Can you just play online casino on vacation: Go to another country, log in and gamble? Or is the gambling website blocked abroad? Are my winnings even contestable? Lying on the beach, sipping from the coconut, and playing a round of his favorite slot games. But wait, your gambling website is suddenly unavailable. What is it all about?
Gambling on vacation: online casino, countries, and licenses
In order to approach the topic, we would first like to deal with the element of surprise. Many of us don’t even think that gambling on the Internet could become a problem when traveling abroad.
It seems far too self-evident to us to always be able to call up the betting providers, poker sites, and online casinos via laptop or mobile phone.
But if you lie under palm trees on the beach, then you do not only realize that coconuts are anything but tasty. In some cases, it is not possible to access the player’s account in the online casino.
Why does the whereabouts matter at all?
The fact that it does not matter where you are when gambling on the Internet is in principle due to licenses and laws. This also applies if you want to play online casinos on vacation. Each country has its own policies. Also, a license is never valid worldwide but is designed for certain states (or associations of states such as the EU).
The main residence and proof of address
As you know, you should never give the wrong address at an online casino. If you want to use the welcome bonus that applies to another country, then you have to give in. Firstly, lying about the information would be illegal and secondly, it comes out at the latest with the account verification and the documents that you have to upload anyway.
You should always provide correct information, otherwise, you provoke problems with the payment of the winnings: In the end, these may even be confiscated in case of intentionally false information.
No player account creation versus blocking the website
If you want to play at an online casino on holiday, then you have to pay attention to a basic distinction. The question arises whether you already have a player account and want to log in to it or whether you want to create a new online casino.
Logging in is rarely a problem. The providers will conclude on the basis of the IP address that it is only a temporary stay for the purpose of business travel or vacation.
But if you register with a gambling website from Italy and specify a different place of residence, then the security system will strike. This makes a suspicious impression. The consequence could be that the newly created player account is blocked.
The liability of providers
International gambling laws can also be confusing and contradictory for gambling website operators. Of course, the providers are not allowed to allow players from the USA as customers, for example, without a valid license.
But when it comes to the question of whether playing abroad is okay for players with permanent residence in another country, sometimes there is no clear answer. As a result, individual online casinos have different regulations for certain countries.
However, the betting tax on the stake in sports betting remains unaffected by the place of residence. However, the player does not have to take care of it himself anyway, as this is all regulated by the gambling company.
Holiday destinations and availability
Let’s go through a few popular holiday destinations one by one.
Timbuktu (which is in Mali by the way) is not included in our checklist. But that doesn’t mean that a Timbuktu holiday can’t be very stimulating.
Spain
About 10 years ago, Spain was one of the first countries with its own national regulation. In the first years, our player account was not available for a week even during annual holidays on Malle.
In the meantime, however, this has relaxed a little. We can place bets and spin the reels of the slot machines with all providers with whom we have a player account, including deposits and withdrawals. Whether this is 100 percent legal, we can not guarantee you, but at least our profits achieved in Spain we could easily pay out later.
Great Britain
Platinum Casino UKGreat Britain (plus Northern Ireland) is also – in this sense – not a 100% free state. If you want to visit the Queen on holiday in London, you can play at the same time as the Platinum Casino. Regent Play Casino, a London-inspired website, is also accessible.
Turkey
Turkey also has its own regulation. Most online casinos also let us log in and gamble here. The Platin Casino, for example, puts a stop to playing during the Turkey holiday. Legally, however, it seems clear here that any online gambling on holiday in Turkey is prohibited.
With the gambling brands of ComeOn (Mobilebet, Cherry, etc.) you only get an error message.
Switzerland
If you drive through Switzerland or want to take a holiday there, you have to be careful. Only Swiss providers are allowed on the Internet and the Confederates bring up quite sharp guns.
We were able to play with most online casino accounts. However, our ComeOn account hacked it directly: it was automatically closed due to the Swiss IP, which was confirmed with an e-mail.
Luck in misfortune: We don’t think ComeOn is as great for a long time anyway, as you can read in our ComeOn review.
Greece
The land of antiquity and the cradle of democracy is not an issue. According to our information, you can gamble unhindered.
