Best 38 Online Casino​s in Cyprus

Cyprus is an island country located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third-largest and third most populous island in this area with an estimated population of around 1.2 million. There are two official languages on the island – Greek and Turkish. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the entire island and the territorial waters.

When it comes to its borders, since Cyprus is an island, it is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. It is located south of Turkey, west of Sudan, north of Egypt, northwest of Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine, and southeast of Greece. The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia. Even though Cyprus is sovereign, it is de facto partitioned into two parts – the north area of the island is under the self-declared Turkish Republic of Cyprus, and the south and west area is controlled by the Republic.

This is a well-developed country that is part of the Eurozone and it has been part of the Commonwealth since 1961. Cyprus is the most popular tourist destination in the Mediterranean Sea. It has a high-income economy and ranks high on the Human Development Index. To add to that, Cyprus has been a part of the European Union ever since May 1, 2004.

Both online and land-based gambling have a very complicated relationship with the government in Cyprus. Ever since 2012, when the Betting Law was brought, pretty much all forms of gambling became illegal in the country. Only a handful of casinos were given license to operate, but all casinos in Cyprus since then are part of resorts.

When it comes to online gambling, the Betting Law of 2012 also forbids all types of online gambling-related activities. The National Betting Authority, which is the regulatory body for all gambling activities can block all unlicensed/unauthorized operators in the country. As for the number of land-based casinos in Cyprus, there are around 40 licensed operators, most of which are in the south.

Gambling in Cyprus used to be a legal activity. That was until the Betting Law of 2012 was brought. When this law was brought, pretty much all forms of gambling became illegal in the country. There were a few exceptions to this rule, but on most gambling types, the state or other companies had a monopoly on the market.

The only exception that was made in the Gambling Law of 2012 was OPAP, the state's lottery. This was the only operator that was allowed to provide the residents of Cyprus with a legal form of gambling. That was until 2015. In this year, a few amendments were brought to the Betting Law.

With the new acts, land-based casinos were allowed to operate in the country, but they had to get a license, which was very hard. About 40 land-based casinos opened their doors, but all of them are parts of hotels, resorts, etc.

Online gambling was also made illegal, but there were a few exceptions to this rule. Sports betting was the only activity that was considered legal, however betting on dog races is forbidden, while horse racing betting is legal, but controlled by one company that holds a monopoly on the market – the Nicosia Race Club.

Nowadays, gambling in Cyprus faces many restrictions. As stated, most forms of gambling are restricted, so people are very limited in their choices. The only gambling-related activities in which the residents can participate are the state's lottery, online sports betting, but except for dog races.

Online gambling still remains illegal and the government blocks all unauthorized and unlicensed sites that try to offer their services to the residents of this country. The only legal gambling facilities in the country are the land-based casinos, which are parts of hotels and resorts. There are about 40 licensed facilities of this type in the country.

The future of online casinos in Cyprus does not seem the brightest. The conflict in the country between the North and South really complicates things. From the looks of it, the government even seems comfortable with the current situation, even though there is some criticism on how the industry is regulated.

Residents in Cyprus have proven to be fond of this activity, which is why they urge the government to make changes in this field. They claim that by legalizing online and land-based casinos, the economy will start to boom. Both residents and tourists will have numerous gambling options, which will drive the economy forward. The more money operators make; the more taxes they’ll have to pay. Additionally, the employment rate is likely to go up.

Ever since 2012, a majority of gambling activities have been illegal in Cyprus. There are a few exceptions to this rule. First off, the state’s lottery, which is controlled by OPAP (a Greek operator) is the only form of legal gambling in the country.

Next up, online sports betting is considered legal, but there are some exceptions to this rule. The players cannot wager on dog races and the horse racing betting market is controlled by the Nicosia Race Club, which holds a monopoly on the market.

All other forms of online gambling in Cyprus are considered illegal and if people get caught in these activities, they will be prosecuted. When it comes to land-based casinos, the 2015 amendment on the Betting Law stated that casinos are legal to operate, as long as they have a license.

But, getting a license is very hard and there are around 40 casinos that are legal to operate in the country. All of them are parts of hotels and/or resorts. The legal age for participating in all legal gambling activities in Cyprus is 18.

The taxes on the gambling industry in the country are high, but they are tolerable. It is capped at 10% with an additional 3% mandatory charitable contribution. Two-thirds of the charitable contribution go to non-profit organizations, while the rest is spent on consumer protection and gambling addiction management.

When it comes to regulating the gambling industry in Cyprus, there are numerous laws that describe the legality of casinos (both land-based and online). The Cyprus Casino Operations and Control Law sets out the framework, Casino Operation and Control Law (General) Regulation 2016 provides more details, and the Betting Law gives specific details on gambling/betting in Cyprus.

