Belarus – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
Belarus, which finds itself located on the Russian border in Eastern Europe, is quietly getting itself a reputation as a popular spot for gambling in the region. Due to the fact that the country has fairly relaxed gambling laws in comparison to neighboring countries like Russia and Poland, the Belarussian tourism board has jumped on this, with thousands of visitors from these countries visiting Belarus to gamble every year. Online gambling laws in the country have also loosened up now, and residents of the country can try their luck at a range of different online casinos. The country also only allows licensed sites to be played there, which means players can breathe easy knowing that they’re safe.
Find the Best Belarus Casino Online
For an international casino to operate in Belarus, they must have a recognized gambling license. This does mean that players are almost definitely going to be playing at safe online operators. That being said, some may manage to sneak through the gaps and it is always better to do your thorough research before attempting to sign up and deposit money at a site.
- Does the casino accept players from Belarus?
- What currencies are accepting at the casino? Do they accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin?
- What gambling license does the casino hold? Can I trust this license?
- Can players from Belarus get their hands on bonuses and promotions here?
- Which software developers do the casino work with?
- What games does the casino have on offer? Are there live casino options available?
- Can I access the casino using a mobile device?
Working out the best casino for you to play at can be a real headache. Knowing what to look for when you visit a site often takes years of practice. That’s why we here at GoodLuckMate have done all of the hard work - so that you don’t have to. You can check out our list of top casinos elsewhere on the site to find a great selection of sites for you to choose from. We take an in-depth look at everything a casino has to offer, from its range of games to the license it holds and the range of bonuses and promotions that it has to offer to its visitors.
Gambling Regulation – Ministry of Tourism and Sports
Gambling in Belarus is regulated by the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The country is popular with visitors from neighboring countries like Russia and Poland due to their comparatively relaxed laws and their economic benefits from this. Online gambling was made legal in the country recently and more and more online casinos are now targeting it.
Regulations in the country are still fairly stringent when it comes to who can and who can’t operate a casino. For offline casinos, for example, the CEO of the Casino must have several years of experience in the gambling industry and can also own no other businesses. These have ensured the dignity of the industry in the country, and have seen it prosper in recent years.
For an online casino to operate in the country, it must have a gambling license. Any unlicensed casinos will be automatically blocked. As of yet, there are no fully licensed domestic casinos. This means that players who are gambling in the country are going to be protected by some form of governing body. The most popular of these would be the Curacao license, though, there may also be some licensed by other very reputable bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority.
Localized Online Casinos
As we’ve already discussed, there are no locally operated online casinos in Belarus. As a result of this, all of the casinos that are visited in the country are international. Players from Belarus are often welcomed at a selection of online casinos, but there will be few who offer Belarussian as a language option. That being said, Russian, which is the second language in the country, is available at quite a lot of international casinos, and there even be some customer support and some live casino options in this language.
Many international casinos will allow players in Belarus to claim their welcome bonuses and other promotions. It is always best to read over the terms & conditions of any bonuses you attempt to claim to see if there are any geographical restrictions in place.
Gambling with Belarussian Rubles
The local currency used in Belarus is the Belarussian Ruble. Unfortunately, there are very few online casinos that currently allow players to deposit with this fund. With online gambling becoming more popular in the region, this may change in the future.
Many of the online casinos that operate in Belarus will allow players to deposit with other European currencies such as the euro or the Russian ruble. An increasingly popular option for players in Belarus and other countries is to deposit using cryptocurrencies, which are now accepted by a lot of online casinos and sportsbooks and are becoming increasingly popular among online gamblers.
Casinos in Belarus
Gambling is becoming increasingly popular in Belarus, especially since the government legalized online gambling. Those who live in Minsk, the nation’s capital, are not going to struggle to find a good casino, with the city being home to 11 major casinos. There are a total of 30 available nationwide. The country also attracts players from all over other parts of Eastern Europe thanks to its easier laws in comparison.
As far as online gambling goes, players can rest assured that they are going to be playing in fully licensed and safe casinos, with the government banning any unlicensed sites operating in the area. Many fantastic online casinos and sportsbooks operate in the country. This gives players who live there a range of different betting options including online slots, poker games, live casino offerings and much more. To find a range of good online casinos that are available to play in Belarus, be sure to check out our GoodLuckMate casino reviews elsewhere on the site.
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
