Gambling has been around for centuries. Its roots can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization, developed further in the Mesopotamian period. Even today, gambling enjoys great popularity and especially in the UK, casinos are very well received. Nevertheless, gambling is constantly in the crossfire and has to stand up to harsh criticism. Betting for money raises moral questions and can have health effects on people’s psyches.
In fact, around 430,000 people in the UK suffer from gambling addiction. For those affected, the fun of gambling has turned into an addiction that causes anxiety and helplessness when it is not satisfied. Moreover, such excessive behaviour leads to financial difficulties, which can result in personal insolvency. For this reason, many countries have chosen to impose a general ban on gambling. Other governments, however, do not want to put an end to this leisure activity and allow players to indulge in gambling in a legal way.
In the following article, we will give you an overview of the worldwide legal situation and show you in which countries, online casinos can be visited completely legally.
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Gambling Laws Across the World
Countries around the world have not been able to come to an agreement regarding gambling. Regulations vary from country to country. However, while the gambling landscape is complicated in itself, the situation worsens when it comes to online casinos. Handling digital providers has posed major challenges to state governments in recent years, and the regulations of individual resolutions are still unclear to many players.
A good example of the complexity of the issue, and the legal confusion, is the USA. Each state has its own regulations that are extremely difficult to understand and unclearly written. While some states allow gambling without restrictions, others have strict rules.
International Online Gambling Availability
First, it is important to understand that individuals do not need to worry about the regulation of online casinos. When participating in virtual gambling in a casino that is not legally permitted, players usually do not need to worry about legal consequences. The legislation is aimed at the site operators and companies behind the online casino. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to inform yourself about the legal situation of online casinos.
Would you like to learn more about the topic of “gambling”? Then take a look at https://www.casinomeister.com/. The portal was founded in 1998 and has been publishing regular articles about the gambling industry ever since. But now let’s get an overview of the availability of virtual gambling in different continents:
- North America: The American government has not been able to find a solution that was fair to each individual state. For this reason, each state has drafted laws for itself. However, these are written in such an incomprehensible way that it is difficult to put the regulations into practice. The situation is similar in Canada. The individual provinces follow the general legislation of the government, but implement the regulations with individual adaptations.
- Europe and the UK: In Europe, issues such as trade or transport are dealt with across countries. However, Europeans do not agree on the legal situation of gambling. Some countries authorize betting for money, whereas other countries take strict action against online gambling. In the UK, online betting is legal. However, anyone offering their services to British citizens must pass a Gambling Commission inspection and obtain their licence.
- Australia: Australia probably has the toughest gambling policy. Neither betting on live sports nor casino games are allowed. Betting on classic sports and lotto-style games is permitted.
- Asia: Asia is a very large continent with numerous countries. The individual governments have created individual laws.
- Africa: The legal situation with regard to online casinos is very sparse in Africa. There are only a handful of countries that have addressed the issue. South Africa, for example, is one of them.
- South America: Countries like Peru, Chile or Brazil have a very open approach to online gambling. There are few restrictions.
Countries where local Gaming Sites Require a Licence of the Local Regulator – Foreign Platforms can work without it
28 countries have no problem with foreign operators making gambling available to the population. Resident gambling operators need a legally valid licence:
- Armenia
- Greece
- Sweden
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Dominican Republic
- Norway
- Seychelles
- Monaco
- etc.
Countries where Gambling Websites must be Licensed by the Local Regulator
32 countries insist on a gambling licence: Finland, UK, Austria, Netherlands, France, etc.
Countries where Foreign Online Casinos are not Blocked
32 countries have a strict regime regarding online casinos: Local providers have no chance to offer their services to the national population. In contrast, foreign platforms are not prevented from offering online gambling. This could be because the states are not able or do not want to stop the international platforms. These countries include Brazil, Japan, Nigeria, Australia, Mexico, Singapore, New Zealand, etc.
Countries where the Gambling sites have no Restrictions
The majority of international countries are of the opinion that playing online should not be banned. 93 countries refrain from bans and also do not demand licences. This behaviour is mainly seen in African countries, but some countries on other continents do not mind gambling either:
Asia:
- Bangladesh
- Macau
- India
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Tajikistan
Europe:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Belarus
- Faroe Islands
- Gibraltar
- Kosovo
- Isle of Man
- Liechtenstein
- Malta
North America:
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Costa Rica
- Djibouti
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Nicaragua
- Saint Kitts and Levis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Turks and Caicos
South America:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Ecuador
- Guyana
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Oceania:
- Cook Islands
- Kiribati
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- Northern Marina Islands
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- East Timor
- Tonga
Advantages and Disadvantages of having Gambling Laws
The laws around gambling have light and dark sides.
Thanks to the legal requirements, the crime rate is lowered because gambling is carried out legally and with strict controls. Furthermore, the economy experiences an upswing, because jobs are created. In addition, gambling has been part of our culture since the beginning of mankind and should not be banned.
Gambling should not be taken lightly. It can lead to addiction and put gamblers in a difficult financial situation. Psychological consequences cannot be ruled out either. Legalizing gambling will entice people to bet who would normally have no interest in this activity.
