Gambling laws vary significantly across the globe. Some countries have strict, no-tolerance policies, while others are much more relaxed and inclusive of this popular pastime. 

When it comes to laws and regulations, calling them relaxed implies leniency. In the case of gambling, relaxed regulations are those that allow gambling, meaning that people can legally indulge in betting and wagering in their free time.

This article will explore eight countries with some of the most relaxed gambling laws on the planet.

Malta

Malta, a small country that’s part of the European Union, has made a name for itself in the gambling world because of its leniency when it comes to gambling, online gambling particularly. It was the first country within the EU to legalize online gambling and has been a front-runner in the industry ever since. Businesses flocked to get an online gambling license from Malta’s Gambling Authority because of the many tax breaks and opportunities the country offered within its borders and abroad. 

Today, Malta is known for its allowance of many aspects of gaming but is under intense scrutiny for its supposed corruption, money laundering, and potential mafia ties. The intense scrutiny implies that major shifts will be coming to Malta’s regulations, but for the time being, it’s one of the most lenient countries when it comes to gambling.

Curaçao

Another small country known for its regulatory approach to gambling is Curaçao. The country can be found just off the coast of Venezuela and offers a relaxed regulatory and licensing system. The catch, however, is that the ease of this system is criticized, and the legitimacy of online casinos licensed by the Curaçao Gambling Control Board is often questioned. In an effort to address this poor reputation, Curaçao is currently undergoing a gambling reform. However, it’s unclear what this will look like when it’s through.

Sweden

Sweden is another country with a reputation for having lenient gambling laws and regulatory practices. In the past year, it has made some changes to its regulations in the name of better protecting players and increasing licensing fees for operators to better fund the Swedish Gambling Authority. However, even with these updates to their rules, Sweden still maintains relaxed and progressive laws around gambling. These laws have helped the Swedish economy thrive, with a projected revenue of over $1 billion expected from online gambling alone this year.

Finland

In Finland, most forms of gambling are legal and available to residents over 18. There are some restrictions in place, most notably that gambling is controlled by two organizations, Veikkaus and Paf, both owned by the Finnish government. This monopolized system has been in place intending to protect gamers from problem gambling behaviors.

While the state currently monopolizes the country’s gambling scene, this is set to change in 2026 when the country opens its new licensing system. Doors will open for private and foreign gaming companies to apply for licenses to operate within the country. It’s expected that this shift will shake up Finland’s gambling scene, giving its residents far more options to choose from and a considerably more relaxed system.

United Kingdom 

Gambling has been a popular and legal pastime in the UK since 1960. In more recent years, the region has also embraced online gambling and sports betting, making most forms of gambling in the UK legal and the UK an early adopter of online gaming options. All gambling activities are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, an organization that emphasizes protecting players while providing them with diverse gambling options.

Canada

Canada offers flexibility in its gambling laws and has allowed its provinces to self-regulate for several decades now. This has created diversity across the country in terms of what is legal and how things are regulated. Although each province stands alone, the laws have a great deal of overlap across the country, with most forms of gambling being legal.

In more recent years, Canada’s provinces have embraced online gaming, allowing Canadians to play at online casinos, including those regulated outside the country. This signifies that the country is progressive and relaxed in its approach to gambling, allowing most forms of betting.

United States

The United States’ gambling laws are marked by a decentralized structure, allowing individual states to independently regulate gaming activities. Despite this autonomy, there’s a consistent acceptance of various forms of gambling nationwide. Recent years have witnessed a growing trend in online gaming, enabling residents to participate in online casinos, even those regulated abroad. This evolving landscape reflects a progressive approach to gambling, accommodating diverse betting forms. For players from the United States, this regulatory flexibility ensures a wealth of casinos available, creating a dynamic and varied gambling scene with numerous options for gaming enthusiasts, including casinos available to players from the United States.

Germany 

Much like Italy, Germany’s gambling laws were once quite restrictive and complex to navigate, but since 2021, the country has made some significant changes. These changes have opened up Germany’s gambling market to private operators and have resulted in much more relaxed and encompassing laws around the industry as a whole.

Are Relaxed Gambling Laws Progressive or Problematic?

Usually, countries with lax gambling laws are described as progressive or modern. Rather than prohibiting anything related to gambling, they’ve embraced the fact that it’s a popular activity and have set up safeguards around it. However, some argue that this is opening the doors to problem gambling and ill social effects by making gambling more available to people than it would be if it was restricted. 

