Countries where online casino & poker are regulated and legal

Many countries around the world have regulated online gambling, allowing poker, casino and sports betting on the internet. While some allow all types of gambling online, some only allow one or two of the above.

Today we’re going to highlight some of the countries where you can play legally under a local license. We’ll also show you the countries, also called “gray zones”, where you can play without breaking the law, but with no specific regulation in place.

But first, we’ll explain the concept of online casino licenses.

An online casino needs a license to operate

Online casinos are virtual properties that cater to audiences on the internet, but just as their offline counterparts, they are in need of a license to operate. Without a proper license, you can’t secure third-party games for your website.

To check what license a casino have you can check the footer of their website. This is usually where you will find all the information about licensed they hold, game providers they have in their casino lobby as well as information about what banking methods they offer.

Another way to check this is to use a guide that specializes in reviewing online casinos and present this information clearly without you having to look for it.

In the beginning of the online gambling era most casinos were international, and accepted registrations from players all around the world. This was possible by using offshore licenses for gambling in jurisdictions like Costa Rica and Curaçao.

As long as you had an offshore license you could legally accept players from all parts of the world.

However, the obvious problem with this system was that money flooded out from markets and none of it came back as tax revenue for the nations, which would have happened if their residents would have played at brick and mortar casinos instead of online.

If there is one thing all governments take seriously it’s the loss of tax revenue, and it did not take long for the first local casino license to be drafted.

Today many countries have regulated online gambling in some form, and more are following every year.

Countries about to regulate online gambling in the coming years

In 2020, we might see one or 2 US states regulate online gambling, but that’s probably it. No countries have regulations rolling out this year, but many are looking to regulate internet gaming during 2021 and in the years to come.

1. Netherlands - The Netherlands was going to regulate online gambling on the 1st of January, 2021. However, the KSA has since their first announcement postponed this date, and will regulate internet gaming on the 1st of July, 2021 instead. We would not be surprised if this date will be postponed even further.
2. Germany - There are loads of buzz about the regulation of one of Europe's biggest gambling markets. The German lawmakers have approved the regulation of their gaming industry, which will take place on the 1st of July, 2021, just like in the Netherlands. But first, the newly founded german gaming authority, the Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (shortened GlüNeuRStv, for obvious reasons) will need to be ratified by each state parliament and submitted to the EC for approval before it can be brought into effect. After the regulation in Germany is in effect players can expect limitations on deposits, bet sizes and more, which have been heavily criticized by industry experts.

Countries and states with regulated online gambling

Last but not least we will list some of the countries that have a regulatory framework in place for gambling on the internet.

1. The United Kingdom - The UK is a regulated market and licensed operators pay 21% tax based on gross gaming revenue.
2. New Jersey - the frontrunner in the US when it comes to legal sports betting, casino, lottery and poker. What’s interesting is that New Jersey has seen 20 consecutive months of growth when it comes to gross gaming revenue.
3. Pennsylvania - Together with New Jersey one of the few states in the US to allow almost all types of gambling.
4. Sweden - the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) is overseeing the swedish gaming industry and operators pay 18% tax on revenues.
5. Spain
6. France

Gray zones

As stated in the beginning of this article, there are so called “gray zones” which lack regulation, making online gaming “not illegal”. This means that players can play on international sites with offshore licenses without any issues.

Examples of countries without laws against online gambling are:

1. Canada
2. Finland
3. Japan
4. India
5. New Zealand