Slovakia Online Casinos

Selecting an online casino in Slovakia these days would be too imprudent without knowing all the intricacies of the situation with gambling in Slovakia. The thing is that Slovakia is going through a liberalization period after opening the online casino market for private operators, and even the former President’s veto on new gambling laws was not able to stop the re-shaping of the Slovak gambling industry. While numerous private operators are adapting themselves to a new reality and the old TIPOS state-run monopoly along with its leader is losing primacy and even charged with violating its duties, the question of selecting a worthwhile Slovak online casino remains relevant for thousands of Slovak punters. If you are the one, consider yourself lucky – not only we have compiled a guide on the recent changes in the Slovak gambling legislation but also united the most trusted online casino sites in a single list available you to. The rest is up to you – peruse the info below and pick your best Slovak online casino!

How Online Gambling is Regulated in Slovakia?

After so many years of monopoly on the majority of online games, Slovak punters are anticipating first international betting operators to open their doors on 1 July 2020 and can already play at private legal online casinos. As a player, you have three possible choices: a) indulge in gambling on state-run websites belonging to TIPOS, which, by the way, is expected to retain its control over lotteries, raffles, and bingo; b) take chances by playing on websites of unexplored private operators; c) learn all the intricacies of changes that are happening in the Slovak gambling industry right now and then proceed to actions. We would definitely recommend the latter since knowing all the ins and outs of the current situation with online casinos in Slovakia, you will be able to select the best online casinos in Slovakia in a blink and be sure in its reliability. With that in mind, let’s dig deeper into what’s going on at Slovak online gaming venues!

A Brief History of Gambling in Slovakia

Slovakia isn’t a big European gaming center, but its gambling roots go back to the middle of the 19th century when the first horse racing was organized in Bratislava. Whereas horse racing has been on the map for more than 150 years, casino games emerged only in the early ‘90s of the last century and developed gradually. To date, there are 8 brick-and-mortar Slovak gambling hubs belonging to two major operators – Casinos Slovakia and Olympic Casinos – and who knows how many online counterparts, including those waiting for the desired license.

However, the liberalization of online gambling to establish a more or less open market was not as simple as most gamesters wished. While gambling has been legal in Slovakia since the adoption of a sovereign statute in 1992, soon after the fall of the Soviet Union, the majority of gambling forms were provided by TIPOS, a sole state-run gambling operator allowed to administer lotteries, raffles, bingo, and poker. To support the monopoly and extract the maximum revenues, for many years Slovakia has been fighting unlicensed online operators at its best and even tried to change the laws to block unlicensed firms, but anyway had to relent under the pressure of the European Commission and agree to shift the market paradigm from the monopoly to a partially open market while retaining control over lotteries, raffles, and bingo.

But don’t rush to applaud – whether the recent changes are destined to contribute to the increase in the quality of Slovak casinos is still an open question. However, some aspects make us believe so. Since 2017 the Slovakian government has been overseeing the online gambling landscape much more thoroughly than before. First of all, it has amended its gambling regulations to force sports betting operators to acquire licenses and pay a 27% tax on gross revenue. Secondly, the Slovakian government has started scouring the Internet for illegal gambling activities and block violators. All in all, this strict intervention should bring long-term results, but still, it’s worth being picky when selecting your best online casino in Slovakia. If you wonder which Slovak online casino is good enough to play, look into our top-list of the best Slovak online venues for the answer!

An Overview of Gambling Laws in Slovakia

The fight against illegal Slovak online gambling companies has ended up in blacklisting 10 operators and thereby creating good fundamentals for approving a new Gambling Act, which, by the way, was adopted against the former President’s will after the 86 deputies overrode the veto. The updated Act does have some new provisions on brick-and-mortar casinos – for example, a new minimum number of gambling machines in one gambling house was increased to 15 machines while gambling in any brick-and-mortar Slovak casino must be banned between 3:00 and 10:00 – but what really makes sense is that the Slovakian gambling market is now open to domestic and international private gambling operators. This is a real game-changer – it partially breaks the monopoly of state-run TIPOS and allows private businesses to obtain a license for online gambling services.

