Is Playing at Any Cyprus Online Casino Legal?
Let's start with the bad news: online games of chance are prohibited in Cyprus, with the only exception that is legal, allowed, and carefully regulated - sports betting. The enforcement of this law is not the strictest, although some gambling websites are blocked and blacklisted, and generally - illegal. However, that doesn't mean that you can't find online casinos operating from Cyprus but do keep in mind that possible problems with the law may follow. That being said, if you're willing to risk it, the world of gaming opportunity is and will be plentiful.
Who Is in Charge of Gambling Licenses in Cyprus?
The online gambling authority in Cyprus is the National Betting Authority (NBA) which gives out licenses to traditional and online betting houses (excluding horse racing). The main laws NBA follows are the Prevention of Counterfeiting and Money Laundering Activities Law of 2007, the Betting Act 2012, and the Gambling Act 2015. Since online Cyprus casinos are not legal, they can't obtain a Cyprus gambling license.
Since 2016 NBA issued 10 online gambling licenses, but those are all for sports betting sites.
History of Cyprus Gambling Law
After the country gained its independence from Britain (in 1960), the State Lottery was founded, and first casinos were built 25 years later. Things were pretty unregulated until 2012 when the Betting Act was passed. From then on local and overseas gambling places had their IPs blocked and some were blacklisted.
All forms of gambling were effectively banned, which crashed with the policies of the European Union, but to this day the Cyprus government hasn't faced any repercussions for this drastic action.
Can you Gamble Online in Cyprus Safely?
Well, you can if you stick to sports betting and/or use reliable VPN services - yes. Otherwise, even when you find alluring Cyprus online casino options that seem safe, you have to be aware of possible, no matter how unlikely, consequences that could occur.
Yes, many casinos worldwide will accept players from Cyprus, including these on our list, but please bear in mind that the best thing for your safety is to do your gambling outside of the country.
What Else Should You Know About Gambling in Cyprus?
Cyprus is divided into two parts:
- Turkish part, which is the whole northeast section of the island. Most of their ground-based Cyprus casinos are here, and gambling prohibitions go mostly ignored
- Greek part, south part of the island, where the gambling laws are enforced more diligently and where hardly any gambling institutions can be found (apart from sports betting places)
Gambling age is 18 for both online and traditional gambling places
- Most of the payment methods are readily available on most sites, including but not limited to:
- Credit and debit cards whether they are VISA or MasterCard
- PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and other e-wallets
- Prepaid cards and cryptocurrencies
- Cyprus online casinos tend to offer plentiful bonuses
Online Gambling in Cyprus
Are you feeling lucky but don't want to spend days researching complicated gambling situations at one of Europe's prime tourist destinations? Well, you're definitely in luck because everything AskGamblers has laid out in the lines above concerning online casinos Cyprus will be of help for your future gambling endeavours!
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