Online gambling is popular all over the world but it’s actually only regulated in a few countries. The laws in these regulated markets vary and can be somewhat complicated, which is why our friends over at Sister-Sites.co.uk have decided to explain the ins and outs of Europe?s regulated gambling markets.
UK
Although the UK may have finalised Brexit, it’s located within Europe. The country has a huge gambling market which is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. Similarly to Sweden, the Commission grants gambling firms licenses to operate in the country which can only be obtained by meeting a strict set of rules and regulations.
Sports betting, traditional casino games, lotteries, and bingo are all legal in the UK. Although customers themselves do not pay taxes on casino winnings, operators are required by the Commission to pay tax on bets placed by customers. There are hundreds of online casinos and thousands of sister sites in the UK but some of the most popular right now include PlayOJO, PlayFrank, Genesis Casino, 888 Casino, Videoslots, and so many others.
Portugal
Online gambling is completely regulated in Portugal. The country has split gambling into three main categories; games of chance, betting, and lotteries. The games of chance cover general casino games such as video slots, table games, poker, and bingo, and all are regulated by the country’s Servico de Regulacao e Inspecao de Jogos of Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ).
Betting covers fixed-odds betting, pari-mutuel sports betting, sports and horse race betting, and fantasy betting. The SRIJ regulates fixed-odds, horse, and sports betting while pari-mutuel betting activities are regulated by Santa Casa de Misericordia de Lisboa (SCML). Fantasy betting is currently unregulated in the country. Finally, lotteries are all regulated by SCML but are subject to supervision from the social security ministry.
Casino winnings in Portugal are not taxed but the country’s high tax rates have prevented many gambling firms from operating in the jurisdiction. Still, there are dozens of popular online casino websites including Bet.pt, Karamba Casino, Casino Portugal, Estoril Sol Casinos, Luckia, and many more.
Denmark
Denmark’s gambling industry is completely regulated and has been since 2012 when the country’s Gambling Act was signed into law. Spyllemindigheden is the firm that regulates all gambling services in the country. Casinos, both brick-and-mortar and online, looking to offer services to customers in the region must possess a license from the country’s regulator.
The games currently accepted in Denmark include casino games, betting, lotteries, horse, dog, and even Pigeon racing. Casino winnings in Denmark are not taxed but large lottery winnings are. Spyllemindigheden has actively been blacklisting dozens of online gambling websites which do not currently hold Danish gambling licenses. Although this limits the number of gambling websites available, users can still enjoy Casino.dk, Betsafe, PlayMillion, 888 Casino, Play Amo, PlayOJO, and more.
Sweden
Gambling is hugely popular in Sweden and it’s completely licensed and regulated within the country by the Swedish Gambling Authority. The regulator grants gambling licenses to various firms wishing to operate within the country. Right now, some of the casinos to possess a Swedish gambling license include Casino Room, Playzee, Miami Dice, Dream Jackpot, Kaboo Casino, Snabbis Casino, Lanadas Casino, and many more. Like in most other European countries on this list, casino winnings in Sweden are not taxed.
There are still many jurisdictions within Europe and the rest of the world that still have not legalised gambling, but we believe it’s only a matter of time before rules are changed…
