From the time the first online casinos came into fruition in 1994, with the earliest Internet casinos known as “The Gambling Club,” these games over the World Wide Web have dramatically evolved. Nowadays, you can place your wagers in online casinos through cryptocurrencies. No need to withdraw money from your bank. Isn’t that amazing?

But, above and beyond those facts, the legal battle of online gambling still persists. It has been three decades since the first online casinos came about, but sadly, not yet every country in the world legally accepts these types of casinos. And it is understandable as the Bible itself warns against gambling activities.

So, in this article, we will take a look at which countries in the world are where online gambling is legal and where it isn’t. Let’s proceed.

Countries Where Internet Gambling Activities Are Legal And Regulated

We’re dividing this discussion into three significant sections. First, a listing of the countries where online gambling is legal, countries where it is not regulated, and places where it is illegal.

Several countries have an established organization or board laden with government authority, issuing licenses and setting regulations or rules. In markets where licenses are present, it is legal to run gambling games online, provided, of course, that the online gambling business complies with the conditions of the permit.

But note that players may only legally visit licensed websites in some of those markets. Otherwise, they are free to head over to both domestic and offshore sites.

Here’s a list of the countries where online gambling is legal and regulated as of the time of our research.

  • In North America, online gambling is legal and regulated in the United States, Canada, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Aruba, Dominica, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Panama, and Greenland. However, licensees in Dominica and the Dominican Republic may not accept local players.
  • In Europe, online gambling in the United Kingdom, France, Belarus, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Croatia, Bulgaria, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Ireland, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, Gibraltar, Spain, Latvia, Norway, Lithuania, Moldova, Macedonia, Portugal, Montenegro, Sweden, Slovenia, and Switzerland is legal and regulated. However, online gambling in Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Norway are under state monopoly. Furthermore, operators in Croatia need to have a land-based casino license to operate.
  • In Asia, the biggest continent in the world, it is interesting to note that only a few countries have online gambling activities legal, and there are even boundaries. These are India, the Philippines, Georgia, and Armenia. Licensees may not accept local players in the Philippines, while a land-based license is required in Georgia.
  • In Africa, online gambling activities are legal and regulated in Mayotte, Chad, Angola, Eswatini, Comoros, Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Guinea, Nigeria, Mauritius, Rwanda, Reunion Island, Seychelles, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe.
  • In South America, it is only in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, French Guiana, Venezuela, and Suriname where online gambling is legal and regulated.
  • In Oceania and the Pacific Islands, online gambling in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands are legal and regulated. Where is Australia, right?

Note: Fragmented Rules In The United States

Moreover and, however, the United States has fragmented rules and legal requirements, which means legal boundaries depend from state to state, rather than on a federal level. In other words, some states allow their players to gamble freely, others require a local gambling license to operate legally, and others do not require.

Also, laws concerning online gambling in the United States may be amended or changed.

What Countries Do Not Regulate Online Gambling?

What does this mean? Well, countries, where Internet gambling is neither legal nor illegal but rather unregulated, mean these places do not have a solid licensing process or precise rules for the activities. Yet, at the same time, these places also do not have laws in place that explicitly prohibit online gambling. Here’s the list.

  • In North America, you have Haiti, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Bermuda, Barbados, Guatemala, Grenada, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, and Saint-Martin.
  • In Europe, Kosovo, Andorra, and the Faroe Islands do not regulate online gambling.
  • In Asia, the sole country in this category is Mongolia.
  • In Africa, there’s quite a lot. Ethiopia, Botswana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Djibouti, Congo, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Liberia, Morocco, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique, Niger, South Sudan, São Tomé and Príncipe, Swaziland, Togo, Tanzania, Western Sahara, and Zambia do not regulate online gambling.
  • In South America, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guyana, and the Falkland Islands do not regulate online gambling.
  • In Oceania and the Pacific Islands, online gambling activities are unregulated in Palau, East Timor, Micronesia, Nauru, Kiribati, Northern Mariana Islands, Tonga, and Samoa.

Countries Where Online Gambling Is Illegal 

This third and last category consists of countries where online gambling is illegal. In most of these places, all online and land-based gambling forms are prohibited. Additionally, players who do not follow the laws may face persecution.

  • In North America, they are Puerto Rico, Cuba, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Turks and Caicos. Cuba and Puerto Rico are countries heavily influenced by Communism.
  • In Europe, Internet gambling is illegal in Russia, Iceland, Albania, and Cyprus.
  • In Asia and the Middle East, is it about the culture? But these countries ban online gambling: China, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Israel, Cambodia, Iran, Lebanon, North Korea, Myanmar, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Yemen, and Uzbekistan.
  • In Africa, online gambling in Egypt, South Africa, Libya, Somalia, Tunisia, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali are prohibited.
  • In South America, online gambling activities are banned in Chile, Uruguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
  • In Oceania, you cannot legally play online casinos in Australia and Tuvalu.

Conclusion

It is understandable that, despite the existence of online gambling for a few decades, it is still frowned upon in many countries. If done irresponsibly, Internet gambling can pose risks to the player’s well-being.

But, in some countries, they have gone a long way, allowing players to discover the joy of online gambling.