The Online Casino Scarcity
If you live in a country such as the UK, Spain or Germany, then you’re probably wondering “Huh? What is this guy talking about? Online casino scarcity? There’s plenty of online casinos to go around!” And yeah, gamblers in certain countries suffer from a different problem – oversaturation. Certain European markets are practically havens for online gambling, with the UK being probably the most notable example of them all. It’s got dozens upon dozens of online casinos, bingo sites, betting sites and poker sites all competing for players’ attention, but that’s fine because there’s also hundreds of thousands of players, and many of them even have accounts on multiple casinos in order to enjoy their bonus offers and exclusive games. However, what if I told you that most countries – even those where online gambling is completely legal – don’t have a single online casino currently operating? That’s the online casino scarcity, the lack of any online casinos in your region.
Let’s take a look at the Philippines, for example. According to their gambling laws, while physical casinos are banned from the country, “remote gambling” (aka online casinos) are exempt from that rule and are perfectly legal. However, would you believe me if I told you that there isn’t a single online casino currently operating within the territory of the Philippines? It’s true, I looked it up specifically, and unless I’m missing something, the Philippines as a market doesn’t have any exclusive online casinos the way the UK does. But hey, you might be saying, that’s just because the Philippines aren’t in Europe! In Europe every country has an online casino, it’s a booming market! And to that, I say oh, really? France, Iceland, Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine and many more are all European countries that don’t have a single online casino operating within their borders. True, in some cases (like France and Russia, which are gigantic markets) it’s due to legal reasons, but most of the time companies just prefer not to take risks in emerging markets. Why launch an online casino in Macedonia when you can launch one in the UK and rake in the cash for sure?
So, what can players suffering from online casino scarcity do? Well, not much, I’m afraid. The best option is always to join a European real money online casino which isn’t region-locked and takes players from all over Europe (or potentially the world), but that depends entirely on your country’s gambling laws and regulations. If gambling is illegal in your country, you may need to jump through a few hoops (for example, you can ask a friend in a country where gambling is legal to make an account and then play through it using a VPN to mask your IP and make it appear as if you’re located in your friend’s country), because while it’s highly unlikely that you will ever be prosecuted for online gambling, even if you’re in a country where the practice is illegal, there’s always a chance that the casino you’re playing at might withhold your winnings because you’ve broken their terms of service. So make sure you’re familiar with the terms and conditions and your own country’s gambling laws before you start playing! With that said, I wish you good luck, and here’s hoping that, in time, the online casino scarcity in Europe will be a thing of the past.
