Despite heavy restrictions on gambling in Israel, it remains popular among locals and tourists. Whereas other nation citizens may be fortunate enough to pop into a casino easily, the situation is a little more complex in Israel.
Here we take a look into the state of play of gambling in Israel.
Israeli Government Restricts Gambling
There are not as many options to enjoy gambling services in Israel because the local government has banned all but two forms of gambling. Residents can enjoy playing the National Lottery and place bets on sporting events only.
The online gambling industry is illegal, meaning many Israeli nationals and residents miss out on playing casino games from smartphones and home. But that doesn’t mean locals do not enjoy these games. In fact, many of them prefer to play blackjack, poker, roulette, and slot games online. The end result? It drives and underground online casino industry or sends local players to use international online casinos.
Many players choose to play their preferred casino games at PartyCasino because it is one of the best international casino operators and offers exciting bonuses to new players. The government has not been effective in preventing players playing casino games online from international sites, and even some of these sites now offer a Hebrew language setting cater to this demand.
Is Israel Missing Out?
Israeli officials have their reasons for banning online casino gambling, but the country may be missing out from prohibiting it. Land-based and online casinos could create a wealth of jobs, generate taxes and create more in the tourism sector. This would be especially beneficial to areas like Eliat, at the bottom-most point of Israel on the shores of the Red Sea.
A change could create somewhat of a Las Vegas on the Red Sea and bring more tourists to the region. The area has already attracted many visitors thanks to cheap air travel with the likes of Ryan Air running flights to the city, and the first international flights to Eilat landed last year. Moreover, it’s a relatively short distance from The Dead Sea and Jerusalem.
More on Israel’s Online Gambling Policing
Many legislations have been passed to police the use of internet gambling with the most recently introduced in 2017. These changes are designed to prevent players from accessing international gambling websites by blocking them throughout the country. However, the results have been sporadically effective rather than creating the blanket ban they hoped for.
Interestingly, Israeli police officers are not allowed to attend casino venues when travelling internationally, or they could be punished.
The Future of Gambling in Israel
Israeli players are most familiar with a range of workarounds to avoid detection and still access international casinos sites. Some of these workarounds are easily found on websites like YouTube. For this reason, the country is split on internet gambling, and some feel that it is only a matter of time before online gambling in Israel becomes legal.
It could be better to legalise the industry and control it internally, rather than ineffectively deter a thriving underground online casino scene.
