Table of Contents
IGaming Laws differ quite substantially from country to country, and it seems as though politicians and government bodies just cannot make a universal decision on how iGaming should be governed. This comes as no surprise – iGaming has only been on the radar for the past few years, so it makes complete sense that governing bodies still have differing opinions on the subject.
However, some of the ways that iGaming laws differ can actually be rather surprising, and this is exactly what we are going to be taking a look at in this article. Let’s jump right into it and talk about how iGaming laws differ between different countries.
Loot Boxes Are Almost Universally Banned
While this article may be focused upon how iGaming laws differ between countries, it is also worth noting a few of the rare instances where different nations agree on legislation, and loot boxes undoubtedly fall within this list. Loot boxes are generally seen incredibly unfavourably by governing bodies and lawmakers, and the places where this practice is legal are incredibly few in number.
This is so much the case that the number of countries where loot boxes are banned far exceeds that of where they are legal – loot boxes are one of the few aspects of iGaming that is almost universally disliked by everyone.
This comes as absolutely no surprise – when you factor in the malicious nature of loot boxes as well as the potential damage they could cause to younger audiences, it becomes obvious as to why the world put its foot down to this type of behaviour, and it is unlikely that we will ever see a similar mechanic to loot boxes in gaming again.
Online Casino Rules Vary Drastically
Online casinos are a hard service to govern. Whilst online casinos virtually function the exact same as real-life casinos, they also come with a ton of risk when compared to their real-world counterparts (such as being easier to access, more vulnerable to identity fraud, and more appealing to high-spenders), and this is exactly why a common consensus is incredibly hard to come by.
Because of this, some countries have little to no laws regarding online casinos, while others may choose to put in place extremely strict laws to minimise any potential risks.
Moreover, this is perhaps no better example that showcases this than online casinos in the UK. Just check out the online casinos UK has to offer – not only is there an extremely high number of them, but the relaxed iGaming laws that the UK upholds allow for a lot more creativity/diversity between establishments, and this is precisely why the UK is one of the leading producers of online casinos worldwide.
Certain countries have a much harder time getting around specific laws and regulations when it comes to online casinos, and as a direct consequence of this, the majority of well-known casinos tend to come from nations that have relaxed laws such as the UK and Canada.
The US is Lagging Behind
If we were to do an iGaming comparison between different countries, the most notable result we would come away with is that the US is lagging behind in almost all regards. Compared to most other countries, the US still has abysmal iGaming laws in place that holds it back quite substantially, and there is a good reason why the vast majority of successful gambling platforms are housed outside of the US.
Not only are there some pretty strict laws in place that make developing and publishing an online casino incredibly arduous, but the US also has one of the highest tax rates in the world for gambling establishments, meaning that a sizable portion of any company’s revenue is going to be given away almost right from the get-go.
The US is lagging behind to a fairly noticeable degree when compared to the rest of the world, and unless changes are made, viable iGaming options will begin to decrease in number dramatically.
We hope we have been able to give you a better insight into how iGaming laws differ from country to country. The world still isn’t all too sure of what to make of iGaming as of now, and until a universal consensus is made, huge discrepancies in law are likely going to be commonplace for the foreseeable future.
Who knows what the future of iGaming legislation will look like – as things stand now, nothing is concrete enough to tell. Catch you in the next one.
