Azerbaijan online casinos for Real Money

The Republic of Azerbaijan first legalised gambling back in 1991. The former Soviet state has even legalised some forms of online gambling since 2011. In short, there are multiple options for you to bet on, and not all of them are reserved for tourists.

The Lottery Act made gambling legal in 1991, and despite a brief setback in 1998 (when a blanket ban covered many gambling games), most forms were re-legalised in 2001. To date, land-based gambling is permitted regarding sports betting, bingo, and lottery games. All three form monopolies.

Online gambling is permitted in two forms via the Lottery Act. These include sports betting and online lottery games. Obviously, we haven’t touched on casinos because they are not legal in Azerbaijan – either in brick-and-mortar or online formats. They were legal between 1991 and 1998, but unlike other gambling games, they have not been re-legalised, at least not yet. However, it is worth noting that Azeri laws only apply to citizens, not residents. Moreover, while some of the mainstream online casino sites are blocked by the country’s internet service providers, most aren’t.

We should also mention that Azeri players aren’t prosecuted if they gamble online. This represents a huge step forward compared to some of the country’s Muslim counterparts. With that in mind, Azeri bettors are free to sign up for some of our recommended offshore Azerbaijan online casinos with no fear of prosecution or punishment.

Bingo and lottery games are run by the state monopoly, Azerlotereya OJSC, and have been since 2001. Meanwhile, sports betting is the plaything of Caspiantech CJSC and has been since 2010. The latter is run under the Topaz brand. Both monopolies also have jurisdiction when it comes to their online equivalents.
Any licenses required to run Azeri gambling enterprises are awarded by the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan. This is more commonly known as Iqtisadiyyat Nazirliyi. However, supervision of the country’s gambling regulations is handled by the two state monopolies. As you might imagine, licenses are not awarded to any businesses that aren’t affiliated with those monopolies in some way, shape or form.

As bingo, lottery, and sports betting options are all legal (both online and offline) in Azerbaijan, these games tend to be the most popular with Azeri bettors. However, casinos used to be legal, so Azeri gamblers still have an affinity with some classic casino games, not least table games like blackjack and roulette, table poker and, of course, slot machines. Because of the way that Azerbaijan’s gambling laws are structured, you will need to visit an offshore casino if you wish to play slots or any type of casino game. The other gambling games can be found on both Azeri and offshore online betting sites.
Azerbaijan may be a modern, tech-friendly country, but it is not home to any mainstream casino software providers that we’re aware of. However, many of the offshore casinos catering to players from Azerbaijan support the same array of games (from the same developers) that you’d expect to see elsewhere. In short, you can find titles from NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, BetSoft and plenty of other mainstream developers. Live dealer games aren’t easy to come by, though, unless you happen to sign up and play at Curacao-licensed casinos.

Azerbaijan’s online lottery, bingo and sports betting sites are traditionally reserved for players residing in the country. This means both residents and nationals (citizens) are invited to play there. Because identity details are required, these sites are not open to players based outside Azerbaijan. Such betting sites are ideal if Azeri bettors want to use the manat currency, Azerbaijan-specific payment options, and receive customer support in Azeri (Azeri Turkic).
Of course, as there are no legal online casinos in Azerbaijan, players are forced to look elsewhere. Because of the country’s small population, there isn’t much appeal in catering solely to Azeri players. Therefore, offshore casinos tend to focus on a global audience. This means that while Azeri bettors can join them (many top sites accept players from Azerbaijan), you shouldn’t expect to see the AZN currency or Azeri support offered. However, in almost every other way, these offshore Azerbaijan casinos are very inviting and welcoming to players from the country.