Cyprus Gaming Commission

Table of contents

Gambling regulations in Cyprus are often regarded as complicated and very strict. While the country is home to land-based casinos primarily located in the Northern part of the island, online casino operators haven’t yet got the chance to establish themselves in Cyprus. As per Betting Law 2012, online sports betting is the only gambling activity officially allowed.

To better understand the current state of online gambling in Cyprus, read on, as this guide covers everything you need to know regarding this topic.

The history of gambling in Cyprus dates back to 1960, when the country won the battle for independence from Britain. At that time, the State Lottery was introduced, and its establishment marked the beginning of the gambling era in Cyprus.

What is more, the government made a plan to use the net profits gathered from the lottery and use the money to fill the state’s coffers. The system was well-planned, and it managed to remain that way until the present day.

When it comes to other forms of gambling, it wasn’t until 1975 that the first casino was opened. Yet, the first legislation regarding casino gambling came in the 1990s when the residents of Cyprus saw many casino venues open in the Northern part of the country.

In 1997, when the Islamic Welfare Party forbade gambling in Turkey, casinos in Cyprus began to enjoy increased popularity. Namely, as they couldn’t gamble in their own country, many Turks visited the Turkish part of Cyprus to participate in gambling activities.

Once we stepped into the 21st century, gambling also started to take place online. However, Cyprus hasn’t followed up on the update and said no to the legislation of online casinos. The only exception that was made included sports betting that was officially allowed by the country.

Unfortunately, most forms of online gambling are officially prohibited in Cyprus. The only online gambling option allowed in the country is sports betting, while online casinos are considered illegal.

Apart from prohibiting online casino operators from doing business within the country’s borders, the government of Cyprus also instructed internet service providers to block international gambling websites.

The stance Cyprus took on online gambling was frowned upon by the international gambling providers who consider these anti-gambling measures severe. Moreover, the providers argue that this prohibition of online gambling doesn’t align with the standards of the EU.

Nevertheless, Cyprus hasn’t yet responded to these allegations, nor has the European Union made any official requests regarding the island nation’s online gambling laws. Rumour has it that the country even went a step further and started legally sanctioning players caught gambling online. This sent a clear message that players from Cyprus should obey the rules since the government takes them very seriously.

Gambling laws and regulations in Cyprus are clearly defined by Betting Law 2012. This act sets the rules stating that online gambling in the country is strictly prohibited. The only form of online gambling allowed by this document is sports betting with the exclusion of betting on horse and dog races.

Betting Law 2012 is universally applied throughout the country. Still, it isn’t entirely adhered to in the Northern part of the island, which is populated with a plethora of land-based casinos. Due to the presence of brick-and-mortar venues, players located in this part of Cyprus tend to ignore the laws about online gambling. Even though many international gambling providers consider these online gambling rules too strict, Betting Law 2012 is still the one to follow in Cyprus. Furthermore, the government doesn’t seem interested in making any changes regarding online gambling legislation and keeps resisting outside pressure to do so.

In 2015, Cyprus got a regulating body for overseeing gambling within the country. The Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, also known as the Cyprus Gaming Commission, was put in charge of land-based casino operators on the island.

The Cyprus Gaming Commission is the one to go to regarding brick-and-mortar gambling venues that can only operate as a part of a resort or the so-called satellite casinos that can be opened in Larnaca, Paphos, Nicosia, and the free Famagusta area.

On the other hand, all online gambling activities in Cyprus are governed by the National Betting Authority (NBA).

Although Cyprus follows strict rules regarding gambling in all its forms, this doesn’t mean that all players oblige them. While land-based gambling venues can be controlled to a certain extent, the same can’t be said for online gambling.

Even with the country instructing internet providers to keep gambling websites out of reach, it’s simply impossible to keep away all the international online gambling operators who accept players from Cyprus.

For this reason, the issue of gambling addiction has to be raised, and players who experience any kind of gambling problem should be able to look for help. In Cyprus, players who can’t control their gambling habits can turn to the Gordon Moody Association or get in touch with the Cyprus Samaritans.

Also, numerous online organisations offer help to problem gamblers, such as Gamblers Anonymous, GamCare, Gambling Therapy, and more. All of them specialise in helping gambling addicts get back on track and fight away the gambling problem no matter how serious it is.

On top of that, there’s an annual Responsible Gaming Awareness Week held in Cyprus that aims to share information about the harmful effects of gambling. Also, during this week, players can find out more about organisations they can contact in case they feel they have started to develop a gambling problem or addiction.