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Hundreds of new online casinos launch every year. Many of these operators are headquartered in a handful of countries: the UK, Malta, Curacao and Costa Rica, to name a few.
In other words, the world is yet to embrace online gambling fully. But for the countries we’ve mentioned below, iGaming is an important industry. Let’s dive right in.
1. The UK
Many of the top 20 online gambling industries in the world started business in the UK. Some of them got their first license from the Gambling Commission. Others got licensed in Alderney, Gibraltar or even territories like Isle of Man.
The bottom line: Britain is where it all began for brand name online casinos like 888, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Bet365 and Sky Bet. Beyond the well-known brands, the UK hosts more than 1500 online casinos in 2022.
More importantly, it generates more than £3 billion from online gambling every year. Furthermore, the industry contributes over £1.5 billion in taxes to the country and employees a little over 10,000 people.
Sure, online gambling doesn’t employ a lot of people. But due to the remote nature of the business—online casinos can work with a handful of employees.
2. Malta
Malta is like the Las Vegas of online gambling businesses. It’s the place every online casino and sportsbook wants to get licensed in. There are many reasons for this.
First, Malta has extremely progressive online gambling laws. Any operator can acquire a license from the Malta Gaming Authority after proving they have the resources and knowhow to run an iGaming business.
What’s more, Malta regulates online gambling businesses fairly. Sure, it requires each company to secure their casino site and provide fair games. But seldom does the MGA punish operators harshly for minor reasons.
Against that backdrop, another reason Malta is popular with online gambling businesses is due to the nature of its licenses. Unlike the UKGC, Malta offers a license that can be used in nearly every country around the world.
The UK’s Gambling Commission gives out licenses valid for operation in the UK. However, a license from the MGA gives casinos the authority to operate in Europe, North America, Africa, and virtually anywhere else.
3. Finland
Did you know Finland is one of the happiest countries in the world? In fact, it has held the title for the happiest country in the world for five years in a row. Sure, it’s a tiny country more famous for its numerous lakes and Scandinavian roots. But the Finnish love their country.
What’s more, Fins love to gamble online. And as a result, many online casinos licensed in Malta accepts players from Finland. In fact, the top online casinos in Finland have licenses from the MGA.
What’s more, they have personalized bonuses, support the Finnish language and offer hundreds of games. That said, Finland has a couple of home-based gambling sites run by the government.
Many people in Finland to gamble at offshore casinos, though. The reason is straightforward. Foreign casinos provide games with better payouts. They have bigger bonuses and payout fast.
4. Sweden
Finland’s northwestern neighbor, Sweden, also happens to be one of the most important countries for the online gambling industry. Like Finland, Sweden isn’t big by size or population.
However, the country has a population in love with online gambling. On the one hand, Swedish gamblers can bet at websites based in their country. On the other end, they can also gamble at offshore casinos.
The majority of online gamblers in Sweden prefer to bet at overseas-based casinos. The government is trying to change this trend by requiring foreign casinos to get licensed in Sweden. So far, the decision seems to be working—plenty of Malta-based casinos also have licenses to operate in Sweden.
5. Curacao
Before Malta and the UK became huge gambling destinations, Malta ruled the iGaming business. Any operator that wished for a genuine online casino license would get it from the Caribbean Island of Curacao.
Somewhere along the way, Curacao suffered a reputation damage. Gamblers would accuse the country of siding with online gambling operators too much, even when some of them were fraudulent.
In other words, words spread that the Curacao gambling regulatory board couldn’t be trusted. Within a couple of years, hundreds of online casinos dropped their Curacao-based licenses from new permits from the UK and Malta.
Today, the Curacao Gambling Board is still fighting to earn its place in the iGaming space back. In fact, it also rebranded its gambling regulator. It still attracts online casinos and sportsbooks but not as many as it used to in the 2000s.
6. The US
Before 2018, the US rarely appeared in discussions about online gambling. Then it legalized sports betting in 2018 and suddenly became one of the biggest markets for online gambling.
Unlike many countries, the US gives states the leeway to legalize online gambling. Some states—New Jersey and Delaware—permit all forms of online gambling. Others like Utah and Hawaii have strict iGaming laws.
That said, the online gambling scene is growing fast in the US. In New Jersey, for example, online gambling is now an industry worth $5 billion. If all states were to follow NJ’s direction, the US could easily become the biggest market for online gambling.
7. Canada
For some, Canada has better online gambling laws than the US. But when you think about it, Canada still has some way to go before it becomes a major online gambling contributor.
Similar to the US, Canada leaves the mandate to regulate online gambling to its provinces. Most provinces permit online casinos. But you can’t gamble outside of your province.
Last year, Canada also authorized states to regulate single sports betting. Thanks to this new law, some provinces are changing their laws to commercialize the industry.
This could mean that a single province can have multiple online casinos. In the meantime, most provinces have one government-operated iGaming site. And due to that, most Canadians would rather play slots or bet on hockey at betting sites based in the UK and Malta.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