Naturally, this leads one to wonder how to balance the two differing attitudes. It’s a debate that likely will continue, but given the revenue brought in from gambling year after year, it’s unlikely countries will ban or heavily restrict gambling any time soon.

Inspired Entertainment, one of the world’s most successful business-to-business iGaming providers, has announced the launch of its Virtual Sports offering in Italy thanks to a partnership with Planetwin365, a prominent online casino and sports betting operator.

The suppliers Virtual Sports portfolio includes the newest Virtual Sports Soccer products V-Play Torneo (also known as V-Play Knockout Cup), V-Play City Park Dogs and V-Play Football Ultra 2.

Planetwin365, which is a flagship brand of Italian multi-channel operator SKS365, is one of the first iGaming operators in Italy to launch V-Play Torneo, a virtual soccer product which features ultra-realistic graphics and fast gameplay with eight games taking place across a two-minute tournament.

V-Play Torneo takes players through several rounds, from the quarterfinals through to the semifinals and then to the final games, which decide who will be declared the ultimate champion.

V-Play City Park Dogs on the other hand is a virtual greyhound racing game which features a realistic city background while V-Play Football Ultra 2 is described by Inspired Entertainment as “the ultimate football experience game.”

Inspired Entertainment currently offers content, technology, hardware and services for iGaming, betting, lottery, social and leisure operators across both retail and mobile channels. The company operates in over 35 jurisdictions all around the world, supplying content to online casino and sports betting operators on over 170 websites.

New Chief Financial Officer Appointed Recently

Along with forging new partnerships, Inspired Entertainment has also been revamping its top management team recently. At the end of 2023 the supplier announced the appointment of Marilyn Jentzen as its new interim Chief Financial Officer.

The appointment came following the departure of Stewart Baker, who had served within the company for seven years as Financial Controller and Director of Finance. Baker resigned on December 20, 2023.

Marilyn Jentzen is a very experienced executive, with over three decades spent working in financial services and accounting. The new Chief Financial Officer took charge of leading the company’s financial policies and her responsibilities included overseeing the group’s accounting functions.

Inspired’s new CFO has previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Innovative Impact Consulting, a business that she founded herself in 2015. Before that entrepreneurial attempt, Marilyn Jentzen was Senior Vice President of Finance at IGT in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 2014. Before that, she had a successful four-year tenure at Thomson Reuters, a well-known global media company.

Source: “INSPIRED LAUNCHES LATEST V-PLAY TORNEO, V-PLAY CITY PARK DOGS, AND V-PLAY FOOTBALL ULTRA 2 VIRTUAL SPORTS GAMES WITH PLANETWIN365 IN ITALY“. Inspired Entertainment. March 7, 2024.

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March Madness betting takes center stage

The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimated that bettors risked more than $15.5 billion while betting on March Madness in 2023. 

With another year of momentum and expanded legal opportunities pushing sports betting to the forefront of the sports industry, that once-gaudy figure could pale in comparison to this year’s totals. 

With the 68-team, single-elimination tournament set to begin next week, it’s important to understand where and what is legal to bet on. Let’s dive into all things related to March Madness betting in 2024.

The main attraction

38 states and Washington D.C. offer sports betting as of tip-off in March Madness 2024. The recent online gambling expansion in North Carolina was the latest in a series of legal changes that occurred since the conclusion of last year’s tournament, won by the Connecticut Huskies.

23 million more than the AGA estimated for the year prior

A total of 68 million Americans, or 25% of the adult population, placed at least one wager during last year’s NCAA Tournament. That was 23 million more than the AGA estimated for the year prior, reflecting the rapid and unrelenting growth of American sports betting.

There are a total of 67 games that can be bet on during March Madness. Spreads, moneylines, total, futures, and prop bets (in certain states) are available for bettors to tap into, as if the general excitement surrounding the tournament isn’t already enough.

With that said, every state differs in what it does and doesn’t allow when it comes to betting on March Madness and college sports. All of those nuances are outlined below.

State rules for March Madness betting

Alabama

Sports betting is illegal in Alabama. Pre- and post-Nick Saban era.

Alaska

Sports betting is illegal in Alaska.

Arizona

Betting on NCAA events, including those involving in-state colleges and universities, is legal. However, college prop betting is prohibited.

Arkansas

March Madness betting is legal with no restrictions. 

California

Sports betting is illegal in California despite the best efforts of lobbyists and many sportsbooks.

Colorado

Users can bet on schools from any state during March Madness, but cannot place college prop bets.

