Is Online Casino Legal In Uk

Current UK Gambling Laws & Casino Legislation

  1. Is Online Casino Legal In Uk Now
  2. New Casino Uk
  3. Is Online Casino Legal In Uk Right Now
  4. Casino Legal States
  5. Why Are Casinos Legal

The current gambling laws in the UK are designed to control illegal gambling and better regulate theindustry to make it safer for gamblers to make bets. One area the laws focus on is protectionsfor children and vulnerable adults and that includes a minimum legal age for gambling andself-exclusion options for adults with gambling addiction.

What Is The Minimum Age To Gamble Legally In The UK?

All legal online gambling sites that deal with real money bets are subject to strict regulation in Great Britain and must hold a valid licence from the UK Gambling Commission. Only social casino games where players win virtual coins instead of real money don’t require a licence in order to operate. Online casinos in the UK are really popular in no small part because they’re fully-legal under most conditions. Since the government recognizes (and even licenses) online gaming venues as legitimate businesses, UK-based casinos and betting sites are more likely to be secure and reliable than sites aimed at a less-open market, such as the USA.

In the UK, you need to be at least 18 to gamble legally, whether that is online or live. Gaming establishments,including online casinos and sportsbooks, are legally obligated to confirm that customers are atleast 18 years old by requesting ID and, if necessary, other supporting documents.

One big exception to this rule includes lotteries, and some scratch cards, and football pools.The minimum gambling age in the UK for those is 16 years old.

How does it impact me?

There are serious consequences for failing to meet the gambling age in the UK, including denying you your winnings if they find out. Always make sure you’re old enough to be gambling in the UK. In most cases, that means being at least 18 years old.

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Before opening an online project, every operator primarily asks the question: what market to choose? Where can I operate freely, and where do I need to go through the licensing procedure?

Slotegrator examined this question. Our experts prepared a list of countries where online gambling operation is legal.

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To make it even more convenient, we sorted them by continents. It includes not only those countries subject to certain requirements and where online gambling is regulated by law. There are also those countries where online gambling is neither regulated nor prohibited.

Online gambling availability in the World 2021

Depending on different approaches to gambling regulation in the world, all countries are divided into 4 groups.

Countries where foreign online casinos are not blocked:

AfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
Eritrea
Nigeria
Azerbaijan
Brunei
Hong Kong
Japan
Kyrgyz Republic
Laos
Malaysia
Qatar
Singapore
Uzbekistan
Yemen
Cyprus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Czech Republic
Iceland
Luxembourg
Serbia
Slovakia
Cayman Islands
Salvador
Mexico
BrazilAmerican Samoa
Australia
Guam
New Zealand

The local regulators do not apply any legislative requirements in these countries. Foreign gambling sites can be licensed in any jurisdiction or generally operate without it.

However, it should be noted that gambling is not necessarily legal in these countries.

Learn more about the African gambling market and how to open an online casino in Africa.

For example, the Cayman Islands completely prohibit gambling, while the local residents are liable for participation in gambling. The fact that foreign online casinos are not blocked now can only be explained by the inability of regulator to do this. And if the online gambling is not legalized, blocking of foreign sites is just a matter of time.

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New Casino Uk

Countries where gambling websites must be licensed by the local regulator:

AfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
Ethiopia
Mayotte
Reunion Island
Georgia
Sri Lanka
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Spain
UK
Antigua and Barbuda
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Panama
Saint-Barthélemy
Saint-Martin
Virgin Islands (USA)
Falkland Islands
French Guiana
French Polynesia
New Caledonia
Wallis and Futuna Islands

These countries use the most competent approach to online gambling regulation. Each operator (whether it is local or foreign) must acquire a license and fulfill certain legal requirements. Conditions are equal for all. Everyone is obliged to pay taxes to the budget. Only in this case, the operator has the right to work legally. Otherwise, the online resource will be blocked.

The following countries require a license of the local regulator only for the local gaming sites. Foreign platforms can work without it:

AfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
Comoros
Gambia
Guinea
Mauritius
Rwanda
Seychelles
ArmeniaGreece
Hungary
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Monaco
Norway
Montenegro
Portugal
San Marino
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
Aruba
Belize
Canada
Curacao
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Greenland
-Fiji
Vanuatu
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As in the first group, these countries do not apply any legal requirements to foreign sites. A foreign operator may be licensed in any jurisdiction and, in some countries operate without it at all. However, all local casino owners are required to undergo the licensing procedure of the local regulator and to pay taxes to the local treasury.

Slotegrator offers licenses for legal operation in different markets. We help to obtain gambling licenses from Curacao, Malta, Isle of Man, Kahnawake, Belize, Gibraltar, and Alderney.

The following countries have no restrictions for the gambling sites at all:

AfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
DR Congo
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Côte d'Ivoire
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Western Sahara
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Bangladesh
Macau
India
Mongolia
Myanmar
Tajikistan
Albania
Andorra
Belarus
Faroe Islands
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Kosovo
Liechtenstein
Malta

Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
Costa Rica
Djibouti
Grenada
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Nicaragua
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Turks and Caicos
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela
Cook Islands
Kiribati
Micronesia
Nauru
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
East Timor
Tonga

This is the largest group of countries. Many of them do not regulate gambling activities at all.

Online gambling laws around the world

Today almost every country has its own rules regulating the land-based gambling. However, the situation with online gambling is more ambiguous. As can be seen, the attitude towards local and foreign operators differs fundamentally from country to country.

In the European Union, for example, the operators of the foreign gambling sites are subject to the requirements of the EU law. However, not all countries agree that foreign operators don’t pay taxes to the local treasury. Contrary to the requirements of the EU, they put the foreign operators under own regulations forcing them to obtain a local gaming license and pay taxes to the local budget. Among these countries France, Germany, Italy, etc.

The second reason for the different attitudes to local and foreign operators is that many countries (especially those not technologically advanced) simply do not have the resources or tools to prevent foreign companies from operating in their territories.

Follow the Ukrainian gambling industry legalization and development. Find more about the legaization process, roles of gambling lottery commission and how to start your own casino in Ukraine.

Summing up the availability of online gambling around the world:

  • 32 countries prohibit the local operators from working without a license, but those gambling sites that operate from abroad can easily offer their services to local residents. Among them, the following countries: Seychelles, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.
  • 32 countries allow online gambling only with the local license. For example, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, the Netherlands etc.
  • 28 countries prohibit locals from gambling and block sites of local gambling operators. However, foreign platforms can work freely, even if they have no license. These states are either unwilling or are not able to prevent them. For example, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, etc.
  • 93 countries do not prohibit online casinos and do not license them. They include Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bahamas, Argentina, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Kosovo, Gibraltar, etc.

Slotegrator offers everything gambling operators need to launch and expand online casino and sportsbook projects. The company offers a wide range of products, including White Label online casino and sportsbook platform development, game content, betting data feeds and payment systems integration. Slotegrator also provides legal consultancy and administrative assistance for gambling license acquisition and regulatory compliance.