How to Avoid Restrictions When Gambling Online: A Short SummaryOnline gambling can be difficult or even impossible in some countries. There are countries that place restrictions on which gambling websites can be accessed, and some countries have even banned online gambling altogether. However, some people living in countries where online gambling is banned use a VPN to bypass these blocks. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tool that can change your IP address, hide your real location and encrypt your internet connection.
Here’s how some people use a VPN to gamble online:
- They subscribe to a VPN. We recommend NordVPN when it comes to gambling online. This VPN is very fast, keeps no logs, and has servers all over the world.
- They download and install the VPN or mobile app.
- They connect to a VPN server located in the country that hosts the website you want to use.
- They gain access to the website.
Note: While using a VPN can be a fast and easy way to gain access to gambling websites otherwise unavailable to you, it does come with certain risks. You can read about those in the article below.
Since the first online casino opened in August of 1996, millions of people around the globe now gamble online. By 2022, online gambling wagers will surpass $1 trillion, which is greater than the US national deficit!
In a big part of the Western world, internet gambling is legal. However, in most countries, there are strict rules that need to be followed for casinos, both offline and online. On top of that, online gambling is illegal or significantly restricted in at least ten countries. As a result, many people turn to VPNs to gamble online.
In this article, you’ll read all about online gambling with a VPN and whether or not you can gamble with a VPN on the top betting sites and online casinos.
How to Gamble Online with a VPN
If you’re traveling to a country where online gambling isn’t allowed, the only secure way to access your regularly visited online gambling sites is by using a VPN. By using a VPN service, you can route your internet connection through a server in your country of origin, or a country with more permissive gambling laws, such as the UK or the US. This means that you can then access online websites without being blocked because of your location.
VPNs have the added benefit of obscuring your actual location and encrypting your internet connection, making it very difficult for your activities to be tracked or monitored by others. For the sake of transparency and understanding how this process works, we’ve listed the steps people commonly take to gamble online with a VPN below.
A step-by-step guide: Gamble online with a VPN
- The first step is to choose a VPN for sports betting or online casinos. Some of the best-known providers for this are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark.
- Once you’ve chosen a provider, downloading and installing a VPN is simple. VPNs can be installed on your computer, or you can download a mobile app for most premium VPNs.
- You’ll need to have a subscription to log into the VPN software.
- Users typically then look for a VPN server in a country that hosts the website they want to unblock. For example, those who are using a VPN for Roobet access will need to choose a VPN server in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay, and so on.
- By connecting to the VPN server, you change your IP address. So, when a user who’s based in the U.S. changes their IP address to a Brazilian IP for example, they should be able to access the website without being blocked.
Why is Online Gambling Restricted?
Of the 195 recognized countries in the world today, 56 of them have significant legal regulations in place to restrict gambling. What’s more, ten of them have banned online gambling altogether. To comply with international law, most gambling websites use geo-blocking, which blocks access to users from countries where online gambling is illegal.
The motivations for making online gambling illegal differ from country to country, with social, political, and religious factors all playing a part. Traditional (offline) gambling is illegal in nearly all countries where Islam is the majority religion. However, many have not gotten around to legislating against online gambling or do not have the infrastructure to prevent their citizens from accessing online casinos.
Other countries such as China and North Korea have banned their own citizens from gambling, but it is legal for foreign tourists to gamble while they are visiting. Despite these differences, the methods used to block gambling from abroad are largely the same, as we’ll explain below.
How are Online Gambling Restrictions Enforced?
Many of the countries that prohibit online gambling rely on gambling websites and casinos to filter out foreign visitors based on their IP addresses and prevent them from playing. This is why using a VPN for online gambling is common: a VPN changes your IP address, so you can spoof your location.
However, there’s no guarantee that a VPN will work. In some countries such as the United Kingdom, the most well-known and best betting sites use KYC (Know Your Customer) identity checks to verify your signup information. If you don’t have any digital footprint in the country whose IP address you’re spoofing, you might not even be able to create an account.
What’s more, even if you do manage to create an account on a website that has banned your country’s IP addresses, you could face another obstacle when it comes to withdrawing money. Many websites will request proof of identity and address before paying out a large win.
