Croatia – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
If you’re looking for online casinos in Croatia, you’re going to find quite a few options. Of course, you can go ahead and take your pick of the selection here at GoodLuckMate right this minute. But, if you want to know more about how the gambling industry works in the country, please read on.For you as a player, it’s not all that difficult. You’re allowed to play at any land-based or online-based casino, as long as you’re over 18 years of age. The casino you choose to play at doesn’t even have to be located in Croatia. You’re free to pick and choose from a vast selection of casinos.
And that’s why we’re here to help you find the right one for you. We’ve gathered all of them in one place so that you won’t have to search the Internet left and right to find decent ones. There are, however, a few things to keep in mind.
Finding the best Croatian casino online
Since you’ve got the good fortune of being able to choose from hundreds upon hundreds of casino sites, you’ll want to keep a couple of things in mind. First off, you’ll want to be clear about what you want. If you’re not interested in sportsbook betting whatsoever, you can scrap that from your list of things to look for. Do you want to find huge jackpots? Or fast-paced live roulette tables? Specific needs will help in your search, so don’t be afraid to voice them!
Of course, local online casinos with local, Croatian licenses, will provide the best local gaming experience. But, there aren’t that many operators in Croatia, which is why you might not want to restrict yourself to local sites.
These are a few things you’ll want to ask yourself when you’re looking at a casino:
- Are you able to play in Croatian?
- Can you play using Kuna or Euro?
- Does the casino have a local license?
- Are Croatians allowed to participate in promotions and loyalty programs?
- Is there a welcome offer for Croatians?
- Do they have payment options that suit you?
We’ve already gone to the trouble of finding the best online casinos in Croatia, and we’ve also checked them out for you already. Our casino reviews will give you all the answers you need to choose your next casino.
Gambling regulation – The Croatia Gambling Law
Gambling in the country has been unregulated since Croatia’s independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Gambling was legalized to boost tourism in the country, and in 2010, the country made its first move to regulate the online part of the market. In 2014, a plan to regulate foreign gambling companies arose. It required them to apply for a license and pay a fee.
It took several years for the Croatia Gambling Law to be put in motion, but today, it’s true that all casinos that want to operate in the country have to obtain a license to do so. You, as a player, can still access and use any casino online – it doesn’t matter if they have a Croatian license or not. Just make sure the casino accepts players from Croatia.
Localized online casinos
Although most casinos online are available to you, there are a few sites that focus specifically on the Croatian market, which might benefit you. First of all, there’s the language. Local gambling sites are offered in Croatian. Just keep in mind that the dealers at live casino tables will still speak English.
The second perk is the currency. Since Euro and Kuna are so vastly different in value, being able to play in Kuna will make things less confusing for you. Since these operators are all around our country, you can be sure they’ll also have promotions and offers that are tailored to our public holidays, seasons and culture.
Casino in Croatia
Of course, gambling in Croatia isn’t only about online gambling, although it’s widely available here. It is, of course, the land-based casinos that helped the country in the early 90s, and they are still available to us today.
Not surprisingly, you’ll find these brick-and-mortar casinos inside hotels or in tourist areas, seeing as they were mainly focused on people visiting the country.
Something to keep in mind when gambling here is that winnings are subject to taxes. Depending on the amount of your winnings, you’ll have to pay between 10% and 30% tax. The good thing is that when you’re gambling at local sites, they’ll deduct this amount from your winnings for you. So you won’t have to pay it yourself.
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.
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