Gambling regulations and the legality of different forms of gambling in Europe can be quite confusing. European Union legislation gives companies the right to offer services in other EU countries. This has prevented Italy from imposing a total ban on online gambling. But while the EU treaties prevent outright bans, they also give each member state complete autonomy in deciding what laws to enforce, how strictly to regulate their industries, and what types of activities to declare legal.
We have taken the hassle out of finding safe sites to gamble on in your part of the world; not only will we recommend a handful of European online gambling sites that are guaranteed to be safe, but we will also go through the specifics of what types of sites are legal and what types of gambling are allowed in the many different jurisdictions that make up Europe.
The Best European Online Gambling Sites
| Rank | Site | Play | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
  Las Atlantis review
|
280% up to $14,000
|
Visit Site Las Atlantis | |
 Wild Casino review
|
250% up to $5,000
|
Visit Site Wild Casino | |
 BetUS review
|
125% up to $2,500
|
Visit Site BetUS | |
 BetOnline review
|
50% up to $1,000
|
Visit Site BetOnline | |
 Bovada review
|
50% bonus up to $250
|
Visit Site Bovada |
The gambling sites that appear on this list of recommendations have been thoroughly vetted for legitimacy, reliability, variety, and a few other things that we will cover shortly. This has been done by our team of experts who are constantly finding new sites to review. Once they find and review a new site, they then decide whether or not to share it with our readers. This is all very labor intensive, but it is worth it to us, and we think it is worth it to our readers.
This page serves two main functions for the reader. First, we explain the criteria that are required to be a world-class gaming site and why we prioritize certain factors. Second, we examine the legal status of online gambling in various European countries, and what forms of gambling are allowed where.
After reading this page, you will know all the gambling services you can legally access in your region. You will also know the best online gambling sites for Europeans. They are legal and trustworthy.
What Makes a Gambling Site One of the “Best”?
When you find us reviewing a site, they comb through the site's history, research industry blacklists, study the terms and conditions, and generally take a deep dive into the operation. We evaluate everything in detail so that we can keep our promise to deliver only the most exceptional European online gambling sites. This is how we excel in our reviews. The following paragraphs list some of the important features that we expect to find, and that you should expect to find as well.
Legitimacy and Safety
Every year we see the number grow and grow, but also the amount of money being targeted by these rivulets of water chasing the next big payday. And that makes our work much more important, not less, because while they don't directly address the issue of gambling site legitimacy, they come at the public from a different angle with the same overall goal if you follow the money. There's a reason we lead the rankings with site security, and that should be obvious by now.
We can learn about and pay attention to any alarming company issues or patterns of behavior that raise red flags. For example, a shaky track record on payout schedules would be a serious concern. In addition, sites that have previously been blacklisted are removed from our recommendations.
Some gambling sites impose unreasonably low limits on how much you can withdraw and how often you can withdraw. They may also use delaying tactics, such as asking for more documentation than is normal or justifiable, in order to get you to spend your withdrawal amount at the site while you wait for the money to come to you. If a site does any of these things, it fails the basic test of being one of the best online gambling sites in Europe.
Variety
If you were to rank the numerous advantages that online gambling has over traditional land-based casinos, the very first and most obvious advantage would be the incredible variety available to players. While a brick-and-mortar casino is limited by its physical size (and the cost of running a casino, which necessarily includes the cost of paying a large number of operators and utilities), an online casino can present its customers with an almost limitless number of gaming options. You can find thousands of unique slot games online, along with dozens of variations of traditional table games, every imaginable set of video poker rules (usually with multiple rule sets available for each game), and a full sports book, all in one virtual space.
This is a wonderful feature because it prevents boredom and keeps players entertained and engaged. For example, if you get tired of playing computer-deal blackjack, you can switch to a live dealer. Slot players aren't given much in the way of strategy or input, so for them it's absolutely essential that there be a seemingly endless array of different themes, all with some sort of jackpot or side game to distract them.
Since you will be depositing your hard-earned money into an account at one of the top European online gambling sites of your choice, the last thing we want is for you to be disinterested in the account. Our specialists have found that online betting platforms with the widest range of games and betting types tend to have the highest customer satisfaction. That's why variety is a key factor in our rankings.
Quality Website and Games
The ultimate goal of casino-guide.biz is to connect our readers with the online gaming sites that suit them best, while providing the most reliable and trustworthy service. We place a high priority on ensuring that the sites we recommend are not only professional in look and feel, but also easy to navigate and available at all times.
There are times when a player needs to place a bet on a sporting event and cannot wait for the event to begin and the odds to be pulled off the board. We can't let our customers miss out on betting opportunities because of a site that doesn't have a clear hierarchy or is not organized in a logical way. They need to be able to find the bets they want to make, when they want to make them.
