The infolaw Partner Showcase

Asia-Pacific

If you offer any kind of online gambling, you need to be a registered organization and comply with at least one jurisdiction. This is the main reason why you need to acquire an online gambling license in Asian countries.

Cyprus

The 2012 Betting Law governs most Cypriot gambling. Slot and other terminal-based gaming is permitted, up to a maximum of 50 machines, but under 2015’s Casino Law land-based table games are allowed at the single casino, the Melco Cyprus Resort, whose completion is expected in 2019. Sportsbetting is the only form of gambling allowed online.

1. USA

   In the USA it is sometimes a question of who is in charge of online gambling laws especially since a few acts are under re-evaluation in 2017.

   The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), states that accepting money from the player by gambling sites are illegal and the UIGEA prevents financial institutions from taking monies from online casinos, although it does not preclude individuals from depositing. In 2015 the Restoration Of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) was reintroduced to rewrite the 1961 Federal Wire Act. Currently, it outlaws online sports betting not online gambling. Once revised and accepted most forms of online gambling will be banned even though the act targets online casinos and not individual players.

   Currently, online gambling is legal in three USA states including Delaware, New Jersey, and Nevada, and the age limit of 21 corresponds to that of land-based casinos. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission allows players to legally place online sports bets at sites licensed by the commission in New Jersey and Delaware. The Nevada Gaming Commission allows players to take part in sportsbetting at sites controlled and authorized by the commission. It is expected that the Silver State will soon legalize all casino gambling, opening up more the possibility of more online operators accepting players from the USA.

   States With Legal Online Gambling

   States were prohibited from legalizing and regulating online gambling up until 2011 due to the Federal Wire Act previously being interpreted as applying to all forms of gambling.

   That changed after lottery officials in New York and Illinois asked the Department of Justice to issue guidance regarding their wishes to begin selling online lottery tickets.

   The Department of Justice issued a memorandum in 2011 stating that it has reinterpreted the Wire Act as only applying to sports betting. Although the original request from Illinois and New York was related to online lotteries, the Justice Department’s interpretation opened the door to most forms of online gambling.

   Several states have since jumped on the opportunity to legalize, regulate and tax online casino games and poker. States where online casino games, online poker or both are legal include:

   • Connecticut
   • Delaware
   • Michigan
   • Nevada
   • New Jersey
   • Pennsylvania
   • West Virginia

   Current UK Gambling Laws & Casino Legislation

   The current gambling laws in the UK are designed to control illegal gambling and better regulate theindustry to make it safer for gamblers to make bets. One area the laws focus on is protectionsfor children and vulnerable adults and that includes a minimum legal age for gambling andself-exclusion options for adults with gambling addiction.

   What Is The Minimum Age To Gamble Legally In The UK?

   In the UK, you need to be at least 18 to gamble legally, whether that is online or live. Gaming establishments,including online casinos and sportsbooks, are legally obligated to confirm that customers are atleast 18 years old by requesting ID and, if necessary, other supporting documents.

   One big exception to this rule includes lotteries, and some scratch cards, and football pools.The minimum gambling age in the UK for those is 16 years old.

   How does it impact me?

   There are serious consequences for failing to meet the gambling age in the UK, including denying you your winnings if they find out. Always make sure you’re old enough to be gambling in the UK. In most cases, that means being at least 18 years old.

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   Factoid

   Casino Nights under the Gambling Act 2005

   Casino gaming includes games like roulette and blackjack where players compete against the "house" or a banker, rather than against one another on equal terms.

   Kentucky

   

   West Virginia

   • Market Launch: July 2020

   West Virginia OK’d online casinos in March 2019, with Governor Jim Justice, the owner of an in-state casino himself, allowing the bill to become law. Like in Pennsylvania, it wasn’t exactly an expedited rollout. Online casino-goers had to wait until July 2020 for DraftKings Casino to officially open the market. A month later, BetMGM, in conjunction with The Greenbrier (Gov. Justice’s property), joined the fray.

   Each of the five brick-and-mortar casinos in the state of West Virginia is eligible to hold an online casino license and can host up to three skins a piece. This leaves space for up to fifteen iCasinos in the Mountain State. It may take some time for each slot to fill, but rest assured, WV gamblers will have options.

   Tennessee

   

   South Dakota

   

   States with Legal Online Lotteries

   The authorization of online lottery products predates sports betting and online poker and casino by several years, with an important caveat: The first online lotteries were subscription-based. Online lotteries that sell single tickets, and in some cases, online instant win games, appeared alongside poker and casino legalization in 2012/2013.

   More than a dozen states have legal online lottery sales to some degree. Some states now sell a full range of lottery products online, including access to instant win games and keno along with tickets to all drawing games. Other states limit online purchases to subscriptions for draw games.