All in all, it’s quite difficult to effectively circumvent these online gambling restrictions. This doesn’t stop people from trying, though. Some users have found that using a VPN helps them gain access to and gamble on certain sites.
The Best VPNs for Online Gambling
Before moving on, we want to stress that we do not condone the use of a VPN to do something that would be deemed illegal. Only use a VPN for online gambling when it’s not against the law of the country you are in and the Terms of Service of the site that you’re using.
If you’re looking for the best VPNs for online gambling, there are a few main factors you need to take into consideration:
- Privacy protection (keeps no logs)
- Server location
- Security protocols
With these aspects in mind, these are the VPN services that we would suggest if you are looking to avoid restrictions when gambling online in another country.
NordVPN: The best VPN for online gambling with fast connections
NordVPN is an excellent choice of VPN service when it comes to gambling online. They offer advanced encryption, a reliable, speedy service, and 5,200+ VPN servers in countries all over the world. Because they are based in Panama, NordVPN has no legal obligations to keep any data logs of your online activity, increasing your privacy.
- Excellent protection and a large network of servers
- Nice and pleasing application
- No logs
ExpressVPN: The best VPN for online gambling in 94 countries
ExpressVPN offers a massive network of over 3000 servers across 94 countries for you to choose from, allowing for a speedy, stable service. Their user-friendly application works on Android, iPhone, Windows, and Mac, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s a popular VPN amongst those who seek to unblock online casinos.
- Very easy to use VPN
- Perfect for anonymous browsing, downloading, and streaming (i.e. Netflix)
- 3000+ servers in 94 countries
Surfshark: The best VPN for online gambling on multiple devices
Surfshark has over 1700 servers across 63 countries, giving you a considerable amount of choice when it comes to changing your IP address. Their easy-to-use software is compatible with Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Linux. Furthermore, Surfshark lets you use one account for an unlimited number of devices at once. The vast server network ensures that you can gain access to gambling websites from overseas, all over the world.
- Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
- 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
- Cheap with many extra options
3 Risks of Using a VPN for Online Gambling
As we’ve stated, there are some risks when using a VPN for online gambling. Below we’ve listed the most common drawbacks online gamblers might come across.
1. Not being able to gain access to gambling sites
Virtual Private Networks can get you into a lot of places that would otherwise be hidden to you. However, sometimes, even with a VPN, you can’t access certain software or a certain site. This seems to vary from player to player, but we’ve read reports that using a VPN works for some, while it doesn’t work for others.
Also, software used by PokerStars, for example, can scan your PC for cheating software. As part of this, they also seem to be on the lookout for VPNs. When they see that you’re using such software, they won’t hold back from banning your account.
2. Not getting your money (back)
If you manage to use a VPN in conjunction with a gambling site for a longer period of time, you can still run into trouble when you’re trying to get paid. A lot of websites ask for specific personal information before they transfer you your money. This usually includes a copy of your ID, a valid bank account for them to pay the money into, and a legitimate address.
These details are used to make sure that they send the money to the right person. However, this can also be used to see if you’re actually in the right country. If they find out you’re not really a resident of a permitted country, they could withhold your winnings and freeze your account — no matter how much you’ve won.
3. Getting your account frozen or terminated
If a gambling site finds out that you’re using a VPN, and it’s clear that using a VPN is against their terms of service, they will freeze and sometimes even terminate your account. This means you can’t access your account anymore and you won’t be able to cash out any winnings.
Popular Gambling Sites and Their Stance on VPN Use
We’ve looked at a handful of the top betting and gambling sites to see what their stance is on users running a VPN connection. We discovered that the web’s most popular gambling platforms don’t allow VPN usage, which could result in the consequences mentioned above.
1. Bovada
Bovada’s terms of service clearly state that they reserve the right to immediately terminate or deny a player access to their account when a player shows fraudulent activity. The paragraph also specifically includes the use of VPNs and proxy servers.
Bovada states that if they “determine that a player has engaged in fraudulent, unlawful, dishonest or improper activity (including, without limitation, the usage of a VPN, proxy or similar service that masks or manipulates the identification of your real location, or by otherwise providing false or misleading information, or by making bets, wagers or poker play through a third party or on behalf of a third party) we reserve the right to immediately terminate or deny a player access to their Account.”
