UK vs Europe: Popularity of Online Casinos
Online casinos are legal in many countries these days. However, gambling operators have had to do a lot of lobbying to convince governments that remote betting is good for the economy.
In Europe, nearly all countries regulate online casinos. Malta generates a lot of money from this sector.
The age requirement for gambling in the UK is 18. You need a debit card, digital wallet like PayPal or bank account to fund your account. Almost everything whose outcome is not pre-determined can be wagered at British casinos.
Malta is the hub of online casino regulations in Europe. About 56% of the people in Malta play casino games weekly. That's more than double the 32% who gamble online in the UK. Malta's population is smaller than Britain's - 500,000 versus 67.22 million.
There are 2,400 casinos in the UK today. The Gambling Commission reports an 18% growth rate compared to 2020. Online gambling operators in UK are divided into several categories.
In the UK, nearly every online casino requires a license from the Gambling Commission. In Europe, casino websites can be based from any part of the world. Malta is the center of all online casinos in Europe. Many of them have licenses from Malta. European casinos can operate with licenses of Malta, Germany, Norway, Finland or Cyprus.
In the UK, casino developers have to get vetted by the United Kingdom Game Developers' Association before they can operate.
The UK is a lucrative market for software developers. Many of them have licenses to operate in the UK and some have offices there. The presence of the above-mentioned developers is sign of quality games.
In Malta, you can play all types of casinos games from leading software developers. In other European countries, such as Norway and Finland, online gambling is operated by government-owned organizations. Europeans are better off than other parts of the world because they can access foreign casinos.
The UK is in a league of its own when it comes to licensing online casinos and software developers. Malta is the only country that gives the UK competition.