Foreign Gambling Sites
Croatia is making some big changes to their online gambling industry. For years, gaming sites based in other countries had the ability to operate in Croatia freely. This week, the Ministry of Finance announced new legislation that will require foreign gambling sites in Croatia to register with the government.
Kenya’s crackdown on online sports betting paves way for foreign betting sites Tweet A few weeks back, the Kenyan government decided to take charge in the ongoing online sports betting battle by implementing a 20% tax on all betting stakes. Dec 12, 2018 Overseas betting sites or sports book are not bound by U.S. Neither the states nor the federal government have any say over what other countries allow or legalize. Equally, the United Kingdom, or the Philippines, or Malta, or Antigua (or any other gambling Mecca), can’t control our gambling laws or policy. Canada Sports Betting. Sports betting in Canada has grown to become just as popular as it is in the United States. Canadian betting does focus on different sports, including: Ice Hockey, Football, Basketball, and Soccer; with some mentions of Rugby as well.
The move comes in an attempt by Croatia to generate much-needed revenue from their gambling industry. According to the government, all sites based abroad that operate inside the country without a license will be considered illegal. With a population of more than 4 million and a GDP per capita of just over 26,000 in 2018, Croatia is trying hard to earn more money.
2019 Online Gambling Laws in Croatia
Croatia has implemented some pretty loose gambling laws over the years. After gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, they quickly legalized almost all forms of traditional gambling to help boost their tourism industry.
Croatia established a set of online gambling laws in 2010 to regulate the industry, yet most betting sites based in other countries had free reign to operate here tax-free.
Interestingly, the government announced another plan to begin regulating foreign gambling sites in Croatia all the way back in 2014. According to that plan, foreign sites operating in the country would need to apply for a license and pay a fee.
This most recent move may come in response to a huge boost in Croatian gambling revenue over the past few years. In 2016, state-run gambling sites in the country reported record revenue earnings of more than 2.7 billion Kuna.
Next Steps for Foreign Gambling Sites in Croatia
It took nearly five years for an official plan to be put in place. Under the new legislation, foreign gambling sites will need to register with the government in order to operate freely. Sites attempting to promote their products in Croatia without a license will be considered illegal.
An exact tax amount for these sites to operate here has not yet been announced.
Best Online Gambling Sites
According to some reports, Croatia was missing out on taxing their online gambling industry worth up to two billion Kuna. That figure is not confirmed. Regardless of the exact amount, there’s no doubt they have been missing out on some valuable revenue.
Potential Issues with the New Online Gambling Legislature
The move to begin taxing the online gambling industry certainly makes sense, yet there are a few issues that may arise. Firstly, there are some arguing the additional taxes included are unfair to bettors in Croatia.
Land-based gambling establishments are able to tax up to 30% on winnings, causing many to turn to online wagering. Additional taxes online will hurt the industry, according to some.
Another issue is in the regulatory framework that Croatia implements to stop underage gambling. For years, those wanting to gamble in the country had to register on land in order to prove they were the legal age to place bets.
Online gambling sites in Europe that choose to continue operating in the country without a license won’t have the same regulations, and underage gamblers may actually be more inclined to use them.
Despite the potential issues for foreign gambling sites in Croatia needing a license to operate, most agree that this move is a smart one by the government. If the revenue reports are accurate, the government here will be earning a huge monetary boost with online regulation.
What do you think of this news? Will it affect the Croatian online gambling industry in a good or bad way? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.On 1 January 2019, the Albanian government banned all forms of betting both online, and land-based.
Only one land-based casino license was issued to sApex-al/Adria Entertainment which is located in a 5-star hotel.
Prime Minister Edi Rama announced there would be a crackdown on online gambling and that a special task force would be set up to block access to foreign sites offering any form of gambling.
Over a week after the ban, Exit found that 47% of some of the 100 most popular online gambling sites were still accessible from an Albanian IP address. Furthermore, they accepted Albanian customers. The remaining 53% displayed a message saying that the site could not be accessed.
Almost two years later, Exit conducted further research on the same 100 sites and found that 42% of all sites were still accessible from an Albanian IP. Again, they still accepted Albanian customers.
Foreign Gambling Sites Games
That means that in two years, the ‘specialist taskforce’ managed to block access to a total of five sites.