2. Roobet
Using VPNs for Roobet could land you in hot water. Because Roobet deals with cryptocurrency, they get their fair share of VPN users trying to access the site from locations where it’s illegal to do so.
However, Roobet also states that “You have no right to use the services as an anonymizing proxy, VPN or the like in order to bypass the law resulting from the blockade by roobet.com countries. In case of violation of these principles, roobet.com reserves the right to block and/or immediately close the account and you lose all winnings/balance.”
3. BetOnline
BetOnline has VPNs mentioned specifically under their “Tools not related to Poker” section, which states: “The use of Virtual Machines and/or any software that specializes in screen-sharing and remote-access is prohibited. The use of a VPN is considered in all game play reviews and if it’s deemed to be used to circumvent our policies, appropriate action as listed in the Fair Play Policy will be taken.”
4. PokerStars
PokerStars VPN usage is directly against the terms of use of the platform. When you sign up, you’re asked to agree that you are not prohibited from receiving funds based on your location. In other words, you can’t use a VPN for PokerStars to change your IP address and get around geographic restrictions. If you do, they could terminate your account and access to the service.
In fact, one high-profile case involved a US resident who had winnings of $692,000 withheld after PokerStars discovered that he had supposedly been using a VPN. So, be wary that winnings can be confiscated without notice if you gamble online with a VPN. Finally, it’s worth noting that PokerStars has begun using GeoComply in recent months, which could stop you from accessing the website with a VPN altogether.
5. Red Dog Casino
According to Red Dog Casino’s terms of service, players may not use any software that helps them bypass restrictions: “Please note that any activities performed from the restricted countries are also forbidden for players, who use VPN connections and other malware (...)” They even refer to VPNs as malware, which is completely untrue! The best VPNs actually help protect you against malware (malicious software).
6. 7BitCasino
7BitCasino’s policies may not be as straightforward as they suggest. One user was supposedly told that they could use a VPN connection by customer service. However, their winnings were withheld when they attempted to make a withdrawal. After a dispute, their account and winnings were restored, despite gambling with a VPN.
7. 888Casino
888Casino monitors the other software running on your device, which could give the game away. According to their terms, “(…) we may gather information with regard to other software which is running simultaneously with the Software for detecting if you are using software which is associated with fraudulent activity (e.g. robots, malware, etc.) or checking if the connection you are using is via a VPN or proxy.” The consensus from online users is that this website is particularly good at spotting VPN use, so continue at your own risk.
In Which Countries Can You Gamble Online?
There are only a few places in the world where online gambling is completely legal. These include Canada, the United Kingdom, most countries in the European Union, some countries in the Caribbean, and some states in the USA.
In most other countries, online gambling is banned or at least heavily restricted. However, many of these countries don’t enforce this ban as much as others do. In the table below, you’ll find an overview of some countries where online gambling is illegal or regulated and what punishments are used for online gambling.
