The online casino industry is a unique industry. The most popular online casinos are littered all around the world and reach players from all corners of the globe. Typically, when you take part in things like online shopping, you are very much aware of where the store is located. With online casinos, players might not give this a lot of thought. However, it all depends on whether you are playing in the free market or one of the world’s regulated casino markets.
In this article, we take a look at what casino regulation means and some of its downsides. In the process, we also mention some upcoming new casino markets.
What is casino regulation?
While playing at online casinos can be a lot of fun, there are also some inherent dangers that come with it. Gambling is a risky endeavor where players have to accept the possibility of losing their money. However, not everyone is as good at staying within their means, which means some could end up losing more than they can afford.
Casino regulation can help with things like this. With many regulated markets, players are more or less forced to set themselves responsible gambling boundaries. The enforcement of these boundaries is then done automatically by the regulating entity, making sure that, for instance, no extra deposits can be made.
For the most part, casino regulation is meant to protect players by setting much-needed parameters on gambling. That being said, some players might not like this kind of outside enforcement and prefer to have more freedom over their own finances and gambling.
Casino regulation often sets limits on bonuses
For many players, redeeming lucrative online casino bonuses is one of the most important parts of a good gambling experience. To many people’s dismay, regulated markets often put limits on the quality and amount of bonuses an online casino company can offer.
The country of Sweden launched its own regulated online casino system in 2019. Before this, Swedish players were very active in playing at casinos licensed in both Malta and Estonia. The regulated Swedish market was then started in a bid to channel more tax money to the Swedish government.
Since these times, Sweden's regulated market has received a lot of criticism from industry experts and gamblers alike. This is because the Swedish government implemented strict rules on the ability of foreign casinos to offer casino bonuses. The reasoning behind this was that giving away too many bonuses would not be in line with promoting responsible gambling.
In a free market, casinos are free to entice their customers any way they want to. Contrastingly, regulated markets sometimes have to work within rather limited and uncompromising frameworks.
Upcoming markets that will be regulated
Above, we already mentioned Sweden’s regulated market. In a couple of years, Sweden’s neighboring country, Finland, is also about to launch its very own casino license.
The reasons for Finland’s shift to a regulated market are well known. For the longest time, the Finnish state-run monopoly has been losing its market share to casinos listed at verovapaatnettikasinot.net/. Because of this, the Finnish politicians now want to bring all of these competing casinos under the same umbrella. As a result, those entering the new Finnish market will have to start paying their fair share of taxes.
For now, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the upcoming regulated Finnish market. We already know it is due for launch at the start of 2027, but the fate of things such as bonuses and casino marketing is still up in the air.
Conclusion
Online casino regulation can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
At best, regulated systems can help players be safer and more responsible with their gambling. This also includes establishing helplines, such as Finnish Peluuri, to support players. At worst, regulated systems may protect players too much to a point where gambling in and of itself becomes less fun and exciting.
In the end, these things are all about striking a balance between safety and freedom.