Important Provisions and Details of the New Online Gambling Act

• The licensing process for Slovak online casinos had been carried out from 1 March 2019 till 1 July 2019 and is already finished, but sports betting licenses will come into force only on 1 July 2020.
• The license fee is €3 000 000 for Slovakia casino online; €3 000 000 for online sports betting; €5 000 000 for a combined license (online casino games + online betting).
• All online licenses are valid for 10 years; licenses for providing both online and land-based betting are valid for 5 years with a possible 5-year prolongation at the applicant’s will.
• All Slovak online gambling operators, including poker, are subject to a 22% tax on gross revenue.
• Any operator eligible for a license must not be related to a company blacklisted in Slovakia for at least a year prior to applying for a license.

In addition to the novelties brought by the updated legislation, the Slovakian government has decided to create a new Office for the Regulation of Gambling that would take the functions previously executed by the Ministry of Finance. On the whole, the Gambling Act and the new overseeing body clearly indicate the readiness of government and Slovak gamesters to radical changes, but still, there are some gaps to be filled. For example, the new document misses the way of spending gambling revenues as well as the function of local authorities (if any). Nevertheless, the changes are going on and the best way to pick a solid Slovak casino online is to turn to our list of the best Slovak online gambling venues.

Banking Options for Slovakian Players

With a smartphone penetration rate of about 50%, Slovakia is surprisingly abundant in online payment methods. Whether you seek online casinos accepting Skrill, PayPal, debit/credit cards, or more exotic alternatives like AstroPay and cryptocurrencies, you will be pretty satisfied with the number of casinos that accept them. Also, Slovakia is a member of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), which means Slovak gamesters can complete direct debit payments in online casinos supporting SEPA. All in all, picking a payment option depends on quickness, fees, privacy, and support for withdrawals. Below are the 5 payment methods that in our opinion are worth elaborating.

• Debit/Credit cards. Slovakia hasn’t adopted credit and debit cards as quickly as its advanced European peers, but the share of plastic cards in online payments is inevitably growing and it’s really hard to find a casino that does not accept credit and/or debit cards. VISA and MasterCard are undeniable leaders, but you can also use American Express, Diners Club, and Discover. The deadline and fees for credit and debit card payments depend on the location of the payer, as well as the fee established by the card issuer and the casino. Credit and debit are used by thousands of Slovak gamblers that choose safety and security over speed and cost-effectiveness (though sometimes credit/debit cards can be the most saving option). On our website, you can find a list of the best casino sites that accept credit cards and debit cards – go ahead, make your first deposit to a credible Slovak gambling venue!
• PayPal. According to PayPal, more than 72% of US online shoppers have a PayPal account. The number might not be as high in Europe and especially Slovakia, but the world’s most renowned e-wallet is worth considering. The transaction speed and fees largely depend on whether it is domestic or international. Anyway, an average 5% PayPal fee is in the same league with the less-known competitors. So why pick the less known option to get the same benefits if PayPal supports 25 currencies in more than 200 countries including Slovakia?!
• Skrill. Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) is a pioneer of e-wallet payments that is lucky enough to outlive dozens of competitors and not lose its dominance in the online payment market. Whether to use Skrill or PayPal depends on the punter’s location and the conditions put forward by the gaming venue. Depositing with Skrill from Slovakia requires no more than registering on the Skrill website and having enough funds on the balance. To complete the payment, enter the email address that you have used when registering with Skrill and then pass to your Skrill account to confirm the transaction by entering your Skrill username and password. Fees are comparable with PayPal.
• AstroPay. AstroPay is a prepaid card used by Slovak punters valuing privacy. It can be ordered on the official online website by registering and replenishing the balance for USD 10, 25, 50, 100, 500, or 1 000 or via a mobile app. AstroPay casinos accept Neteller and cryptocurrencies – bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, and ripple. All in all, prepaid cards like AstroPay might not be the most cost-effective solution, but they are one of if not the safest online depositing methods so far. The only drawback is that withdrawals to prepaid cards are usually not available in Slovakia.

