Best casino sites in Cyprus

Cyprus is one of the most fascinating countries in Europe. Located in the Eastern Mediterranean, they have had a long history of foreign occupation by various peoples, with half of the island still remaining under the non-Cypriot rule. They are culturally influenced by the Greeks, British and Turks and have picked up on various games of chance through the centuries. Today Cyprus is considered a paradise for casino and sportsbook operators, who take advantage of their excellent banking infrastructure, however, when it comes to casino gamblers, things are less peachy. The National Betting Association has decided to ban online casino sites in Cyprus and despite increasing pressure from the European Union Commission, refuse to award online casino licenses to any applicants. In this guide, we aim to see where you can gamble in Cyprus, how you can deposit on international casinos and what provisions are included in the online casino Cyprus Law.

List of best online casinos in Cyprus

Online casinos in Cyprus facts

• The legal gambling age in Cyprus is 18 years
• You can use various payment methods thanks to Cyprus’ advanced banking system 
• No Cyprus online casino license has been awarded by the NBA
• There are no legal repercussions for joining an online casino site
• Technically gambling is prohibited for Northern Cyprus citizens

Casino sites in Cyprus

First of all, we need to address the main question. Is gambling illegal in Cyprus? The law, unfortunately, is not so stringent when it comes to sports betting and casino gambling as both the southern and northern part of the island follow different legislation. Northern Cyprus has a Muslim majority and therefore gambling is technically forbidden. However, the casinos and Kyrenia and the recent opening of the first land-based casino in southern Cyprus in Limassol has forced lawmakers to consider repealing the gambling ban for Turkish Cypriots. In any case, online gambling is massively enjoyed by Northern Cypriots despite the complete absence of a clear framework that allows or prohibits betting and casino sites in Cyprus.

The Republic of Cyprus in the southern part of the island is more clearly regulated. Online sports betting has been fully legalized since 2012 while in June 2018 the first-ever brick-and-mortar casino started accepting patrons in Limassol. The Cypriot government has decided to forbid casino sites in Cyprus, however, this has failed to dissuade any casino fans from finding online venues where they can enjoy gambling.

Online casino Cyprus law & player protection

The southern part of the island is putting special emphasis to strictly regulating online gambling and safeguarding the player’s interests. According to the 2012 Betting Law, the National Betting Authority is responsible for awarding licenses to any interested operators and making sure that they follow the guidelines they have set. Unfortunately, the Betting Law strictly prohibits online casino gaming in Cyprus, meaning that if you are looking to play any slots or live casino online you will have to join a non-licensed casino as an online casino Cyprus jurisdiction does not yet exist. The only drawback with this option for online casino play from Cyprus is that you can not rely on the NBA to mediate between you and the casino in case you wish to make a complaint, as you will have to directly contact the international authority responsible for regulating the casino site.

Can you gamble in Cyprus?

Similar to the above, the two territories have different views on online gambling and how freely accessed it should be by their citizens. It’s easy to say that the Greek part of the island has a more liberal approach to gambling, however, they still hold the belief that casino sites in Cyprus should be illegal.

Greek Cyprus

Nowadays Cyprus is considered a rapidly emerging market in terms of online gambling due to its high standard of living and well-established banking infrastructure. Sensing that millions of Euros where being wagered on online iGaming websites every year, the government decided to follow the legislation changes that were taking place in other European countries and since 2012 they fully regulated online gambling. Unfortunately, casino sites in Cyprus received the short end of the stick as they were outlawed overnight, resulting in the mass exodus of numerous reputable operators. This unfortunate turn of events forced many Cypriots to start visiting the Northern part of the island, to gamble at the local casinos there or turn to some lesser-known Cyprus casino sites that decided to keep targeting local gamblers despite the government’s warnings. In the end, this has all resulted in a stalemate, where the National Regulator will hunt down online casinos and place them on a blacklist, while the operators have continued accepting Cypriot players as there is no penalty for gambling on Cypriot casino sites.

Northern Cyprus

Like we mentioned above, the Turkish Cypriot government refuses to acknowledge that gambling could ever be a regular pastime for many of its citizens and they still regard gambling as both illegal and immoral. Prior to the opening of the City of Dreams Casino in Limassol, Turkish Cypriots could only gamble on online casinos in North Cyprus, as the land-based casinos in the northern part of the island in Kyrenia, Famagusta and Nicosia only begrudgingly allowed local players into their gambling halls. Ever since 2018 however, thousands on Northern Cypriots keep crossing the Green Line daily, heading to Limassol in order to try their luck at the seaside casino in Cyprus. This mass exodus of hard currency to their neighbour has caused upheaval to the Northern Cyprus government who have recently started contemplating legalizing the access to the brick-and-mortar casinos in Turkish Cyprus for all citizens above 18 years. Unfortunately, there are no plans for making online casino in Cyprus legal, meaning that although access to them is not prohibited, the lack of a clear licensing framework is enough to cause problems on its own.

How to deposit and withdraw on casino sites in Cyprus

Given that online casino sites in Cyprus operate in a non-regulated manner, the local government has repeatedly tried to block payments towards these operators. However, we all know that it is impossible to police the internet. Most international casinos that accept players from Cyprus will also allow gamblers to deposit with all the well-known payment methods such as bank transfers, credit cards, Skrill, Neteller and Trustly. The most used payment system is the Paysafecard voucher that can also be used as an ewallet, while other more sophisticated transaction methods like cryptocurrencies can also be used, provided that you find an online casino that accepts them.

Top casino sites in Cyprus