank you. (It’s definitely not part of Europe though. Thant makes no sense.)
Hi Simon,
Thanks so much for this great mine of information!
QU: I want to set up a sportsbook/slots online company. I am looking at registering the company in Curacao (for speed) and in parallel applying for a UK licence so as to access the UK market. Does this sound sensible? And would the company have to pay tax twice (Curacao and UK) for any GGR generated in the UK?
Thanks v much in advance
If you eventually want to be active in the UK, you need a licence from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitelisted_gambling_jurisdictions
Otherwise you will have issues down the line, they definitely don’t like the Caribbean and Central American offshore tax havens.
Keep in mind that setting up and operating an online casino is not cheap, so make sure to have € 1+ million, otherwise you are going to just waste your money.
I have no idea about the taxation aspects, that’ beyond the scope of a gambling blog.
Btw. if you are thinking about getting into the online gambling sector why not start with an affiliate blog instead? Cheaper, less risk, and you would learn a lot about the industry in the process.
Most online casinos tend to fail, it’s a saturated sector, full of corruption, who’s who, knowing the right payment processors, spending big bucks on the right lawyers for their signature, it’ a disgusting industry that eats up newcomers, you will regret it. I warned you.
Good luck,
Simon
Hi Simon,
Great job you done with the lists.
In order to be a legal bookmaker you need : A jurisdiction, a License, a Company, a bank account, a payment system, a platform, a marketing company, customers and Luck.
Of these the payment system is the most critical and difficult, all else is easy in comparison.
Curacao and others will sell you a license that can’t be used to get a bank account anywhere I know of..
We have licenses in Africa since 10 years and work there. We are looking for a few other places , maybe the US ? Any ideas are welcome..
Yeah, payment systems are extremely difficult to deal with. I don’t talk about them in the guides on this website because companies treat them as closely guarded secrets so there is absolutely no information about them online (apart from general, basic info, but that does not apply to gambling companies, which are is a special situation).
The US is an extremely complicated and over regulated market. From what I see none of the companies who spend money on expanding into the US actually make a profit from it. They are in it for the “long-term” (operate at a loss , hoping that the regulation changes in their favour). Therefore, I certainly don’t recommend it.
Try looking into bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.