Online casinos in Slovenia — what is legal and what is not?

Slovenia has a strong gambling culture, and has done for years. Back in 1913, the first casino opened in the country, Grand Casino Portoroz. A decade later, the next casino, Casino Bled was opened. However, after WWI, all casinos was forced to close their doors.

There was a long period where no casinos or gambling was permitted. And it wasn't until the 1960s when gambling became legal in Yugoslavia. The two casinos that had previously operated where finally allowed to return in 1965. But, there were severe restrictions in place. For instance, only outsiders were able to enter casinos. Nationals were not allowed to join in the fun. Luckily, once Slovenia became independent, things have changed and Slovenians are, once again, able to gamble in these physical casinos. But what else is now permitted?

Legalizing online gambling

With online gambling becoming the norm, more and more countries have taken steps to legalize it while implementing various safeguards. And Slovenia is no exception to this. The Gambling Act of 1995 helped Slovenia establish a legal structure for the access and operation of online casinos. However, this only covered sports betting within the country, and was done so at a state-owned business. The Slovenian State Lottery is the main official gambling provider at this time and remains so to this day under the laws of internet gambling.

However, some modifications to this law are required. As requested by the EU Commission, Slovenia is currently undergoing modifications to this law, though it is moving rather slowly. The problem has caused many established operators, such as 888, to leave the Slovenian market, which means there is a hole in the market. This is because of the many legal loopholes currently in Slovenian law. Regulated and responsible sites such as these are unlikely to return to the Slovenian gambling market until such issues are addressed.

However, while this sounds ominous for Slovenians and online gambling, this is not the case. While there are issues within the country regarding online casinos, they're all perfectly legal to play at. However, it's only domestic casinos such as OnlineCasinoSlovenia.si that players can join. There is a downside, though. While domestic casinos are available, these are somewhat limited, especially with some casinos leaving the market. Offshore casinos are prohibited and Slovenians are not legally able to access them. As such, the choice of top Slovenian casinos is reduced giving players less choice.

Importantly, companies from outside the country or private owners are also not allowed to create casinos within the country. This was initially for physical or land-based casinos, but under the current law, the same is true for online casinos as well. This means that the Slovenia National Lottery has to oversee and license any casinos that are going to start up. With the pushing from the EU, Slovenia is being encouraged to branch out and allow foreign operators the chance to register their casinos within the country.

Rules to playing

For any Slovenians who are playing, there are some legal requirements to do so. As with other countries, Slovenia has an age limit when it comes to accessing casinos. This is 18 years old. Lotteries can be played as young as 16, though. It is also possible to play a range of games for free in Slovenia. This gives players a great opportunity to test out the casino and the game options before settling down and making an initial deposit.

Understanding the rules and regulations is key to playing safely and securely. Yes, Slovenia's laws are likely to change, but not soon. That being said, it's essential that Slovenians keep an eye on what's happening should anything change.