Online Casinos Slovakia

Are Online Casinos Legal in Slovakia?

Located in Central Europe, Slovakia is a country popular for its very lenient laws. The country was formed in 1993 when it separated from Czechoslovakia. Slovakia has a decades-long history in gambling. This way, the gambling industry is among the most profitable industries in the country.

Between 1993 and 2005, gambling fell under the grey area of the law. Later on, the government noticed the massive economic advantages of the activity. This is why the legislators opted to legalise the same in 2005.

In the same year, the government formulated the Gambling Act No 171/2005. The law stipulated that online gambling was legal. However, the situation was not as simple at the time.

This is because there was a state of monopoly where TIPOS (state-owned operator) controlled online gambling. TIPOS was poor at attracting new players to gamble online.

As a result, most players in Slovakia opted to play at foreign unregulated casinos. The Slovak government instructed ISP (Internet Service Providers) in the country to block unlicensed foreign casinos. However, because of EU laws, this could not succeed. This prompted a much-needed change in the gambling laws.

In 2019, the legislators amended the country’s gambling laws. This birthed the gambling Act No. 30/2019 (effective since March 1, 2019), which allowed for private operators. In doing so, these operators were eligible for licences and have been offering their services ever since. Therefore, online casinos are very much legal in Slovakia.

Aside from that, the casinos are only legal to anyone above the age of 18 years. Any casino that offers its services to minors risks losing its licence forthwith.

In recent years, more and more Slovak people find mobile gambling a lot easier and more convenient. Therefore, most online casinos in the country are optimising their websites for mobile play.

With that said, it is illegal for Slovak people to play at unlicensed gambling sites. Only gambling platforms with the necessary licences can accept Slovak players.

Wolf Gold

This slot game features a native American theme. It was developed by Pragmatic Play, a popular game developer.

The game is played on a 5×3 grid with 25 ways to win. To win, you will have to land at least 3 matching symbols. Also, the symbols must be on adjacent reels beginning with reel 1.

The Wolf Gold slot has a Return to Player rate of 96.01%. Coupled with its medium variance, the game pays highly but less regularly.

Slovak players can enjoy this game for as little as EUR 0.25. However, high-rollers can stake up to EUR 125 per spin.

Play Wolf Gold for free!

Dragon Lair

With a maximum win potential of x500, it is clear how the Dragon Lair slot is available at various online casino libraries. The video slot first hit the online scene in September 2022. It was developed by Swintt, a popular studio across Europe.

Dragon Lair is played on 5 reels and 3 rows with 10 ways to win. It features various collectible symbols, such as treasures and dragons. Also, players can trigger other extra features, such as free spins, to boost their chances of winning.

The slot offers a Return to Player rate of 95.22%, which is slightly below average. It also is of low volatility. As such, the game pays smaller wins a lot often.

Additionally, it balances a maths concept and the possibility of big wins. This makes it a lot more fun. Players here activate free spins when they land 3 or more matching symbols. These symbols must appear on adjoining reels from the leftmost.

The slot title offers a bet range of between EUR 0.05 and EUR 100. As such, it is a perfect game for players on low budgets.

Play Dragon Lair for free!

Table games

Most casinos in Slovakia offer an impressive number of table games. They are the second most popular kind of casino games in the country. As such, a casino with table games is bound to attract more players.

Here are the most commonly played table games.

• Blackjack – Blackjack is a casino game preferred by most Slovak players. In fact, it is the most popular card game considering its simplicity. The game only requires that you employ a simple strategy to win. Aside from that, blackjack offers higher payout rates than most casino products.
• Baccarat – Although relatively simple, baccarat may require a couple of attempts to win. Moreover, the stakes required to play various baccarat games are always high. This is why Slovak high rollers often prefer the card game.
• Roulette – Casinos in Slovakia also record a high number of roulette players. This is because roulette is one of the classic casino games that most Slovakian gamblers understand and enjoy. Moreover, there are several variations of roulette games. This allows casinos to attract players with varying preferences. Especially because the games offer lower house edges.

Slovakia Sports Betting Sites

Sports betting is a highly sought-after option by Slovak gamblers. The best part is that there are lots of events that players can wager on. However, not all casinos in the country offer sports betting services.

You may want to sign up at an online sportsbook to enjoy sports wagering. Alternatively, you may have to sift through various gaming hubs to find the one that suits your preferences.

This is quite a daunting task since there are quite a lot of gaming hubs.

Having said that, sports betting is quite a popular activity in Slovakia. This means that you can always rely on the various gaming venues to offer popular sports betting markets. These include horse racing, football, tennis, ice hockey, and rugby.

Understandably, it isn’t that simple to find that perfect gaming venue. For sports punters, it is a nice cherry on the cake when you find a site with all you may need. This is why we go the extra mile when trying the sports betting sites out.

