One of the first decisions an online casino operator must make is the choice of target market.
There are a number of factors that influence market selection, such as the operator’s experience, market size and potential revenue growth, language and player preferences. However, the most important factor will be regulation, the status of gambling industry legislation and the licensing procedure.
Every year the regulation of gaming in the world changes.
A brief overview of gambling laws Each country treats gambling differently depending on the economy, culture, legal system and political circumstances. Old and new laws come and go all over the world, so it is important to know how they have changed before making decisions to avoid breaking the laws of a particular country. We currently have the following data:
There are 79 regulated markets governing online gambling. Some of them allow players to visit offshore websites, while others do not. The UK, Sweden and Armenia are examples of regulated markets.
46 countries are not regulated. These countries do not ban online casinos, but they do issue licenses and do not set rules. A lot of them allow players to use offshore platforms.
Forty prohibited markets. On the other hand, some countries allow players to play on offshore gambling platforms (or don’t even bother chasing them), while others penalize players who have been seen playing on such platforms.
Our experts have compiled a list of countries where it is legal to play at online casinos today. We have divided the countries into categories and continents to make it even clearer. We found three groups:
- States that regulate online gambling;
- states that do not regulate online gambling;
- and states that prohibit online gambling
When we say “regulates” online gambling, we mean that the country has passed a law that allows online casino operators to obtain a license. Players in some countries are also able to access websites set up in other countries.
The fact that a country “does not regulate” online gambling means that this country does not have any regulations governing this type of activity. Although there are no regulations, it is not technically illegal.
When a country “bans” gambling, it means that it has passed laws that prohibit online gambling. However, players in some of these countries are still allowed to play at online casinos based outside of their jurisdiction. It is simply forbidden to establish online casinos within their jurisdiction.