Each operator, developing an existing online gambling project or opening a new one, first of all, asks precisely this question: what markets to target? Where is online gambling freely permitted, and where is the licensing procedure required?
MOA Gaming has investigated this issue. Our analyst experts have compiled a list of countries where online gambling is currently allowed.
For convenience, the list is broken down by continent. It includes states where gambling sites’ activities are legally regulated and subject to specific requirements. This list of countries available for gambling also consists of those in which the actions of online casinos are not regulated in any way but are not prohibited either.
Table of Contents
Online casino availability in the world 2020
Depending on the various approaches to the regulation of gambling globally, all countries are sorted into four groups – based on the requirements for licensing online gambling.
Nations where foreign online casinos are not blocked:
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
Mexico
Cayman islands
Salvador
Australia
Brazil
American Samoa (formerly Eastern Samoa)
New Zealand
Guam
In these Nations, no legal requirements of the local regulator are applied to foreign gambling sites. A foreign gambling site can be licensed by any jurisdiction or even operate without it.
However, it should be noted that not all of these countries have legal gambling activities.
For example, in the Cayman Islands, betting is completely prohibited, and residents are criminally liable for gambling. The fact that online casinos are not blocked can only be explained by the fact that the regulator cannot implement this. And if gambling is not globally legalized in the legislation, blocking foreign gambling sites is only a matter of time.
Countries in which a local regulator must license a gambling site:
Ethiopia
Mayotte
Reunion Island Georgia
Sri Lanka Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Italy Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Spain
United Kingdom Antigua and Barbuda
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Panama
Saint Barthelemy (or Saint Barthelemy)
Saint Martin
American virgin islands
Falkland Islands
French Guiana
French Polynesia
New Caledonia
Wallis and Futuna
These countries use the most competent approach in the regulation of gambling activities. Every operator (whether it is local or foreign) must acquire a license following specific legal requirements. The conditions are equal for everyone. Only in this scenario, the gambling site has the right to absolutely legal activity. Otherwise, the online resource will be blocked.
In the following countries, a local regulator license is required for local gambling sites only. Foreign sites can work without it:
Comoros
The Gambia
Guinea
Mauritius
Rwanda
Seychelles
Armenia
Greece
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
As in the first group, no legal requirements from local authorities are applied to foreign sites in these countries. A foreign operator can have a license in any jurisdiction, and in some countries, it is not required to have it at all. However, all local operators must go through the licensing procedure with the regulator and pay taxes to the provincial treasury.
Regulation of the gambling business globally
Today virtually every nation has its own rules for regulating the betting industry. However, the scenario with online gambling is the most controversial. As you can see, in many states, the attitude towards local and foreign operators is fundamentally different.
For example, in the European Union, the activities of foreign gambling sites are subject to the requirements of the EU legislation, to which the countries belonging to it must comply. However, not all states agree that foreign operators do not pay taxes to the local treasury. Contrary to EU requirements, they re-subordinate foreign operators to their regulation rules, forcing them to obtain a local gambling license and pay tariffs to the provincial budget. This is what France, Germany, Italy do, for example.
The secondary reason for such a different attitude towards local and foreign operators is that many countries (especially those that are not too technologically advanced) simply do not have the sufficient instruments or resources to influence to prevent foreign companies from operating in their region.
The global availability of online gambling:
Thirty-two countries prohibit local operators from operating without a license. Still, those gambling sites that are run from abroad can safely offer their services to residents. Among them are the following countries: Seychelles, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.
Thirty-two countries allow all gambling sites to operate only under a local gambling license, such as Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, Netherlands, etc.
Twenty-eight countries ban residents from gambling and block the sites of local gambling operators. However, foreign sites can operate freely, even if they do not have a permit. The governments of these countries are either unable to prevent them or unwilling—for example, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, etc.
Ninety-three countries do not ban or license online casinos. These include the following countries: Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bahamas, Argentina, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Kosovo, Gibraltar, etc.