We test everything, including withdrawal times, in-play betting, and live streaming. This allows us to point you to sites that offer the best of these services.

Although Slovakia has many sports betting sites, here are some of the best ones we can recommend. Feel free to pick one, sign up and wager on your favourite events.

PayPal

PayPal is one of the most popularly accepted e-wallets at casinos in Slovakia. The payment option has been around for quite some time now. Its main benefit is the speed of processing transactions and security.

Whether you are depositing or withdrawing from a casino, Trustly provides fast transaction speeds. This allows you to keep on playing as you wish without interruptions. Also, you get to receive your casino winnings faster.

ecoPayz

EcoPayz is yet another popularly used electronic wallet in iGaming transactions. It is the property of Psi Pay Limited. Most online casinos in Slovakia have integrated the payment gateway.

All you have to do is create an account with ecoPayz to get started. By doing so, you automatically become a Classic ecoAccount holder.

Other ecoPayz categories are Silver, Gold, Platinum and VIP. The ecoAccount holders enjoy higher transaction limits, better FX rates and cashout deals.

Gambling Regulators in Slovakia

Online gambling is a pretty risky adventure that needs to be taken seriously. Various countries have set up regulators to supervise gambling activities. Slovakia is no different in this regard.

In 2019, legislators in the country came up with the gambling Act No. 30/2019. This Act led to the establishment of the Slovak Gambling Regulatory Authority.

According to the Act, the regulator (Úrad pre reguláciu hazardných hier) is mandated with the supervision of various gambling activities. These include slot halls, sportsbooks, land-based casinos and online gambling platforms.

The gambling laws in the country require all operators to acquire licences from the regulator. As such, it is advisable that Slovak players only consider gambling sites with the regulator’s logo.

Before 2019, all competencies for various aspects of gambling were distributed between different state agencies. These included local municipalities, the Ministry of Finance, and the

Financial Authority. Nowadays, all these competencies are the mandate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority.

Gambling Taxes in Slovakia

Gambling is such a lucrative industry for countries that allow it. Therefore, it is understandable that they may opt to tax gambling activities. This allows them to earn revenue to fund various projects.

In Slovakia, gambling taxes are relatively lenient on players at casinos and sports betting sites. This is because gamblers are exempt from paying taxes on small casino winnings. As such, your earnings at a gambling site will not be taxed by the Slovak government.

However, your casino winnings may be subject to taxation based on where a casino is licensed. For example, you may have to pay taxes on winnings from casinos licensed in Curacao.

When it comes to gambling operators, taxation is a whole lot different. These operators often run various gambling activities that earn revenue. This is why the government chose to tax gambling operators on all activities.

Additionally, each gambling activity has a set tax rate. This is dependent on the kind of revenue generated.

Currently, the Slovak gambling tax rate per gambling activity can be represented as follows.

• 1989 – Czechoslovakia legalised gambling upon the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• 1990 – Slovakia’s biggest casino company, Casinos Slovakia, was established.
• 1991 – Slovakia’s first casino began operating in the House of Arts (Piešťany). Shortly afterwards, the second casino was established in Prešov.
• 1993 – Slovakia became an independent country after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. This saw the legalisation of gambling in the country.
• 1994 – The inception of Casino-Cafe Reduta.
• 2005 – Slovakia legalised online gambling
• 2007 – Two more land-based casinos opened their doors in Žilina and Nitra.
• 2019 – The gambling Act is overhauled and amended.

Land-Based Gambling in Slovakia

Land-based gambling in Slovakia has been legal for quite a while now. It can be traced back to when the country was still a part of Czechoslovakia. Since then, several land-based casinos have set up shop in Slovakia. People frequent these joints to try their luck while enjoying their favourite games.

Gamblers in the country have various tastes and preferences as far as land-based casino games are concerned. However, some of the games are more popular than others based on how rewarding they are.

The most popular games at land-based casinos in Slovakia are slot machines. These machines are also always available at different recreational joints in the country. For example, in luxe hotel lobbies, bars, resorts, and restaurants.

Slot machines set up inside casinos usually have no maximum bet limit. However, the maximum bet limit is EUR 10 for slot machines installed in other joints.

Slovak land-based casinos offer first-class service and an attractive gambling atmosphere. All casinos offer different slot machines and live table games.

Once in a while, slot machines will have jackpot prizes. Also, various casinos in Slovakia organise roulette and poker games.

The most popular Slovak-licensed land-based operators are Casino Slovakia, Banco Casino, Admiral Casino and Olympic Casino. Aside from that, there are other casinos spread throughout various regions countrywide. These include Trnava, Bratislava, Poprad, Žilina , Piešťany, Zvolen, Nitra, and Košice.

PS: Bratislava has the highest number of casinos.

Did you know?

• Slovakia first legalised online gambling in 2005
• The all-time best Slovak poker player won $3,582,613.