   Interestingly, it was the push to legalizing online lotteries that led to states gaining the authority to regulate online casino games and poker as well. In 2009, lottery officials from Illinois and New York requested an opinion from the Department of Justice on whether or not their plans to legalize online lottery sales would violate the Federal Wire Act.

   The DOJ responded with an opinion in 2011 that had implications well beyond the legality of online lotteries. In the opinion, the DOJ explained that it interprets the Wire Act as only applying to wagers on “sporting events or contests.” This not only cleared the way for online lotteries, but also for online poker and casino sites.

   Readers can learn more about the legal lottery situation in each state here:

   • Legal Online Lotteries in the USA

   Wild Casino – The Best Mobile-Friendly Casino in Georgia

   This giant casino’s mobile-friendliness is far from the only feature that prompted us to add it to our top five list. Wild Casino is a great choice for professional gamblers and new players alike.

   Although it launched in 2017, Wild Casino boasts a decades-long history. The Panama-based site is operated by Commission.bz, which has existed in the online gambling industry since 1991.

   Wild Casino provides a premium mobile casino gaming experience to Georgia customers. More than half of the site’s players prefer to gamble on their mobile devices. Interestingly, Wild Casino doesn’t offer a dedicated and downloadable mobile casino app. Still, its mobile casino is highly efficient and includes most of the games available through the desktop version.

   Georgia Lottery

   The Georgia Lottery currently operates around 8,600 retail locations throughout the state. Aside from purchasing lottery tickets from one of those facilities, residents can also play the Georgia Lottery online on both desktop and mobile. Georgia is among only a few states that allow the online sale of lottery tickets.

   You can play different lottery games, including the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions, in addition to some online-only scratchers.

   Best Online Sportsbook and Casino

   This popular site is the best two-in-one online sportsbook and casino for Georgia players who expect want as many options as possible under one roof. Our experts selected BetUS for its premium online sports wagering platform that offers updated odds and the widest coverage of almost every sport played globally. Whether you want to bet on the NFL, NBA, March Madness, table tennis, or snooker, BetUS has you covered.

   What Is Legal Gambling?

   In the United States, gambling is regulated by both the Federal government and by individual state governments. Although state laws regarding gambling vary from state to state, there are federal laws that prohibit certain forms of gambling in every state. Importantly, when the Federal government prohibits certain forms of gambling, the states must abide by the federal laws, as the regulations of the federal government will trump the state laws. However, many states have some forms of legal gambling.

   Although the exact legal definition for gambling may differ by state, typically a person engages in gambling if they risk something of value upon the outcome of a game of chance or an understanding that they will receive something of value in the event of a specified outcome. It is important to note that gambling excludes business transactions based on the law of contracts, such as the purchase of stocks, securities, the purchase of life insurance, or the purchase of health or accident insurance.

   Legally gambling will be defined by a state’s statutes, and what is considered to be legal gambling will be specifically referenced. For example, in Nevada, many forms of gambling are considered legal through specific mention in the state’s statutes, whereas other states may consider the same form of gambling illegal. One of the most common forms of legal gambling in the United States is state lottery systems.

   Outside of specifically referencing what activity is considered to be legal gambling, states will also typically put an age restriction on persons allowed to participate in the act of gambling. In most states it is illegal for minors to gamble or play games of chance, including betting on professional or college sports, participating in poker games, and betting on school sports.

   Most states require that an individual be at least over the age of majority to participate in the act of gambling. Some states require that an individual be over the age of 21 to gamble, while other states only require that an individual be over the age of 18.

   1. Rigged Games

   Legal online casinos need to have all games approved by their governing body. No unapproved, unaudited games are allowed on the legal sites and apps.

   The same is not true for illegal online casinos. There’s nothing stopping these (largely unregulated) sites from, for example, claiming that a game has a return to player (RTP) percentage of 98% – even if the game’s true RTP is closer to 70%.

   Some offshore auditing companies do exist, and a few are legitimate. But just because eCOGRA or iTech Labs audited the website once doesn’t mean the games remain random and fair.

   That lack of oversight means players just have to take the online casino’s word, which is nowhere near good enough.

   Conclusion

   Gambling laws have come a long way from the days of King Henry VIII, accommodating areas around betting and casino game operation. Constant review of the law by the Gambling Commission ensures that both patrons and businesses can look forward to progress on the legislation of the industry.

   Image cc-by Hloom Templates on Flickr.

   Each jurisdiction in the world sets a different legal gambling age. Yet, because there are so many places around the world and in the United States where you can gamble, the question “How old do you have to be to go to casino and gamble?” keeps cropping up.

   To help you find out more about the gambling age in your jurisdiction, we have put together a comprehensive guide to the gambling age by state in the USA as well as other popular gambling hubs around the world.

