Taking a broad look at the state of online casino play in the European Union could take a long time. There are many nations involved here, and various laws that affect them. Still, there are some basic themes that show up all over most of Europe. For example, most of the countries in the EU allow online gambling in one form or another. The big thing here is that the countries here regulate them pretty closely. Taxing this big business is an important source of revenue for many European countries, and by closely monitoring the domestic casinos, country governments can help rake in a few extra bucks. Despite the fact that the nations of the EU are loosely united, they do not have a strict central government, so it is important to keep in mind that gambling laws will vary from country to country.
However, gambling laws in many parts of the EU are still progressing. While it’s pretty easy to play at the casino of your choice right now, this could change in the near future. Take Belgium as an example. The Belgian Gaming Act currently does allow online gaming, but the sites that are accessible are very closely monitored. Many sites have been blacklisted, and are blocked from within the country. Only state licensed casinos are allowed to operate here, effectively giving the government a monopoly on the online gambling business. This is their way of keeping money within the country and protecting residents against fraud.
| Rank | Casino Site | Bonus | Payout | Mobile | iPad | US | Review | Go to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | $1500 | 97.2% | No | No | No | Read Review | Visit Site |
| 2 |  | $4500 | 96.9% | Yes | Yes | Yes | Read Review | Visit Site |
| 3 |  | $3200 | 95.8% | No | No | Yes | Read Review | Visit Site |
| 4 |  | $400 | 97.9% | Yes | Yes | No | Read Review | Visit Site |
| 5 |  | $550 | 96.9% | No | No | No | Read Review | Visit Site |
While Belgium is a pretty extreme example, this is a common theme throughout the EU. Casinos are regulated strictly and there is a strong current within which countries attempt to keep online casinos domestic. So far, this has shown to reduce the number of choices available to players in Europe, but not always in a significant manner. In France, for example, as of 2010, online gambling is legal for sports betting, poker, and parimutuel horse racing. When it comes to games of chance, there is still some grey area that needs to be sorted out, but it is available This may come under future scrutiny, but for now, French gamblers have a lot of leeway when it comes to playing the games that they enjoy. It hasn’t always been this way; as short of a time ago as 1987, even slot machines were completely outlawed. Obviously a lot has changed since then. This should be a good indicator of where the European community as a whole is headed as far as gambling–particularly online gambling–is concerned.
Something that Europe has created, that other areas of the world have not, is that online gambling can be regulated in a mutually beneficial manner. Yes, European residents might not have access to every single casino out on the market, but this isn’t really a bad thing. There are still a lot of choices available to those interested, and for the most part, the choices that they do have contain all of the same games that they would want to play anyway. There are still casinos and platforms with great graphics, and because they are closely monitored by governmental agencies, the likelihood of depositing your money into a fraudulent casino has been reduced drastically. So yes, the freedom of choice is slightly hampered, but this has not really had a negative impact upon the enjoyment that European gamblers will have while playing at the site of their choice.
Regardless of your games of choice, you can easily find it in Europe. Blackjack is quite popular here, as is roulette, craps, and slot machines. Thanks to the increase in gambling freedom, the outlook for gamblers is only getting better as time progresses. The individual nations have realized that they can make a lot of money in this area, and in an area of the world where state debt has routinely been a problem, it’s only going to get better for those that like to wager online. Just make sure you are using common sense when playing. Don’t bet money you need for something else, do a thorough check of the site that you will be using before you create an account, and make sure you are getting the best bonus terms possible.Just because you might have a few less choices than you want does not mean that the quality will be lower. Europe is at the forefront when it comes to providing quality games, so you will definitely be in luck, regardless of what it is you’re looking for.