So, what is better for online gambling in Portugal? To remain grey area or being licensed and operated officially? On this complicated question we are going to find answers, as well as learn more about playing casino games online peculiarities for clients from Portugal.
Grey Area Or Officially Approved Activity?
Year ago (before April, 2015) online gambling market was a grey area: local proposals were under Santa Casa de la Misericordi monopoly, but casino members from Portugal had access to foreign providers’ sites and could play anything they wanted. However, everything changed when new Portuguese gambling legislation was approved by Council of Ministers and signed by president.This new act regulates all spheres of casinos offerings from land-based to Internet ones. Of course, it annulled that monopoly, but at the same time obliged foreign providers to get license (or be banned) and pay high tariffs. The last point is the crucial one and may lead to crisis, but not progress as they predicted.
The point is that in such a way officials decided to add funds to budget (as they estimated nearly 25 millions euros each year). But charges taken from Portugal online casino sites are truly high – for betting for sports from 8% to 16%, and for poker and other casino games from 15% to 30%. The percent on the revenue depends on its amount and increases with each extra million earned by casino. Due to this reason, online gambling market in Portugal may become stale for offshore sites.
In future unlicensed sites may be blocked by Internet providers. However, right now the government cannot prosecute players from Portugal for gambling abroad due to European Union laws. According to them, the officials should create all terms for operators to get the license and start working in this country. The Court of Justice of EU for Germany issued this ruling and it is stated in it, that foreign operators cannot be banned in this country, because the state itself created unbearable rules to them for being licensed.
What foreign casinos Portugal online gamblers can join?
Actually, a lot of reliable and popular offshore online casinos welcoming players from Portugal and even translated their sites in Portuguese. You can try any incredible gaming options at the following placed:
- Star Games
- Titan Casino
- Casino-X
- Europa Casino
All of them are operated in Portuguese and possess impressive games collections by Microgaming, Playtech, Novomatic, Evolution Gaming, NetEnt and others. Everything from slots up to live dealers collections with numerous options are offered at those sites too. So, just look through their contribution methods and currencies, bonus and promotions and start playing there without any hesitations.
Also, there is a set of casinos and Portugal betting sites, but they didn’t add Portuguese to their languages area:
- Quasar Gaming
- Optibet casino
- Mybet casino
- Gold Club casino
- Slots million
- Energy casino
Which institution does regulate gambling in Portugal now? Which games are under its jurisdiction?
After issuing new law in 2015, both types of gambling – land based and Internet one – are regulated by Portugal Regulatory Service and Gaming Inspection. It supervises and monitor its market. Under its jurisdiction are such entertainments as games of chance (slot machines, poker and other casinos offers), fixed odds betting for horse races and sports, scratch cards, diverse national lotteries, social games.
In this way, if you are from this amazing country and aiming to play in Portugal casinos online in any gambling house, you will be greeted in numerous loyal to players from Portugal places. However, if they don’t possess the license and haven’t applied to it, they will be regarded as criminals in the nearest future and may be banned. All those measures (licenses and taxation) were established to protect the Portuguese from fraud online.