Countries – Roulette
Most online casinos will offer real money roulette to players from certain countries and not to others. Despite the fact that the Internet is everywhere, the legal framework for online roulette varies from country to country. Some countries are seen as higher risk, by casinos, in that a greater proportion of players (than average) try to “game” the bonus system, for example. And a casino may not be able to offer its services in another country, simply because it has no way of processing payment in that country.
In this section, you’ll find guides to the best roulette casinos by country. We are primarily a UK site (hence the domain name), but we welcome visitors from all around the world, and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction for a good roulette experience online.
Here are some of the differences in approach that countries take towards playing online roulette. While you should always double check yourself, that online gambling is legal in your jurisdiction, this should give you a useful “starter for ten”.
United Kingdom
Online gambling is legal in the UK- it is a well regulated market in which the government has taken the approach of allowing licensed operators to offers casino games including roulette, to UK players.
Under the 2014 Gambling Bill, licenced online casinos now pay a 15% POC tax (point of consumption tax) on their gross profits- to operate they must have applied for and hold a licence from the UK Gambling Commission.
Online casinos and other remote betting operators are taxed at the point of consumption (it’s the so called “Point of Consumption Tax”). So casinos operating from outside the UK but used by UK residents will now have to pay tax in Britain.
Australia
Is online gambling legal in Australia? Well, there have been several changes in the law over the years.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 means that there are strict gambling and poker rules in force in the country. There are restrictions when it comes to card games and casino gambling online. There were further amendments in 2016 and 2017 to clarify the law.
The IGA makes it an offence for online casinos to offer ‘real-money’ gambling to residents of Australia, and illegal for operators to advertise ‘real-money’ gambling services to Australian citizens. However, there are plenty of overseas companies that offer Roulette in Australia.
In practice, what this means that you have no regulator in your home country to complain to if you have a problem. You would need to rely on a foreign jurisdiction (such as the UK). Also, the Government focuses on shutting down access to these overseas operators through Australian ISPs, so you may find that you are unable to access the sites in the future.
Will Australia move to legalise online casinos in the future? There has been talk of moving to a more regulated situation like you would find in the UK, but for now the government is following the prohibition route.
Canada
Are online casinos legal in Canada?
This is a grey,area. No one has ever been prosecuted for gambling online in Canada. There are no laws against playing casino games on the web, only laws against setting up online casinos in Canada. So everyone plays at sites based outside of the country. And by the way, the The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in Quebec, where many online casinos are licensed, is technically outside of Canada.
New Zealand
The situation for Online Roulette New Zealand games is similar to that in Australia. While it is illegal to run an online casino hosted in New Zealand, and to play at one, this does not include gambling on an overseas online casino. So, it is not illegal for a player in New Zealand to play roulette on the Internet if that website is based overseas. Similarly to Australia, your legal protections are dependent upon the legal system of the host country.
Italy
Online casinos are legal in Italy but you must play at casinos that hold a licence to operate (such as the casinos we feature in our Italian page). To apply and obtain an Italian remote gaming license, casinos must be licensed and run from within the European Economic Area (EEA) -such as from Malta which is s short hop from Sicily.
Casinos must have strong links to the Autonomous Administration of State Monopoly’s (AAMS, the Italian licensing authority) which is their centre for compliance. Gambling companies that are set up in Italy pay a 27.5% corporate income tax rate, and those operating from outside pay a regional tax of between 2.98 and 4.82% depending on where they are established.
Italian taxes on bets vary from 3% to 20%, depending on the type of bet. Online casino games are subject to a tax equal to 0.6% of turnover. Bets must be made on sites hosted on a .it domain.