Online gambling isn’t allowed everywhere, and as gambling legislation is constantly changing, it’s necessary to keep a finger on the pulse of the market. Slotegrator outlines the legal status of gambling around the globe.
The legal status of the gambling industry is one the most important factors for entrepreneurs to consider when starting and expanding a business. Slotegrator has prepared a global list of countries where online gambling is legal today.
Countries can be sorted into four groups:
- Group 1: All gambling businesses must be licensed by the local regulator.
In this category, each operator (whether local or foreign) must acquire a license and fulfill certain legal requirements to offer its services in the country. These include providing player security, paying local taxes, and complying with advertisement regulations and other rules.
Africa: Mayotte, Reunion Island.
Asia: The Philippines (licensees may not accept locals), India, Georgia (land-based casino license required).
Europe: Austria (state monopoly), Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia (land-based casino license required), Denmark, Estonia, Finland (state monopoly), France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland (state monopoly), Romania, Spain, the UK, Gibraltar, Norway (state monopoly).
North America: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Panama, Virgin Islands, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
North America: the USA
Latin America: French Guiana, Argentina.
Oceania: French Polynesia, New Caledonia.
- Group 2: Local gambling businesses must be licensed by the local regulator, but foreign gambling businesses can accept players.
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 one at all. However, all local casino owners are required to undergo the local regulator’s licensing procedure and pay taxes to the local government.
Africa: Comoros, Gambia, Guinea, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles.
Asia: Armenia.
Europe: Greece, Hungary (state monopoly), Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland.
North America: Aruba, Canada, Curaçao, Dominica (licensees may not accept local players), Dominican Republic (licensees may not accept local players), Greenland.
Latin America: Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Suriname.
Oceania: Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
- Group 3: Foreign gambling businesses are not blocked.
Local regulators do not apply any legislative requirements in these countries. Foreign gambling sites can be licensed in any jurisdiction or generally operate without one. However, it should be noted that gambling is not necessarily legal in these countries.
Africa: Eritrea, Nigeria.
Asia: Azerbaijan, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan.
Europe: Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia, Monaco, San Marino, Belarus, Malta, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Nicaragua.
North America: Cayman Islands, El Salvador, Mexico, Saint-Barthélemy, Jamaica.
Latin America: Brazil, Martinique, Uruguay (state monopoly), Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago.
Oceania: American Samoa, Australia, Guam, New Zealand, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Cook Islands.
- Group 4: Gambling industry is not clearly regulated
This is a group of countries where online gambling, and often other verticals, is not regulated — it is not illegal in these countries, but there is no licensing process and no clear requirements.
Regulations either don’t exist or don’t specify rules for the iGaming industry.
Africa: Ethiopia, 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.
Asia: Bangladesh, Mongolia, Myanmar.
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Faroe Islands, Kosovo.
North America: The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, Saint-Martin.
Latin America: Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Falkland Islands.
Oceania: Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, East Timor, Tonga.
If you’re looking for a country and you don’t find it in the list above, that means it’s in the fifth category — online gambling is illegal.
It is always good to carry out detailed research before planning your operation. Slotegrator suggests an informative source to start with – a gambling regulations map. The goal of this interactive map is to give basic understanding of the regulatory background of each country — click on the map and see if land-based and online gambling and betting are allowed there.
In Slotegrator’s Academy special article you find more information about legal online gambling.
