Belarusian online casinos for Real Money

Belarus effectively legalised all forms of gambling back in 2001. Compared to neighbouring countries like Poland and Russia, it has considerably liberal gambling laws. Most of this stems from Chapter 57 of the Republic of Belarus’ Civil Code, entitled Conducting Games and Betting.

The gambling law effectively states that both land-based gambling and online gambling in Belarus are squeaky clean and fully legal. The most recent change to the laws occurred in 2018 via Presidential Decree No. 305. Today, you can expect to place sports wagers, bet on casino games, bingo, lotteries, dice and card games and instant win titles, all within a legal framework in Belarus.

Of course, only fully licensed Belarus online casinos are technically permitted. All the major land-based casinos are in the capital, Minsk, and any online casinos are required to apply for a Belarusian license to be deemed legal. Any online gambling sites which haven’t obtained a license are typically blocked by Beltelecom, the country’s only internet service provider.

While Belarus’ ISP does attempt to block almost all unlicensed (as in, non-Belarusian licensed) casinos and sportsbooks, it is relatively easy to get around those blocks by using a VPN. This ensures that Belarusians have access to a wealth of worldwide sites. Belarus hasn’t specified what punishments are in place for those who break this law, but we haven’t seen anything that suggests that it is even a punishable crime. Effectively, offshore casinos (those based outside Belarus) are considered unregulated but not necessarily unlawful.

Any online gambling site (and that includes sportsbooks, casinos, you name it) that wishes to operate inside Belarus must apply for a license from the state authority. Presidential Decree No. 17 dictates that the MNS (Tax and Duties Ministry of the Republic of Belarus) is the authority that hands out licenses to gambling sites. This Belarusian and English language service can provide licenses which are valid for ten years.

However, there is a catch – only thirty-two licenses are available, and all these are currently taken. Moreover, those licenses are divided into genres – online sports betting licenses, casino licenses, slot hall and totalizator licenses. Notably, sports betting in the country is handled by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, so they aren’t subject to quite the same limitations.

Players in Belarus like the same sorts of games you’d find anywhere else. There aren’t too many discrepancies between those who love slots, table games, instant win and lottery games, and sports betting. As a result, you’ll find that most licensed and regulated gambling sites in Belarus support all sorts of options, including most of those listed above.

Belarus casinos permit you to play for free alongside real money bets. They don’t tend to be quite as mobile-optimised as other sites, which is worth considering. There are a couple of software providers that come from the Eastern European country, and the most notable of these is GammaStack. They have produced slots and RNG (random number generator) table games which include baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.

The key thing about casinos that are licensed in Belarus is that they are only open to players residing in the country. Identity checks are carried out, so there isn’t really any way to get around this. On the upside, the gameplay is available in Belarusian, with the rouble as its currency of choice. Similarly, any promos available will also be aimed at players in Belarus.

Offshore casinos can accept players from the Eastern European country, but they seldom tend to specialise options for them. This is because the market is so small. Ultimately, you are welcome to join these offshore casinos but don’t expect to see gameplay in your native tongue (English will be available), and you’ll need to use another currency/payment method than you would at your native casinos.