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Estonia Blocks Foreign Online Casino Operators

The February 14, 2023, By Takato Sugihara

Estonia has announced that they will legalize online casino gaming, and with the legalization of online casinos it looks like foreign casino operators will be out.

The country will block all online casinos that are located outside of Estonia so that Estonian gamblers only have the option to play at local casino sites.

The act that was passed blocking foreign casino operators requires that all online casinos must be run from servers located within the country. Additionally, Estonian online casinos must pay a licensing fee as well as a 5% tax on their gross revenue. The act is designed to increase government revenues during the early stages of the legalization of online casinos. However, the Estonia Free Press stated that these conditions would last only for the first year. After local casinos have had time to cement themselves in the industry the market will open once again to foreign casino operators.

Estonia has taken longer than some other European countries to enter into the online casino market mainly because the country is so small. However, noticing that online casinos were being used in other countries as a way to raise government funds and decided to jump on the bandwagon. For Estonia, online casinos will be a great way to stimulate the economy. However, because the country is so small it is important to them to block outside casino operators while they get their feet wet and show Estonians that they know what they are doing.

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