Top 7 Countries With the Most Lenient Online Gambling Laws

November 25, 2021 by Kate Leaman

World Online Gambling LawsGambling is a popular pastime all over the world, and people from every single country love it. Well, maybe only the people from the Vatican don’t. However, countless players from all other countries certainly do, which is why there are many gamblers worldwide and why gambling is such a big part of our civilization.

However, not all countries allow their citizens to spend their time this way. Some have strict laws that forbid all forms of gambling — in fact, as you likely already know, many Islamic countries are very strict with gambling, and most of them don’t tolerate any form of it as it’s against religious laws and their local traditions. On the other end of the spectrum, countries in South America are quite liberal and have nothing against their residents trying their luck this way.

Naturally, the majority of countries are somewhere in between, but in this piece, we wanted to focus on those places that have the most lenient online gambling laws.

Countries Which Are Soft On Online Gambling

As our experts are familiar with gambling laws in most countries of the world, we’ve managed to compile a list for you without too many difficulties.

Let’s take a closer look at these countries.

Finland

Finland is quite loose with most forms of online gambling, as the country allows its citizens to play most of the popular gambling games, from casino games to sports betting.

However, Finland doesn’t allow any unregulated gambling sites to operate in the country, and the government has effectively allowed four domestic agencies to obtain a monopoly over online gambling. The situation may change in the near future, but even if it does, the country will still allow most gambling forms, which will help it remain one of the countries with the least restrictive gambling laws.

All in all, at the moment, only RAY, Veikkaus Oy, Fintoto Oy and PAF are allowed to offer online gambling services to Finnish players. Each of the first three agencies deals with specific forms of online gambling, while PAF oversees online gambling in the Aland province.

Argentina

Argentina is a country that has always been quite gambling-friendly. There are no federal laws that regulate online gambling, but each of the 23 provinces has its own laws, most of which are quite favorable to the industry.

This is evident from the fact that the number of gambling parlors has reached 157, which is almost twice as many compared to 13 years ago. Back then, there were only 80. The exact number of gambling websites is unknown, but as the laws aren’t really strict, we can assume there are countless online casinos, sports betting sites, and more. Many among them operate within the country, while others are offshore.

All in all, Argentina seems to be a gambling haven, as the laws are lax, and the nation’s culture doesn’t frown upon this pastime. The country is undoubtedly the one with the least strict gambling laws on the entire continent.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria has made this list thanks to its progressive views on this industry. Namely, in 2008, the government officially legalized all forms of online gambling. Since then, Bulgaria has remained quite open to foreign software and gaming companies, despite the taxes that have been introduced for online gambling operators. Still, they have been lowered over time, which has resulted in an increasing number of companies joining the Bulgarian gambling market.

All things considered, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bulgaria reach the top of the European gambling industry in the next couple of years.

Colombia

Even though Argentina has the laxest gambling laws in South America, Colombia is still the only country on the continent that has managed to regulate the gambling market fully, while also remaining quite favorable to it.

The first gambling license was issued as late as 2017. Since then, experts have agreed that such lenient laws are bound to attract major players in the industry and allow the Colombian gambling market to become a competitive player on a global scale.

Still, people are entirely free to join offshore gambling sites, too, as the nation’s law does not disapprove of them either.

Malta

Malta is the most popular tax haven in Europe, right next to Gibraltar. More importantly, Malta has been offering one of the most respected online gambling licenses for quite some time, and the country has been at the forefront of the gambling industry for the past three decades.

Gibraltar also issues iGaming licenses. However, since it is not an independent country, it hasn’t been included in this article.

The laws in Malta are quite favorable, but they are still strict enough to ensure that players only get the best gambling sites. Consequently, no player in Malta has a reason to worry that a website licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority is not safe.

Peru

Peru has become one of the leaders in the online gambling industry, thanks to its straightforward regulations. Every operator can obtain a gambling license, as long as they adhere to several specific rules. What’s more, even foreign operators can obtain a license, which is not a common practice in most countries where gambling is legal. In fact, most of the leading international brands are working in Peru now, as the country has been issuing licenses since 2008.

As a result, Peru may sound like the best place for gambling operators, but the country is yet to fully legalize all forms of online gambling. Casino games are still not fully legal, but there are indications that they will become soon.

Spain

In 2011, Spain fully legalized online gambling, and ever since, it has been one of the busiest gambling locations in Europe. The country is quite large, with a population that can afford to gamble. So combined with the new laws, it has become one of the best gambling locations in the world.

Today, there are numerous gambling sites in Spain, as the country issues licenses to both domestic and foreign operators. As this whole market is still relatively new, we are yet to see what Spain can become in the world of online gambling. However, what we are 100% certain of is that the future of the gambling market is quite bright in this country.

Conclusion

So there you have it — the top seven nations with the least restrictive gambling laws in the world. Naturally, there are many more countries with relatively lax laws and highly developed online gambling markets. Still, in our professional opinion, these seven deserve to be at the forefront, for now at least.

We hope that more countries enter this list as time passes, as we can all benefit from regulated gambling markets that are not governed by unnecessarily strict laws.

Kate Leaman Author

Kate is our resident cryptocurrency expert, she will be guiding you through the rise of new digital coins as well as providing insights of what's to come and what to avoid going forward..

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