Regardless of the depositing method that you are going to utilize when sending funds to EUR online casinos, USD casinos, or any other Slovak online gambling venue, make sure to weigh all the pros and cons of the selected gateway. Most Slovak websites offer at least several depositing alternatives, giving you some room for choice.

Top 5 Slovak Online Casinos

• Casinonic
• Bao Casino
• Alf Casino
• Cadoola
• KTO Casino

With there are dozens of private operators entitled to provide service to Slovak gamblers, one might mistakenly assume that the country must be flourishing with high-quality gaming websites. In practice, unfortunately, there are enough scam and fraudulent hubs that you should steer clear of. Not to lay an egg when picking your gambling website, we recommend you to study its history as well as the feedback left by regulars. And if you are too lazy to research, feel free to use our shortlist of 5 best Slovak online casinos.

Casinonic

If you are used to getting a welcome bonus for your first deposit, Casinonic is the place where you can go even further! Not only will you get a whopping €/$400 match bonus on your first deposit but also four other €/$200 bonuses for your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th deposits – as much as €/$1200 in total even before you make the first spin. The good news is that the bonus pleasure doesn’t end here – the casino provides a 30% VIP match bonus for high rollers (€/$1000 to €/$2000 deposits), a 30% Friday reload bonus covering up to €/$300, and a Birthday bonus bringing up to €/$150. Last but not least, Casinonic is an online casino with instant payouts and all imaginable depositing and withdrawal options. VISA, MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, Paysafecard, Zimpler, IDebit, InstaDebit, cryptocurrencies – choose a suitable one and embark on a thrilling voyage to undiscovered worlds unfolding on the reel of online slots and games!

Bao Casino

You don’t have to have a collection of Maneki-Neko, Japanese lucky cat talismans, to make a fortune at Bao Casino by taking advantage of 3 welcome match bonuses granting up to €/$400 and 80 free spins to your first 3 deposits! This Slovak casino offers more than 10 currencies including bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, and dogecoin so that you can play privately from any location and utilize more than 20 banking alternatives. The only fly in the ointment is relatively low cashout limits – only €/$15 000 a month, but that never concerns low- and mid-budget Slovak players.

Alf Casino

With new online weekly promos and a multi-level rewards program you are at no risk of running out of bonuses at Alf Casino, a bitcoin-friendly online gambling venue licensed in Curacao. The casino offers an exclusive 120% + 200 free spins welcome bonus and a 100% + 200 free spins match bonus for anyone claiming it in the Live Chat or via the email ([email protected]), both up to €500. Finally, you can take advantage of 50 weekly free spins and a 15% cashback bonus (up to €3000) if you were unlucky enough to lose money at slots and games. Dozens of slots, live games, table games, online video poker, and much more exciting stuff will glue you to the screen in a moment at Alf Casino!

Cadoola

No, you couldn’t even imagine that such lucrative online bonus offers could be real! But indeed they are at Cadoola, a free spins online casino granting you hundreds of free spins and generous match bonuses. Make your first deposit and get a 120% + 200 free spins on top; make a regular deposit to reveal it doubled up and boosted with 200 free spins; finally, compensate for up to 15% of your losses via cashback. Serious Slovak gamblers are welcomed at monthly tournaments and rankings. Cadoola suits anyone! Privacy is your prior concern? No problem – deposit with bitcoin and remain behind the scenes. Whichever gambling style is yours, it would have everything to thrive at Cadoola!

KTO Casino

KTO Casino is a successful combination of an online casino with a huge welcome bonus and a sports betting platform. It contains everything needed for successful betting and gambling irrespective of preferences. Slot machines, table games, dozens of sports – we could go on and on, but we would recommend you to see it with your own eyes. By the way, the registration process is more than pleasant – a 100% match bonus up to €/$200 is no joke considering the wagering requirements are 20x only! And once you grab the 1st deposit bonus, you can immediately take advantage of the 2nd and 3rd deposit offers granting you a 50% match (up to €/$500) and a 25% match (up to €/$1000) respectively. Go ahead, catch your luck by the tail!