Additionally, the Advertising Standards Code sets out commission requirements for advertising gambling and the Advertising and Promotions Direction sets out Commission directions for advertising gambling. The Lotteries Law of 1983 sets the framework for the state’s lottery, while Law No. 48 of 1973, as amended by Law No. 23 of 1976, Law No. 28(i) of 1999 and Law No. 162 of 2007 regulates horse racing.

As for the authorities that regulate all gambling activities in the country, the Cyprus Gaming Commission regulates all forms of gambling in the country. This regulatory body was established in 2015. The National Betting Authority (NBA) is in charge of regulating the betting industry and overseeing all activities in this area.

There are two forms of betting licenses in Cyprus that can be obtained by a company that has a physical presence in the country or partners with a local company.

• Class A license is for traditional betting operators. Since horse racing is controlled by the Nicosia Race Club, betting on this sport is not included in this license.
• Class B license is provided to online sports betting operators, but again – betting on horse racing is excluded here.

  Cyprus Players Favourite Games

  Since the gambling industry is strictly regulated in Cyprus, the players do not have much of a choice when it comes to picking their favourite games. They only have a handful of casino games at their disposal, and that is what they like to play.

The lottery is the most popular casino game in Cyprus. This game is organized by OPAP, a Greek contractor that holds a monopoly on this market. The Lotteries Law states that no other company can provide this game to the residents of Cyprus.

Sports betting is also huge since this is the only form of gambling in the country that is legal in both land-based bookmakers and online bookmakers. It is worth mentioning that there is one exception to the law for sports betting – the people cannot bet on dog races. If they choose to bet on horse races, they can only do it via the Nicosia Race Club. This Club holds a monopoly on the market for this category, which is why both types of betting licenses exclude this category.

Land-based gambling is legal to some extent, so when people enter these facilities, they are fond of all the games that are available at those sites. There are around 40 casinos in Cyprus and all of them are parts of resorts.

Since online gambling is forbidden in Cyprus and the government will block all unauthorized sites, the players from this country cannot access online casinos, thus they cannot search for reputable game providers. But, online betting is available and providers like Playtech and Tvisha are some of the brands that they are on the lookout for.

Bitcoin games are not played by players from this country. The cryptocurrency has gained popularity as a payment method, but since online casinos are illegal in the country and they are the only platforms that provide these types of games, players from Cyprus cannot access them in any way.

As stated earlier, online casinos are illegal in Cyprus, hence the players cannot claim and choose which bonuses are their favourite. However, online betting is allowed, with the exception of betting on dog races, and there are plenty of bonuses in the betting industry that players from Cyprus are looking forward to. The first most preferred bonus in Cyprus is the sportsbook welcome package. This bonus is handed to all newly-registered players at online sportsbooks, but it is worth mentioning that it can only be claimed once. Sportsbook welcome packages usually include match deposit bonuses and Free Bets.

Free Bets can only be used on certain leagues and competitions. The beauty in Free Bets is that they allow players to bet on games for real money rewards. If they guess all the picks right, they can withdraw their winnings once the wagering requirements have been met.

Finally, cashback bonuses also deserve a mention as they too can be extremely rewarding, hence are loved by the players in Cyprus. With cashbacks, players can redeem some of their lost amount on betting over a certain period. Some sportsbooks can even feature loyalty programs with numerous levels.

These loyalty programs come with various benefits, depending on the level that the player is in. In most cases, higher levels in the loyalty programs mean that the cashback percentage will be bigger. In some cases, it goes as high as 20%.

The first condition to claim all of these bonuses is that players need to be registered at an online sportsbook before they can claim them. After they register, they need to make the required initial deposit to claim the sportsbook welcome package. In most cases, the amount varies between $10 and $20.

Free Bets can be offered as a standalone bonus and all players have to do is to log in on a specific day to claim them. Finally, cashback bonuses may be limited to the competition on which the player is betting and they have minimum and maximum return limits.

It is also wise to check the terms and conditions of the online sportsbook since some sites may require the players to enter bonus codes and/or contact the Support team before they are able to claim all of the aforementioned bonuses.

Online casinos are not legal in Cyprus, so the players cannot use any types of payment methods to access their games. When it comes to online sportsbooks, the transactions are extremely limited. That is due to the reason that the Betting Law states that the only acceptable and legal payment method at these sites are credit and debit cards.

Players cannot use any other method when wagering on sports online. The good thing about the legality of credit and debit cards is that they are accepted by pretty much every online bookmaker because they are the world's most commonly used online payment method.

Not only that, but they are extremely secure and provide the players with relatively fast transactions. Deposits are instant, while withdrawals have a pretty short processing period – around 3 business days. As for the government, this is an acceptable payment method because it is easy to trace. Since the gambling industry is strictly regulated in Cyprus, the government likes to be in control of everything and credit and debit card payments allow them to do just that.

Since credit and debit cards are the only accepted payment method at online sportsbooks, there are no other methods that can be classified as less popular payment methods. The government of Cyprus has faced some criticism due to the fact that it has limited the type of transactions that the players can have, but as of right now it doesn't seem like any changes will be made.