GAMBLING LAW GUIDES / INTERNATIONAL
Online Gambling Laws by Country
Online gambling is legal in many countries, but permission usually depends on the game, the operator and where the player is located. A country can permit online sports betting while prohibiting online casinos. In the United States and Canada, the answer also changes at state or provincial level.
This guide compares the US, UK, Canada, Australia and four European countries. Use the overview to understand the main differences, then read the country section and check its official register. The rules below concern real-money online gambling; land-based casinos, lotteries and promotional sweepstakes can follow different rules.
Online gambling laws: country comparison
The table summarises which services may lawfully be offered, subject to local licensing. It is not a ruling on an individual player's criminal liability. Age, location and other eligibility requirements still apply. Sources and qualifications are linked in each country section.
| Country or jurisdiction | Online casino and slots | Online sports betting | Online poker | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | Licensed operators | Licensed operators | Licensed operators | England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate framework. |
| United States | State-specific permission | State-specific permission | State-specific permission | Approval for one product does not authorise the others. |
| Canada | Provincial frameworks | Provincial frameworks | Regulated offerings include Ontario | Check the province and approved site, not just the brand. |
| Australia | Offering these services is prohibited | Licensed pre-event betting; no internet in-play sports betting | Offering these services is prohibited | The federal casino prohibition targets providers. |
| France | Not authorised | ANJ-approved operators | ANJ-approved operators | Licensed poker does not extend to slots or roulette. |
| Germany | Slots: GGL permission. Table games: state rules | German permission required | GGL permission required | Virtual slots and online table games are different legal categories. |
| Spain | Spanish product permission | Spanish product permission | Spanish product permission | An overseas licence alone is insufficient. |
| Netherlands | Ksa-licensed operators | Ksa-licensed operators | Operators with the required online licence | Verify the operator and permission in the official register. |
This is a selected-country comparison, not a complete list of countries where online gambling is legal. “Licensed” means a regulated route exists for that product. It does not mean every website accepting customers from that country is authorised, or that every approved operator offers every game.
How to read online gambling rules
Three checks make the differences easier to understand:
- Your location. Start with the country, then the state or province where relevant. Physical location can matter separately from citizenship, residence or the address used to open an account.
- The product. Identify what you want to check: sports betting, slots, table games or poker. A sportsbook licence does not necessarily cover a casino. France's separate treatment of poker and casino games is one example.
- The provider's permission. Match the actual website and business to the relevant local regulator's records. Permission granted somewhere else does not automatically authorise the service where you are.
These checks explain why broad statements such as “online gambling is legal in Europe” are unreliable. They also help distinguish three different questions: whether a product can be licensed, whether a particular operator is authorised, and whether that player can use it.
United Kingdom: Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Great Britain has a licensed market for online casino games, sports betting and poker. The Gambling Commission's main remit covers England, Scotland and Wales.
Its remote casino licence includes slots, roulette, blackjack and poker; online betting on real events requires the appropriate betting permission. Operators serving customers in Great Britain need the relevant licence even if their business is based overseas.
The geographical distinction matters. Northern Ireland has its own framework under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, amended in 2022. The Department for Communities describes wider online reform as a proposed further phase.
Do not assume that every Gambling Act 2005 rule applies across the entire UK. The Commission does, however, license online businesses advertising into Northern Ireland, so its role is not limited to Great Britain in every respect.
For Great Britain, check the Commission's business register using the business name, trading name or website domain. Read the licence status and permitted activities. A pending application is not the same as an active licence, and a familiar logo does not identify which legal entity runs a particular site.
Licensing also brings product-specific conditions. Online slots have a maximum stake of £5 per game cycle for adults aged 25 and over, and £2 for adults aged 18 to 24. Both limits took effect in 2025. These are slots limits, not limits for all casino games.
If a dispute arises, use the business's complaints process first. The Commission explains when a complaint may be escalated to an alternative dispute resolution provider. A regulatory licence is useful evidence of oversight, but it is not a guarantee that every dispute will be resolved in the customer's favour.
United States: check the state and the product
There is no single nationwide permission covering all online gambling in the US. State rules determine whether particular products can operate within the relevant framework, while federal law adds another layer. Online sports betting, casino games and poker need separate checks. Our US online poker guide explains where state-regulated poker is available and how shared player pools work. Permission to run a physical casino also does not, by itself, answer the online question. Our US gambling laws guide explains the federal, state and tribal framework and provides official sources for every state.