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   A step-by-step guide: Gamble online with a VPN

   For the sake of transparency and understanding how this process works, we’ve listed the steps people commonly take to gamble online with a VPN below.

   1. They subscribe to a VPN for sports betting or online casinos. Some of the best-known providers people use are NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN.
   2. They download and install the VPN. VPNs can be installed on a computer, or you can download a mobile app of most premium VPNs.
   3. They look for a VPN server in a country that hosts the website they want to unblock. For example, those who are using a VPN for Roobet access will need to choose a VPN server in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, or Uruguay.
   4. They visit the gambling website of their choice.

   By connecting to a VPN server, users change their IP address. For example, when a user based in the U.S. changes their IP address to a Brazilian IP, they should be able to access the Roobet website without being blocked.

   Can my friends and I play cards for money in Florida?

   Yes, as long as you keep the pot small.

   Gambling for big bucks in games of chance at unlicensed locations, such as your kitchen table, are a second-degree misdemeanor. But the state does allow penny-ante games. Penny-ante games are defined as "a game or series of games of poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, or mah-jongg in which the winnings of any player in a single round, hand, or game do not exceed $10 in value."

   Also, the person running the game can't charge for it and the game must be held in a home owned or rented by one of the players, or the common recreational area of a college dormitory or a publicly-owned center.

   Poland

Like several other European Union member states land-based and online gambling have historically been legal in Poland but controlled by strict government monopoly and gambling with offshore operators technically permitted but unregulated. The 2009 Act on Gambling has seen several amendments to bring it into line with European Union principles.

New regulations for online gambling were enacted on 1 April 2017, requiring international operators to apply for sports betting licences. All other online gambling and casino games are legally provided by the country’s designated gambling monopoly only.

These 8 countries all have strict anti-gambling policies in place and it advisable that locals and visitors do not challenge them in any way.

Sources:

https://simonsblogpark.com/onlinegambling/simons-guide-gambling-north-korea-casino/

https://simonsblogpark.com/onlinegambling/simons-gambling-online-casino-guide-cyprus/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_in_Cambodia

https://simonsblogpark.com/onlinegambling/simons-guide-gambling-in-poland/

https://simonsblogpark.com/onlinegambling/simons-guide-to-gambling-in-the-united-arab-emirates/

https://signon.thomsonreuters.com/v2?culture=en-GB&productid=PLCUK&returnto=https%3A%2F%2Fuk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com%2FCosi%2FSignOn%3FredirectTo%3D%252f4-636-0616%253ftransitionType%253dDefault%2526contextData%253d%28sc.Default%29%2526firstPage%253dtrue&tracetoken=0201182308410yQsL6UW33wIpc0XvPl4iIM9tHJaVZT-OoMGnbgV-4veczz-3kbSv7_yyPWcwQ2FPBo0VtAhWUGdmOGgjix0vY68rYL6JoS8G9RrpkabswrV_Sw8-2OzUk31UNqPeb133DQmNN5r21V8s6gU_-TWf_OYZ9tbdX1qmBjEHizzaPPYtuJnLgHNleDTqJAIlp6luT0gmtj1oRDHU6dT1shtcYj5I58yzAfxpjeWjuUcnijlGID8lKgicpWgw2wpg4uycmteWZo9a3-Tkk4zOzWXSWQ6vMnM9PTT-N3uLvygURJrL0lReh5GuLeeXbZxLB-hK7Vw55cAjaAcxgHbs3W3twA&lr=0

https://www.forbes.com/sites/outofasia/2017/10/03/the-odds-and-perils-of-gambling-successfully-on-japans-new-casinos/#3d93d9747a69

https://www.gambling.com/laws

http://www.casinonewsdaily.com/2017/06/12/poland-purges-online-gambling-market-illegal-operations-growing-blacklist/

https://www.gamblingsites.com/online-gambling-jurisdictions/japan/

https://www.gamblingsites.com/online-gambling-jurisdictions/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_gambling#Legal_status

Apply to the Gambling Commission for a personal gambling licence or a gambling operating licence if you run or manage a gambling business.

The Gambling Commission regulates arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, gaming machine providers, gambling software providers, lottery operators, external lottery managers and remote gambling (online and by phone) that use British-based equipment.

Gambling Commission is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

Solicitors.guru, in cooperation with CasinoValley online casino experts, analysed some of the critical UK Gambling Laws, as well as the best legal UK online casinos list.

With so many generous bonuses and promotions on offer to choose from, including no deposit options, how can you be sure that you have picked the right one? Most importantly, you should choose a legal and fully licensed UK online casino.

The requirements of the UK Gambling Commission were also taken into consideration in this analysis. As a result, we present you the list that should answer the million-dollar question – what are the best online casinos in the UK?