If you want to play from Hellas in the online casino on holiday, you will not encounter any restrictions.
Italy
The same applies to Italy. You can spend the whole holiday at the online casino if you really want to.
Malta
Malta also no problem with the casino’s EU license. There are quite a few online casinos that have a license from the Maltese gambling authority MGA. Also, many gambling companies have their headquarters (or at least an office) on the Mediterranean island, especially in St. Julians, Sliema, and Ta’ Xbiex. Casinos with Curacao licenses you can not play here on vacation.
Cuba
On holiday in Cuba, everything is easy. The people are friendly, the drinks delicious and in our experience, you can relax and play a round.
In any case, we were able to spin the online slots without restriction during the last editorial holiday.
China
According to Western presentations, China is considered a somewhat unfree country, and indeed: With some online casinos we have no access to our player account.
While you are in the Middle Kingdom, you have to expect temporary restrictions.
EU and other countries
In most other countries in the world, you will have no problems with your online casino during your holiday. In an emergency, you just have to take a short break, or you can go to check out the possibilities on-site.
ALSO READ: Reasons to Stay at a Casino
Local gambling halls and casinos
Depending on where you are, it can be worthwhile. For visiting the Mediterranean island of Malta, we have already created a casino guide here.
The casino in the Portomaso Tower is quite cool and the Dragonara Casino is located in a wonderfully old and pompous building. By the way, this casino is also known for the live roulette table of the same name, which can be played in some online casinos.
If you are on holiday in Macau, Monte Carlo, or Las Vegas, then you should check out the local gambling scene anyway. The CasinoFM editorial team actually only made it to the little brother Atlantic City in the form of a member, which was quite an experience.
Fans of gambling libraries and pub machines can also go on a journey of discovery on holiday abroad. As a rule, admission is from the age of 18, the underage children can of course not be included. (In certain British gambling and entertainment venues such as the coastal towns of Blackpool and Southend, however, this is very possible.)
Good news for arcade fans: In many countries, there are even slot games from Merkur that call themselves internationally Blueprint. Fishin’ Frenzy, for example, is a real worldwide success. Of course, it is also the attraction to test unknown slots on holiday.
Tell Customer Service
But if you still want to play online casinos on holiday and place one or the other bet? You can of course contact customer support (if the live chat is not blocked) or send an email to support.
There may be a small chance that a suspension will be reversed under these circumstances. More likely, however, is that the customer service person has no idea about this topic and has no control.
Of course, you can ask before a planned holiday if there will be any problems. As former employees of the support teams in the gambling sector, however, we can say it calmly: This is one of the topics that you simply have no plan for in support. It may well be that you simply get an arbitrary answer that later turns out to be wrong.
SIM card and VPN IP tools
If you want to be on the safe side, you should resort to a trick according to the advice of some experts. If you want to play online casinos on vacation, you can fake a location based on the IP address.
There are several ways to do this. You can get a SIM card with a fixed IP address, which is also called a static IP address. Of course, this is a bit much effort compared to the benefit, especially since you are then tied to your own network. The WLAN on site can then not be used to play.
Another option is to subscribe to an IP software or VPN such as HideMyAss. So you can always choose the IP you need. A subscription for such an IP tool is available for about 40 euros per year, but there are also free trials.
Do different methods work to fake an IP address? Yes, they do. However, they are not allowed by gambling providers. Whether the online casinos notice small fraud? Theoretically, this would be possible, but it is not likely.
Conclusion: Can and may you play online casinos on vacation?
The holiday should be fun, offer a bit of adventure and a lot of relaxation. We think that there is nothing wrong with taking a look at the gambling scene on-site – of course only if you have a general interest in gambling. Visiting a casino or a foreign arcade can be a lot of fun.
But if you absolutely want to play online casinos on holiday and are abroad, then this is not a problem in most cases. While locks are possible due to licensing powers and government restrictions, they are not all too common.
Nevertheless: There is no guarantee and to ask the support beforehand seems pointless because they hardly know about it. If you spend your holidays in England/the United Kingdom, China, the USA, Switzerland, or Turkey, for example, it may well happen that you cannot access your player account in the online casino.
By the way, each provider has different rules for certain countries. A fake IP via VPN can help, but it is not allowed.