There are hundreds of online casinos around and more are being launched on a regular basis. The legality of these casinos differs from country to country. To be able to gamble legally in your country you need to be of a specific age, usually 18, and the laws of your country need to be in favor of gambling. Gambling laws differ in each country, for example it is illegal to gamble in America, where as in most countries in Europe it is legal. The laws keep on changing and one day soon America will legalize it again. All online casinos need to be audited and have special casino licenses to operate legally in countries. All of this is described in more detail below.

Internet Gambling Licenses
Till date there are approximately seventy-six jurisdictions offering online gaming licenses. From Bermuda-Antigua in the Caribbean, to Kanawake Indian Territories in Canada, to Malta in Europe. All online casinos need to be licensed so that they can operate and advertise in various countries around the world. If a casino doesn’t have a license, then DON’T play at that online casino.

United States Laws and Licenses
The U.S. online casinos gambling laws can be very unclear, especially in the USA. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 in the States has forced all banking facilities to stop payments from online casinos. The act doesn’t say that online casinos are illegal in the U.S. but it does prevent a lot of players playing. Only a handful of online casinos still operate in America, and Rushmore casino is one of them.

In a ruling, it was requested that U.S Congress drop internet gambling prohibitions on the Americans who bet through online casinos but the ban was said to be an unfair trade barrier. The online gaming license jurisdictions in the American continents are in Canada (Kahnawake), Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Louisiana, California, New Jersey, Costa Rica, and Panama.

European Laws and Licenses
Most European countries accept online gambling and have made it legal. EU online casinos are taxed and regulated to prevent illegal gambling. European countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and France legalized gambling and seen a huge increase in growth in their respective economies.

In the UK, the government has also legalized online gambling to a degree and supports foreign operators’ to operate in the United Kingdom as well. This allows the UK to effectively regulate gambling and fraud. It is a criminal offence in the U.K. for online casino operators advertise in Britain, whereas UK licensed operators would be allowed to accept U.S. players.

The Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority is one of the biggest providers of online casino licenses in Europe. In 2004, it revised its regulations allowing other gaming activities like online casinos, betting exchanges and lotteries to be allowed only once an application was submitted and a license granted.

Online Casino Payout Reports
An online casino payout rate is termed as the amount of money an online casino pays its players who have won. It is a percentage of the player’s winnings from the casino. A good way to see if an online casino is legal, is to see if it has payout reports that are audited by a 3rd party, like PWC or eCogra. They audit the casinos games and generate payout reports on player’s winnings and incentives earned from the casino. These audited payout reports are generally published on the homepage of the casino inclusive of an archive of previous months’ reports. This is accessible to all players who visit the casinos’ website. It is advised that you check the payout rates of an online casino first, before starting to play there.