For online and in-person sportsbook availability, see our legal sports betting states guide, with a state map, location restrictions and official operator checks.
Our guide to US online casino laws by state compares the licensed casino markets and explains where online slots and table games are available.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, usually called UIGEA, restricts gambling businesses from knowingly accepting specified payments connected with unlawful internet gambling. It also provides for payment-system controls.
The statutory framework relies on the underlying federal and state gambling laws; it does not turn every online wager into an offence or make online gambling lawful nationwide.
Michigan provides a practical example of why product-specific checks matter. Its Gaming Control Board publishes separate lists for authorised internet gaming and internet sports betting. The board has also approved multi-state online poker arrangements. These are permissions within a defined regulatory framework, not permission for players in every state to use the same service.
When checking a US operator, identify the state regulator, the exact site and the product you intend to use. Avoid treating a national brand's presence in one state as evidence of permission elsewhere.
A law authorising a future market, an operator obtaining approval and a service actually launching are also different events. Check that the relevant service has launched before relying on a legalisation announcement.
Sweepstakes casinos need a separate analysis because they use a promotional model rather than the same state-licensed real-money casino framework. Our sweepstakes casino legality guide explains that distinction and the state-level issues. A site calling itself a sweepstakes casino does not settle its legal status.
Canada: provincial rules and regulated markets
Canada's online gambling rules depend heavily on the province. Section 207 of the Criminal Code provides the framework for provincial governments to conduct and manage lottery schemes under provincial law. For a reader checking an online casino, sportsbook or poker room, the practical starting point is the authorised offering in their province.
Ontario permits private operators within its regulated market. Those operators must register with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, or AGCO, and enter an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.
AGCO regulates the market; iGaming Ontario conducts and manages the relevant private-operator offering. They perform different roles. OLG.ca operates separately under OLG's conduct and management.
The Ontario regulated-site directory lists casino, sports-betting and poker offerings. Players must be at least 19 and physically located in Ontario to play through that market.
The physical-location requirement is more precise than saying the sites are simply “for Ontario residents”: residence alone does not tell a reader whether they can play from another province.
Alberta's regulated private iGaming market launched on July 13, 2026. The Alberta government's explanation distinguishes the Alberta iGaming Corporation's market role from AGLC's regulatory role. The official Alberta directory identifies registered casino and sportsbook sites. Ontario and Alberta therefore offer two examples of regulated private markets, each with its own approvals.
Check the province-specific directory before relying on a brand or a licence claim. An Ontario authorisation does not automatically carry across Canada, and a licence issued overseas is not proof that a site belongs to a provincial regulated market.
Availability of an individual product can also differ between approved sites; the table uses Ontario as its verified example of regulated online poker.
Australia: betting and online casinos follow different rules
Australia permits licensed online wagering but prohibits providers from offering online casino games and poker to people physically in Australia. The distinction comes from the Interactive Gambling Act framework. It is inaccurate to describe Australia as either allowing or banning every form of online gambling.
Licensed pre-event sports betting is permitted. Internet in-play sports betting, where the sporting event has already started, is prohibited. Online slots, roulette, blackjack and poker fall on the prohibited-service side of the comparison. The rules for sporting events should not be casually extended to every form of racing or wagering.
The casino prohibition is directed at service providers. The Australian Government's explanation distinguishes the provider offence from a customer accessing the service. That distinction does not turn an offshore casino into an authorised Australian offering, and it does not establish that customers have the same protections as users of licensed wagering services.
ACMA's legal-operator register lists licensed interactive wagering providers, their websites and the relevant state or territory authority. Check those details before relying on a claim that a bookmaker is Australian-licensed. A website accepting an Australian address or payment is not equivalent to appearing in that register.
ACMA also warns that customers of illegal gambling operators can have difficulty recovering deposits or winnings. For this reason, “the site lets me register” is a poor substitute for checking authorisation. Overseas licensing, website availability and permission to serve people in Australia are separate questions.
Europe: separate national gambling laws
The EU does not have a single gambling licence or one product list that applies throughout its member states. The European Commission explains that national systems differ and that there is no gambling-specific EU legislative regime. EU law still applies, but national permission remains central to the comparison.
France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands illustrate the differences. Their online markets cannot be reduced to one “Europe: legal” label, and an operator's licence in one jurisdiction should not be treated as automatic access to another.
France
France permits approved online sports betting, horse-race betting and poker, but online casinos are not authorised. The national regulator, ANJ, sets out this distinction in its legal-offering guidance. Poker's inclusion does not authorise an operator to add online slots, blackjack or roulette.
