The rules surrounding online gambling and the use of casino apps vary from place to place, and it has become near impossible to keep track of what country thinks what and what rules are binding. This confusion necessitates this list as it features countries across the globe that allow the use of casino apps, the rules surrounding them, and legal gray areas (if any).
1. Brazil
Regulator: No particular agency
The general sentiment everywhere on the internet and with anyone you ask is that Brazil has a very strong online gambling presence. However, it is difficult to assess its strength properly as the country currently lacks the proper regulatory frameworks.
With more than $11 billion gambled in Brazil only in 2023, Brazilians are desperately waiting for online gambling to be legalized. Not only does this show there’s a huge market for it, but it also shows that revenue generated locally is being exported to offshore operators licensed outside the country and offering these services to Brazilians.
It looks like the end is near, and the Brazilian gambling market will soon enter a new era as the Brazilian senate, in December 2023, passed new regulations for sports betting and online casino operations.
2. The United States
While gambling is legal under federal law, each state has the authority to pass regulations as it sees fit. As a result, you can only access premium casino apps in the following six states: New Jersey, West Virginia, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut (source: https://sportslens.com/online-casinos/apps/). But, Michael Graw states that within these states there is still some variation on the exact apps that are allowed or not. Here’s a closer look:
New Jersey
Regulator: New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
New Jersey is the most populous division to offer online gaming and the third after Nevada (offers only Internet poker) and Delaware since its operators started receiving online wagers from the public on November 26, 2013.
West Virginia
Regulator: The West Virginia Lottery Commission
West Virginia legalized online gambling in 2019, and its first operator kicked off the year after. You must be 21 and within state lines to access the online casino apps legally.
Delaware
Regulator: The Delaware State Lottery Office
Delaware has a long gambling history. It was among the few exempt from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992. It was also one of the first states to legalize all sports betting when PASPA was overturned in June 2018 and the first state to legalize online casino gambling in 2012 with a stipulated gambling age of 21.
Michigan
Regulator: The Michigan Gaming Control Board
Online gambling was legalized in Michigan in late 2019 by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and it allows citizens of the state at least 21 to partake in online sportsbooks, casinos, and poker rooms.
Pennsylvania
Regulator: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
Pennsylvania became the fourth state in the US to legalize online gambling when it did so in 2017. Gamers at least 21 years old and within state lines can take advantage of online casinos, poker, and sports betting from operators licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Connecticut
Regulator: Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection
Connecticut is one of the newest states to legalize online gambling, only just doing so since Oct 19, 2021. It allows gamers at least 21 years old to play slot machines, roulette, and video poker within state lines, among other casino games.
3. Sweden
Regulator: Swedish Gambling Authority
Online gambling and gambling as a whole operated as a monopoly by the Swedish government until it proposed licensed gambling in 2018 following the European Union’s declaration that gambling monopoly by the state was illegal.
Following this revision, Sweden opened its doors to operators to take out a license for online gambling. This license allows operators to offer slot machines, blackjack tables, and roulette wheels, among other standard casino games, to the loyal Swedish online gambling fanbase. ATG (AB Trav och Galopp), one of the broken monopolies operating since 1974, has entered partnerships with Evolution Gaming and NetEnt to stay relevant in the gambling industry. The legal age to gamble in Sweden is 18.
4. United Kingdom
Regulator: The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC)
The legal age to use casino apps in the UK is 18, and the UKGC mandates all operators to be licensed. Operators are required by the commission to put in place measures that protect problem gamblers –with Gamstop being one of the popular mentions (it has over 400,000 members), measures to curb underage gambling and also prevent money laundering.