Casino Overview Portugal
Portugal is one of the few countries with a high level of loyalty to gambling. Casinos have been around for more than 100 years and online casinos have been legal since 2015. There are several Portuguese operators who offer customers a full range of services in the gambling segment.
A bit of history
In 1783, Portugal held its first national lottery draw. Notably, the event was not commercial but rather a charity event. Portugal’s gambling industry began to develop in 1904 with the opening of a casino in Figueira da Foz. Due to the difficult political climate, this segment of the business was alternately banned by the authorities, and then actively developed. The “new state”, which existed from 1926 to 1974, allowed gambling. In the 1980s legislation regulating casinos was developed.
With the advent of the internet, Portuguese residents were not included in the list of users of online venues for a long time. The situation changed after 2002 when the euro was introduced in the country. The Portuguese were now free to open accounts with foreign operators. The national government caught the trend in time, allowing online casinos to open and operate in 2015.
Legal basis
Portugal’s gambling segment is regulated by two pieces of legislation. The first was enacted in 1989 and the second in 2011. The transformation of the legislation took place in 2011, when poker was added to the list of allowed gambling games. In 2015, online casinos were legalised.
Legislation allows the opening and operation of establishments in 10 gambling zones. The exceptions are:
- Operation of slot machines in tourist and resort areas;
- gambling on aircraft and ships registered in the country;
- the operation of non-banking activities during significant events or for tourists.
A permit is required for any gambling activity in Portugal. The regulator is the SRIJ. It is a division of the Tourism Authority, integrated into the Ministry of the Economy.
Types of entertainment
There are dozens of casinos in Portugal offering all kinds of gambling (roulette, poker, blackjack, etc.). In total, there are 4 operators of gambling establishments in the country, such as:
- Amorim Turismo;
- Estoril Sol;
- Pestrana;
- Solverde.
According to official statistics there are 151 gambling tables, 24 poker tables, more than 5 thousand gambling slots in the country. The biggest casinos are in Lisbon. The largest number of slots is located in Estoril.
The largest international gambling operators – Betfair, Rational Group, William Hill – operate in the virtual space in Portugal. The first Estoril Sol Casinos online casino opened in 2016. This has now increased significantly. PokerStars, a poker operator, has recently entered the Portuguese market. The list of online games duplicates the officially allowed titles in the land-based establishments. Portugal is also renowned as a nation with a huge number of lotteries. Hundreds of thousands of people participate in lotteries and raffles every day.
Thus, Portugal is a country with a high level of development and legalisation of gambling. There are dozens of land-based establishments, online casinos and numerous lotteries.