Connecticut

March Madness betting is legal, but futures bets (such as UConn to win March Madness) are the only types of bets involving in-state schools that are permissible.

Delaware

March Madness betting is legal, but users cannot bet on any Delaware schools.

Florida

March Madness betting is legal in Florida, but college player props will not be offered.

Georgia

Sports betting is illegal in Georgia, though legislative discussions are ongoing.

Hawaii

Sports betting is illegal in Hawaii.

Idaho

Sports betting is illegal in Idaho.

Illinois

March Madness betting is legal in Illinois. Bettors can wager on in-state schools and universities if those bets are submitted in person at retail establishments. Prop bets involving players from any Illinois schools are illegal.

Indiana

Indiana allows locals to bet on March Madness—realistically, how could it not? However, live college prop betting is illegal.

Iowa

Sports betting betting is legal in Iowa, but college prop betting with events involving local schools is not.

Kansas

March Madness is totally legal in Kansas. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

Kentucky

Kentucky is one of several states that legalized sports betting between the conclusion of March Madness 2023 and the tipoff to the 2024 tournament. There are no restrictions on bets that can be placed (at legal outfits).

Louisiana

March Madness betting is legal during folie de march…sorry, I mean March Madness. 

Maine

Maine, another state that recently legalized sports betting, allows users to bet on college sports during events that don’t involve local schools. College prop betting is illegal regardless of who is involved.

Maryland

Maryland does not care who or where you’re from, March Madness betting is a full go.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts does not allow users to bet on in-state schools unless they’re competing in a tournament, which is convenient, since March Madness is a tournament. College player props are not available.

Michigan

Michigan allows March Madness betting with no restrictions (within the legal framework). 

Minnesota

Sports betting is illegal in Minnesota, though talks are ongoing. 

Mississippi

Mississippi allows sports betting on all schools but only at retail locations. College player props will not be found on the board.

Missouri

Even the Kansas City Chiefs’ reign of dominance hasn’t been enough to sway local lawmakers to legalize Missouri sports betting.

Montana

There’s only one betting app in Montana: Sports Bet Montana. Users can organize their bets at home but must place the bet at a retail location, where they can be on schools from any state.

Nebraska

March Madness betting can include everyone except in-state schools.

Nevada

The mecca of American sports betting offers gambling with no restrictions. 

New Hampshire

New Hampshire allows bettors to bet on March Madness, so long as the game does not involve or take place in the state. College prop bets can be placed based on the same criteria.

New Jersey

The same rules apply to New Jersey as those to New Hampshire…just for New Jersey.

New Mexico

New Mexico sports betting is allowed at five retail locations, each of which has different rules. 

New York

March Madness betting is legal, just not on games involving New York schools. No college player props.

North Carolina

North Carolina just expanded its gambling market to allow online sports betting on March 11. There are no restrictions when it comes to March Madness betting.

North Dakota

Like New Mexico, North Dakota sports betting is legal at a few retail locations, each of which has different rules and regulations.

Ohio

Ohio recently banned college prop betting at the request of NCAA President Charlie Baker. All other forms of March Madness wagering are legal. 

Oklahoma

Sports betting is illegal in Oklahoma.

Oregon

All bets on college sports must be placed at a retail location.

Pennsylvania

Sports betting is legal—college prop betting is not.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island allows locals to bet on March Madness so long as the games don’t take place in Rhode Island and don’t involve Rhode Island schools.

South Carolina

Go for the golfing and Myrtle Beach, stay for no sports betting in South Carolina.

South Dakota

South Dakota allows bettors to risk their money on non-college player prop bets and March Madness lines that don’t involve local schools.

Tennessee

Tennessee forbids college player prop betting and live prop betting 365 days a year (366 on a leap year), including March Madness.

Texas

Much to the chagrin of Mattress Mack, sports betting is illegal in Texas.

Utah

Sports betting is illegal in Utah.

Vermont

Sports betting is fine in Vermont as long as college betting does not involve local schools, unless they’re in a tournament. 

Virginia

Virginia tried and failed to change a rule that prohibits betting on in-state schools (but schools from the other 49 states are fine). College player prop betting is illegal.

Washington

Regular and player prop betting is illegal if a Washington school or sponsor is involved.

Washington D.C.

Betting on D.C. colleges and universities is illegal. Take a boat across the Potomac. 

West Virginia

March Madness betting is legal so long as it doesn’t involve college player props.

Wisconsin

March Madness betting is legal at six casinos or online on tribal land. Bettors cannot wager on in-state schools.

Wyoming

Full steam ahead, no restrictions.

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