Gibraltarian online casinos for Real Money

As a British Overseas Territory, many aspects of Gibraltarian life are the responsibility of the United Kingdom, including foreign relations and defence. However, the United Kingdom’s Gambling Act of 2005 also had a substantial impact on the small territory, given that it effectively legalised online gambling and betting there when it was passed.

UK gambling laws still have jurisdiction over Gibraltar, although there are many areas where Gibraltar governs its own affairs relating to gambling. As a tax haven (with low tax rates) and a licensing body, Gibraltar is ideal for many online gambling enterprises that want to get involved in the industry. A strict regulator and renowned fair authority when it comes to gambling, licensed from Gibraltar, are sought after.

Gibraltarians themselves have access to all UKGC and Gibraltar-licensed betting sites, much like players based in Great Britain do. Over 10% of Gibraltar’s population actively works in the gambling sector (some 2,000 people), so they naturally have an affinity with gambling. The surplus of casinos licensed out of Gibraltar (not to mention the wealth of sportsbooks, bingo sites and poker rooms) all but ensures that Gibraltarians don’t need to look any further than down the road to find a top site to bet at.

Of course, if Gibraltarians want to gamble online (because there are only two brick-and-mortar venues in the territory), they can choose home-licensed sites but can also have their pick from UKGC and EU-licensed casinos. As mentioned, by remaining in the EEA, Gibraltarians have the best of both worlds.

While it is UK gambling law that applies to Gibraltar, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority has the power to issue its own licenses, courtesy of the 2014 Companies Act. This is modelled on the UKGC’s licensing protocols.

Licenses that can be issued are related to bookmakers, casinos, gaming operators, gambling machines, lotteries, and remote gambling. The latter is important since this is what online casino operators go for.

The GRA’s licenses are very much sought after since both UK and EU (according to EU directives) players are eligible to play at Gibraltar-licensed betting sites. This makes it an immensely powerful tax haven for gambling, and unlike Curacao and Panama (also tax havens that issue gambling licenses), the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority actively regulates casinos to ensure that they are safe.

The UKGC’s level of regulation is in play at Gibraltar’s online casinos. This means that a wealth of player protections, responsible gambling tools, access to problem gambling programs and limits on what you can wager per spin/hand are in place. Similarly, deposit caps, transparent Ts and Cs, and the use of limited promos and bonuses can also be expected at Gibraltarian casino sites.

Gibraltarians must be aged 18 or older to gamble and don’t have one type of game that they favour over the others. This isn’t that surprising when you consider how many they have to choose from. Players from the territory can play English and Spanish language games to their heart’s content, and these span slots, live dealer games, table games, instant win and lottery games, keno, video poker, table poker – you name it.

Many of the world’s leading online casinos have their headquarters in Gibraltar for tax purposes. Apart from licensing casinos, Gibraltar is also a major provider of licenses to gambling software providers. Gamesys, IGT, Realistic Games, Evolution Gaming, NetEnt, SG Digital, Inspired Gaming, Greentube, Pariplay, Yggdrasil Gaming, Blueprint Gaming, Pragmatic Play, Skywind, Relax Gaming, and Play ‘n Go are just a few of the developers to be based (at least in part) in Gibraltar. Naturally, all their games feature regularly at Gibraltar-licensed betting sites.

Probably the primary reason for playing at Gibraltar-licensed betting sites is that these are typically amongst the safest and best-regulated domains in the world. Similarly, they can cater to UK and EU audiences alike.

Gibraltarians are invited to play at their own licensed sites, but so can players from many European countries.

At the same time, Gibraltarians are invited to play in EU and UKGC-licensed sites. This really does give them the pick of the litter when it comes to gambling domains. As the default languages in Gibraltar are English (followed by Spanish), there are precious few betting sites that players on “the rock” can’t choose to sign up to.