| Country | Laws, Rules, and Regulations |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), all forms of gambling are illegal. The state-controlled Telecommunications Regulatory Authority also holds a monopoly over the provision of internet access. This allows them to filter the content that their citizens have access to and prevent them from accessing online gambling websites. Anyone caught gambling can face a prison sentence of up to two years. |
| Nation of Brunei | In Brunei, online gambling was made illegal under the Common Gaming House Act. Any form of gambling is illegal and is punishable by up to four years in prison. |
| Cambodia | In the face of widespread gambling addiction issues, Cambodia banned all forms of gambling under its 1996 Suppression of Gambling Act. This ban is for Cambodian citizens only, with tourists being encouraged to gamble at several specially constructed casinos. |
| North Korea | North Koreans are prohibited from gambling of any kind, including online gambling. Much of the country does not have access to the internet, and those parts that do are mostly restricted to the free, domestic-only network known as the “Kwangmyong.” Tourists are allowed to gamble, but only at one casino located in Pyongyang, and only in the presence of a state-sponsored guide. |
| Japan | Until recently, all forms of gambling were illegal in Japan. Since 2016, certain types of sports betting and a few casinos have been legalized under the Integrated Resort Programme Law. However, online gambling remains strictly prohibited. |
| Singapore | Under Singapore’s Remote Gambling Act, all forms of online gambling are illegal unless an exemption is granted by the government. In 2016, the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools were given such an exception, meaning online sports betting can be conducted through them. |
| Cyprus | The Government of Cyprus permits sports betting online, but all other forms of online gambling are illegal. |
| Qatar | In Qatar, all forms of gambling activities are considered illegal, and even online sports betting is not permitted. The government also restricts what content can be accessed by its citizens and those caught attempting to access online gambling websites face jail time if convicted. |
| Lebanon | In Lebanon, gambling of any kind that hasn’t been authorized by the government is illegal, and the government has the power to block access to online gambling websites. |
| Iran | Iran exercises strict control over what its citizens can access through the internet, using sophisticated methods, such as Deep Packet Inspection, to censor content and prevent access to over 100,000 websites. This includes online gambling. As an Islamic republic, Iran has made all forms of gambling illegal. |
Lots of “grey area”
A lot of countries have strict laws when it comes to “offline” gambling, but many failed to introduce new laws when online gambling became popular. This means that the rules regarding online gambling can be quite vague in certain countries.
Some countries basically turn a blind eye to online gambling. In others, the authorities actually go after people who are gambling online and may prosecute them. In most Islamic countries, gambling is illegal. This includes online gambling. If you’re unsure if gambling (whether it be online or offline gambling) is illegal in your country, consult with a local expert to figure out what you can and can’t do.
When to Use a VPN for Gambling Online
Seeing these risks, you might think that using a VPN to gamble online is nothing but trouble. To an extent, this is true, but some people have different motivations for using a VPN. Most online gamblers that use a VPN do so because they’re temporarily abroad.
They have legal, verified access to an online gambling site in their home country, but they are away for vacation or on a business trip, so they can’t access the site as they usually would (even if temporarily). However, by using a VPN, they can still get access with their usual credentials.
Some people wait until they’re home to withdraw their money, as they may be unable to do so from abroad. We’ve had reports from some readers who confirm that you could be expected to jump through extra hoops to get your payout. When attempting to withdraw winnings from Coral and 888Casino in the United Kingdom, one user was asked to provide proof of ID and address, despite having already done so when the account was opened.
So, if you’re an avid gambler, and you’re going abroad for a short amount of time, using a VPN might be an option to continue to participate in your favorite online casino or gambling games. Just remember that you could be risking your winnings or even your account if you do so.
Disclaimer
This article talks about using a VPN for sports betting or to gamble online in other ways. However, it’s intended to be purely informational. Using a VPN to gamble online could be illegal in your country, and we don’t condone using a VPN to break any rules or regulations imposed by gambling websites.
You should always act in accordance with your country’s laws and the Terms of Service of the websites or software you’re using.
Looking for the answer to a specific question? Feel free to check out the frequently asked questions below. Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Ask us in the comments and we’ll get back to you.
It is possible to use a VPN to gamble online, but many gamble websites don’t allow it. They might deny you access or freeze your winnings if you do.
If you wish to use a VPN on a gambling website that does allow VPNs, here’s a quick step-by-step guide:
- Subscribe to a VPN for gambling. Our recommendation is NordVPN.
- Download and install the VPN or download the VPN provider’s mobile app.
- Connect to a VPN server located in the country that hosts the website you want to use.
- Go to the gambling website you want to unblock and enjoy!
Yes and no. It all depends on the country you’re in. Certain countries ban gambling (including online gambling) outright, whilst others allow it. Most western countries have access to legal online gambling websites. However, it’s best to Google whether it is legal for you to gamble online in your specific country before doing so.
Online gambling is legal in some provinces in Canada, most members of the European Union, and several nations in and around the Caribbean Sea. Whether online gambling is legal in the United States is a slightly trickier question. Rules and regulations vary from state to state.
There are a few states where online gambling is legal. These include Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Each state has the right to regulate this activity, both in the real world and online. What’s more, laws can vary depending on the kind of gambling activity in question.
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