When you want to play online casino games, there are a whole bunch of different rules and regulations you need to look out for. Depending on where you live, online casino gaming may actually be entirely illegal or prohibited, while other countries have rules that forbid operators from running even online casinos if they’re domestic. It pays to be informed about the state of online gambling in your particular country, or in one you’re either looking to visit or relocate to, if this is something you’re interested in. Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to be aware of if you’re planning to get into online gambling soon.
European gambling laws are usually fairly relaxed
In most countries in Europe, online gambling laws tend to be reasonably relaxed. One of the most relaxed territories in the world is Switzerland, which recently lifted some restrictions surrounding online gambling, allowing operators to open new online gambling establishments within Swiss borders. That means if you’re in Switzerland and looking to play with an established platform like Betamo, you’re entirely within your rights to do so. Elsewhere in Europe, the picture looks similar, although countries like Germany do tend to have quite restrictive laws that prohibit online gambling, so make sure you know what you’re doing when you go.
The US situation isn’t what you might think
Given how hostile the US has previously seemed towards online casino gaming (if you don’t count Vegas, of course), you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s impossible to play online casino favourites there. However, this would be a misunderstanding of how the US works. Largely speaking, the US is federal, which means that while many states do forbid online gambling, others simply regulate the practice and allow operators to do business as long as they abide by certain rules and restrictions. Strictly speaking, however, it is illegal to operate an online casino anywhere in the US, which is why many American citizens look to overseas platforms if they’re looking to place bets.
China is a huge no-no
Not only is online gambling illegal in China, but Beijing is actually engaged in a drive to try and prevent Chinese nationals from playing gambling games while abroad. Beijing says that it’s attempting to stop websites appealing to Chinese tourists specifically on the grounds that they can gamble on those sites. Given that China has a fairly extensive and active VPN-driven black market on the internet, it’s not a stretch to imagine that there’s a lot of online casino gaming going on there. However, officially, Beijing’s stance remains completely, resolutely opposed to online casino gaming, so if you’re travelling to China, it’s best not to even entertain the notion.
The UK is online gambling’s number one market
Make no mistake about it: the United Kingdom is the premier destination if you’re looking to play some online casino games. In 2016/2017, the UK’s online casino gaming and sports betting markets racked up over £13 billion, and that figure is only looking more and more impressive as time goes on. This is thanks in part to a robust, thriving sports betting scene that’s as indelibly linked to the identity of the nation as pastimes like football or horse racing. British online casino gaming is truly the cream of the crop, too, so if you’re looking for somewhere to base yourself while you build an online casino gaming empire, you could do much worse than the UK.
Australia is an online casino gaming paradise
Have you ever heard the term “pokies”? It’s an Australian term, and it doesn’t mean what you might think it means. Contrary to intuition, it doesn’t refer to poker; rather, it’s a term that refers to slot machines, although the Australians do refer to them as “poker machines”, so there’s a grain of truth in the commonly-believed origin of the word. Given that Australia has some pretty hostile laws towards gambling operators, you’d think that not many Australians played online casino games, but that’s not the case; there’s nothing stopping an Australian citizen placing bets and playing online casino games, so there’s a lot of online casino gaming in the country.
The pandemic hasn’t hit online gambling too hard at all
You might think that with many major sporting events being cancelled, online gambling and sports betting might suffer. However, this isn’t the case at all. If anything, more people around the world are gambling online, driven by the pandemic to seek more indoors-oriented hobbies and pastimes. This means they’re reaching for their smartphones or their tablets and playing some online casino games rather than leaving the house and socialising as they would normally do. In some ways, the worldwide online casino gaming industry has been hit by the pandemic, but in others, it’s still extremely healthy and growing in most countries.
These are some of the things we think you need to look out for or know if you’re going to start your online casino gaming journey. What are some global trends regarding online casino gaming that you think we’ve missed? Where do you think is the best place in the world to get started when you’re looking to break into online casino gaming?
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