Before launching an iGaming program, the first question that comes to every gambling platform's mind is: is iGaming legal in this country or region? Or is it a gray market? Or are all kinds of betting prohibited? How free is the iGaming market? And so on. For the betting platform, these questions are actually very important because the attitude of a market authority towards it will be different in the various strategies adopted in the operation of the betting platform. Therefore, the operators must be very careful when choosing the target market.

At the same time, this is also the direction of our white label iGaming companies. After all, where the betting platform's target market direction is, the white label iGaming company will also follow it to where it is. As a white label iGaming company, we also provide high-quality services to gaming platforms and offer a full range of solutions for the gaming industry. Therefore, we are actually aligned with the iGaming platform when we choose our target markets.

In order to better understand the iGaming market in each country or region, we have prepared a list of countries and regions where iGaming is legal. This list includes countries subject to specific requirements and countries where iGaming is regulated by law. Countries or regions where iGaming is neither regulated nor prohibited are also included. We believe this list will help you better understand the characteristics and potential of each market.

If you are considering entering or launching a new iGaming platform or would like to learn more about the iGaming industry, please feel free to contact us. OCMS will provide you with the most professional advice and service.

Countries and regions where iGaming is not strictly blocked in 2023:

All countries and regions are divided into 4 groups based on the different ways of regulating gambling in the world.

Countries that have not yet blocked foreign iGaming sites on a wide scale

Africa:Eritrea, Nigeria

Asia:Azerbaijan, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Philippines, Malaysia

Europe:Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia

North America:Cayman Islands, El Salvador, Mexico

South America:Brazil

Oceania:American Samoa, Australia, Guam, New Zealand

Note: Gaming is not necessarily legal in the following countries. For example, gambling is completely banned in the Cayman Islands and Brunei, and local people will be held legally responsible for participating in gambling.

Currently, foreign iGaming platforms are not completely blocked in these countries, which may mean that regulators are not yet fully committed to cracking down on iGaming. Therefore, it remains to be seen if they will be blocked as local policies change.

Countries and regions that only require local betting sites to be licensed by the local regulator in 2023. However, foreign betting platforms do not require:

Africa:Comoros, Gambia, Guinea, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles

Asia:Armenia, Philippines

Europe:Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland

North America:Aruba, Belize, Canada, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Greenland

South America:None

Oceania:Fiji, Vanuatu

As with the previous example, these countries/regions do not impose much regulation on foreign gaming sites for the time being, nor do they have explicit regulatory requirements for iGaming. However, all offline casinos must be licensed with the local regulator and pay taxes.

Countries and regions where iGaming sites must be licensed by local regulators in 2023:

Africa:Ethiopia, Mayotte, Reunion Island

Asia:Sri Lanka

Europe:Georgia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom

North America:Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Panama, St. Barthélemy, St. Martin, Virgin Islands

South America:Falkland Islands, French Guiana

Oceania:French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Islands

Each of these countries and regions has well-established regulatory policies and agencies for regulating iGaming. Each iGaming platform (whether local or foreign) must obtain a license to operate and operate within the limits required by law. Otherwise, the platform's iGaming resources will be blocked by the authorities.

Countries and regions that have essentially no restrictions on iGaming platforms in 2023:

Africa:Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Senegal, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Asia:Bangladesh, Macau, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Tajikistan

Europe:Albania, Andorra, Belarus Faroe, Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Malta

North America:Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Croix, and the Caicos Islands

South America:Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Oceania:Cook Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga

These countries basically do not have many laws and regulations about iGaming, and gambling in these countries is basically at the stage of free development.

iGaming laws and regulations around the world

The legislation and regulation of iGaming does vary greatly from country to country around the world. It can be attributed to several factors, including the nature of the emerging industry and the fact that certain countries are out of sync regarding Internet penetration and regulation.

In the case of iGaming, it can be considered a relatively new industry, and some countries may not have regulated and restricted it comprehensively in a timely manner. It may also be because some countries have not reached a mature stage in terms of Internet penetration or lack the resources and tools to regulate iGaming platforms effectively.

Therefore, attitudes towards local and foreign gambling platform operators vary from country to country. In some countries, such as EU member states, operators of foreign gambling platforms must comply with EU laws and regulations. Countries such as France, Germany, and Italy require all iGaming platforms to hold a legal license and pay taxes.

Alternatively, some underdeveloped countries or countries that are relatively technologically backward may lack the resources or tools to effectively prevent foreign iGaming platforms from operating on their own populations. It may also result in foreign platforms facing fewer restrictions and regulations in these countries.

Summary

Around the world, many countries take different positions and policies regarding iGaming.

Thirty-two of these countries prohibit local gaming without a license, but foreign gaming platform websites can be opened normally to provide gaming services to the local population. These countries include Seychelles, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Canada, Sweden, and Switzerland.

There are also 32 that only allow gaming operators with a local gaming license permit to operate iGaming platforms. Examples of countries include Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

Twenty-eight countries prohibit the local population from betting and operating bets and also state that they do not allow betting platform websites to enter their country. However, local people can still access foreign gaming platforms to play even if the platform is not licensed. These countries are either unable to stop the gaming platforms effectively or unwilling to do so. These countries include Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, and Nigeria, among others.

In 93 countries, neither iGaming is banned nor licensed. In these countries, iGaming is allowed by default. Examples include Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Bahamas, Argentina, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Kosovo, and Gibraltar.

From time to time, OCMS collects, organizes, and updates industry news and data. As the policies of each country change, OCMS will also continue to adjust its business strategies to meet the regulatory requirements and market demands of different countries.

OCMS is a veteran white label iGaming company. With 15 years of market reputation, popularity, and experience, it is committed to developing Southeast Asia as well as a global gaming white label iGaming. As a white label iGaming platform provider and API gaming interface service provider, OCMS provides a full range of services to customers and has a 24/7 professional team to provide support. In addition to providing advanced software and hardware technology, we focus on building market trust and reputation, which is the core philosophy of OCMS.