Use the ANJ approved-operator list to check the business, website and product category. This is more useful than a generic list of “French gambling sites”, which may mix approved betting or poker services with casino websites operating from elsewhere. A French-language interface or acceptance of French customers does not prove local permission.
Germany
Germany distinguishes virtual slots and online poker from online table-casino games. The joint gambling authority, GGL, issues permissions for virtual slots and online poker. Sports betting also has its own permission requirements. A casual use of “online casino” can hide these separate legal categories.
Roulette, blackjack and baccarat fall into the separate table-casino category. The GGL explains that individual German states decide whether and how to permit these games. They are not covered by a single nationwide GGL table-casino licence. Do not assume that a site's permission for virtual slots extends to its live-dealer tables.
Check the official whitelist for the provider, product and territorial permission. The list includes authorised offerings supervised by German authorities other than the GGL, so the issuing authority also matters. A listing confirms a particular permission, not a blanket right to offer every gambling product throughout Germany.
Spain
National-scope online gambling in Spain requires Spanish authorisation for the relevant activity. The DGOJ's regulated-product list includes sports betting, poker and casino products such as slots, blackjack and roulette. An operator needs permission for the products it supplies.
The DGOJ expressly states that authorisation obtained in another country is not valid in Spain for this purpose. Its guidance links to the official operator search, where readers can check the authorised business. A foreign licence, Spanish-language website or domain ending is insufficient on its own.
This section concerns the national online framework. Rules for a physical casino or betting premises can involve the autonomous community and should not be used as a shortcut for deciding online permission.
Netherlands
Online gambling operators need a licence from the Kansspelautoriteit, or Ksa, to offer the relevant services in the Netherlands. Its online licensing framework covers casino games and betting categories. The authority also confirms that online poker requires the appropriate online gambling licence.
Use the Ksa's official permission-checking guidance to reach the Kansspelwijzer, its authoritative overview of licences. Check the actual operator and online permission. A licence for a different gambling activity does not establish the right to offer an online casino.
How to check a gambling licence
Open the relevant official register below to check a website or business. US and Canadian checks must match your state or province; the links here include Michigan, Ontario and Alberta.
- Great Britain: Gambling Commission business register. Search by business, trading name or website.
- United States - Michigan: MGCB authorised gaming and betting lists. These permissions cover Michigan; check your own state's regulator elsewhere.
- Canada - Ontario: iGaming Ontario regulated sites. Check sites in Ontario's regulated private market.
- Canada - Alberta: Alberta registered iGaming sites. Check the province's registered casino and sportsbook sites.
- Australia: ACMA legal-operator register. Covers licensed interactive wagering providers.
- France: ANJ approved operators. Check the permitted betting or poker category.
- Germany: Official gambling whitelist. Check the provider, product and territorial permission.
- Spain: DGOJ operator search. Search the operator or website and check its licences.
- Netherlands: Ksa Kansspelwijzer. Search the provider and check its online permission.
Once you have opened the register, make these four checks:
- Match the website to the business. Compare the exact domain, trading name and legal entity where the register provides them. Similar brand names can refer to different companies or sites.
- Read the current status. Look for an active permission. An application, expired licence or suspended permission is not equivalent to current approval.
- Check the product and territory. Confirm that the permission covers the game and location in question. Casino, betting and poker permissions do not always travel together.
- Find the complaints route. Read the operator's process and the regulator's guidance before depositing. Keep records if a dispute develops.
A licence logo in a website footer is a claim to verify. It is not, by itself, evidence of local authorisation.
Regulators can provide oversight and enforcement, but a licence does not eliminate gambling risk or guarantee repayment. If gambling is causing harm, use the support and self-exclusion resources linked by your local regulator.
Common questions
Is online gambling legal worldwide?
No. Countries permit different products under different conditions, and some decisions are made at state or provincial level. This guide compares selected jurisdictions; it is not a worldwide permission list.
Does legal sports betting mean online casinos are legal?
No. Australia illustrates the difference: licensed pre-event online sports betting is permitted, while providers are prohibited from offering online casino services to people in Australia. Always check the product separately.
Does an offshore licence make a site legal where I live?
Not automatically. It establishes a permission in the issuing jurisdiction, whose scope needs checking. The country where the service is offered can require its own authorisation or prohibit that product.
View sources (30)
Official sources, grouped by jurisdiction.
30 sources | Checked 29 September 2026