We also consider the quality of the graphics. Some slot games are fun to play because they have high-quality animations and artwork. Many slots are based on popular TV shows and movies, and these games include a lot of interactivity and video clips. When we make a recommendation to our readers, we expect these aesthetically pleasing options to run smoothly.
Banking Methods
When it comes to online gambling banking methods, it's a good thing to have multiple options. Different customers require different accommodations, and by casting a wider net, more people seem to be satisfied. But beyond the convenience that comes with having a variety of ways to fund or withdraw from an online gambling account, there is an added layer of banking methods that seems to be critical in places like Europe, where laws are somewhat inconsistent from region to region.
For example, in the United States, it is legal for individuals to gamble online. However, the financial institutions that serve these individuals are prohibited by law from processing transactions between their customers and the online gambling business. This means that players in the US must use other methods to access this online gambling. They can't use Visa or MasterCard, debit or credit.
Some readers may not want to link their banking information directly to their online casino, depending on the European country in which they reside. At the same time, the United Kingdom enjoys full legalization and regulation of gambling, which may make customers from that region inclined to opt for direct transfers to and from their checking accounts. It just depends on what obstacles you want to avoid, or if there are any at all.
Reliable Customer Service
There are few things more annoying than having a problem that needs fixing and not being able to get anyone to help you. When there is poor customer service, it taints any opinion you might have of a service or product, and rightly so. So if we're going to tell our readers about the best European online gambling sites, we have to make damn sure they have decent customer service.
When we evaluate a website's customer service area, we first look for a section that is clearly labeled and easy to find. The support area should provide answers to frequently asked questions, as well as information about the company and the gambling site. This section should also provide multiple methods of communication, including email, phone and live chat.
By far the most important determinant of our customer satisfaction is the department that handles customer issues. We contact them through every conceivable form of communication, at every possible hour of the day, to see how responsive and helpful they really are. We do this because no one's customer satisfaction should depend on a department that can't be reached when it counts.
Bonus Programs
You have probably seen in our list of recommendations that the top online gambling sites in Europe attract new members with bonuses and rewards programs. In most cases, online gambling houses offer free games just for signing up and then match a percentage of the total once you make a deposit. This can add up to quite a bit of free money, which is why these sites receive an ingredient score in our overall rankings. Of course, with free money, you want to read the terms and conditions before you sign up, as sometimes the strings attached make the gift not worth taking.
Loyalty rewards programs are a whole different animal, and they almost always have some value. You'll earn different types of rewards depending on how much money you wager and how often you do it. Some pretty typical rewards are getting some cash back for your losses, getting some free play credits, or even getting some stuff from a company store.
You receive rewards in direct proportion to the value you provide to the casino or sportsbook. For high rollers, we've seen prizes as extravagant as exotic vacations and cars.
Advantages of Gambling Online
In many European countries, residents have a wide range of local casino and sports betting options. This is especially true in the United Kingdom. Although having physical gaming locations in a jurisdiction is a huge plus for residents, there are some good reasons to prefer virtual casinos and sportsbooks over real-life gaming. Even if you're not a regular gambler, the following list should convince you that betting and playing online is often the better choice.
Better Odds
The operating costs of a brick-and-mortar gaming operation are significant. They have to pay for staff, utilities, and the various other expenses associated with maintaining a physical location. And like any business with such overhead, the prices they charge their customers-in this case, the people who place bets-have to be set at a level that allows the business to make a profit. This is where the house edge comes in.
Quality European gambling sites are not burdened with expensive overhead. As a result, these sites are able to offer players incredibly favorable odds when they play. For us here at MyBookie, providing our customers with odds, lines and bets that are far better than the competition is of the utmost importance. And why is that? Because even the slightest edge can make a massive difference to the long-term profits of the people we're in the business of winning for.
Convenience
The biggest advantage that virtual gaming platforms have over their traditional counterparts is the sheer convenience of participating in a game of chance. Even in places where gambling is legal and there are well-appointed gaming rooms, nothing is as quick and easy to access as a virtual slot machine. For all the virtual gaming platforms and mobile applications that exist today, the experience of playing in a land-based casino - as visually stunning and as noisy as it tends to be - will never be perfectly replicated. But in places where gambling is as legal as it is ubiquitous, nothing is quicker or easier than pulling out a smartphone and making your picks.
When you can access mobile-friendly online sportsbooks, you have everything you could possibly want to bet on right at your fingertips. This is very helpful when betting on sports, as there are often times that bets need to be placed immediately before contests begin. You almost certainly won't be able to travel to a physical sportsbook while also having time to get your picks in, but with online options, literally as long as you have a moment's worth of more time than it takes to type and hit 'enter', you're good to go.
Better Rewards Programs
If you're used to betting at more standard land-based casinos, you may have noticed that they've never given you free money just for entering their premises. This is a practice that is only found at online gambling sites and has become something of an industry standard at these virtual venues. There are two types of sign up bonuses that are quite common:
- Sign-Up Bonus - The gift you receive just for opening an account usually consists of free play tokens or credits that allow you to try out the games and the casino in general before depositing any real money;
- Deposit Bonus - As the name suggests, this bonus is applied as soon as you deposit money into your gambling account. These are almost always given as a percentage of the initial funding of the account. Often gambling sites will offer a 100% match, allowing you to double your money before placing a single bet;
The land based alternatives do have loyalty rewards programs, but they are not at the same level as the online version. If you're in a brick and mortar location, you need to have a player card and remember to not only present it whenever you gamble on the premises, but also mentally keep track of how much you're wagering. Otherwise, you are just giving the casino free advice on how well their product is working. At least, that's the perspective I've gained from talking to various friends who are involved in gambling, either as players or as people who work in the gambling industry.
More Options
Another area where brick and mortar gambling establishments can never compare to online gambling is the sheer number of choices available to players. Concerns about space and sporting event schedules simply do not apply when playing online. The leading European sites can - and do - offer literally thousands of different types of slots and other machines; hundreds of varieties of table games and more types of bets than you can shake a stick at; and as many sports betting opportunities as you could possibly want.
A Brief Overview of the Gambling Laws in Europe
The United Kingdom
Gambling is perfectly legal in the United Kingdom. Most of the highly rated online casinos and sportsbooks you can find today operate from a jurisdiction that's not only safe, but also one of the most heavily regulated and trusted in the world. And when you think about it, that's really what you want: to gamble with an operator that is well regulated and completely safe.
Spain
Since the passage of the Spanish Gambling Law in 2011, Spain has enjoyed the presence of legal gambling. Each of the country's seventeen regions now has the power to decide which gambling activities fall under the jurisdiction of the regional authorities and which activities remain unregulated. In general, however, the Spanish gambling scene is overseen by a body called the National Gambling Commission. Also, in order to be considered fully legal, any online gambling site operated from within Spain must have a web address that ends in ".es".
Italy
Italy started with a similar strategy to many other countries: trying to keep gambling out, and they too faced a challenge from the EU. Once Italy started licensing, things got better, but the atmosphere is still not as fun - partly because the AAMS is somewhat over-regulating. Licensing in Italy is becoming less cumbersome and more straightforward, though, and that's good news for Italian gaming and its potential for greater success.
France
Since 2010, all types of gambling are allowed in France. They have set up the Regulatory Authority for Online Gaming to oversee the online gambling business. Like the UK, France has a system that allows for safe and secure gambling when licensing is done in this way. Recently, they have supervised half a dozen online casino operators. There is some serious gambling going on in France.
Gambling Jurisdictions
In addition to the main regulators of online gambling in the major EU countries, there are several reputable offshore jurisdictions that host a variety of online gambling sites.
- Alderney
- Alderney has an excellent reputation for the seriousness with which it approaches oversight and consumer protection
- A popular jurisdiction for online gambling since 2000, this island in the English Channel is a common choice for hosting gaming websites. Its
- ~ gaming sites (Alderney is a gambling authority and its consumer protection is taken seriously);
In Conclusion
If you are looking for the best European online gaming sites, today is your lucky day because you have us to look after you. Things can get a little confusing when it comes to gambling in Europe. Countries can legislate and regulate as they wish, but they can't ban it outright. This is the result of a treaty signed by all the members of the EU. They all agreed to it. In that treaty, they all agreed not to stop their companies from going across their common borders and doing business there.
This includes Internet gambling. Citizens of these states should be free to access and use licensed, regulated Internet gambling services. This should include online poker and any other Internet gambling games that don't violate the laws of the state in which the player is located. Of course, in many places, that's not the kind of freedom that citizens of those states currently enjoy.
Take Spain, for example. There, live betting and bingo games are against the law, but other forms of online sports betting and casino games are perfectly legal. To make matters worse, each of Spain's seventeen regions has the power to regulate gambling as they see fit, so even within a single country, laws can be inconsistent.
Germany will not allow new operators to enter its market. However, some older sites have been allowed to continue operating. In addition, German adults are free to play on foreign online gaming sites that are legally licensed in other EU jurisdictions.
Overall, the Internet gambling industry in Europe is a well-established and growing business. With several EU members legalizing online gambling, other countries have had little choice but to allow their citizens to participate. At this point, it surely makes more sense to regulate this activity and collect some tax revenue than to let these profits continue to flow out of the region.
No matter where you are, our primary concern is to keep you safe and provide you with the very best European online gambling sites the world has to offer. The list at the top of this page has been compiled by a dedicated team of experts, and that same team will continue to review sites for as long as there's an interest in gambling. If the annual gambling figures are anything to go by, we will be serving our readers for a long time to come.