Online Gambling Legalized in Belarus

On August 7^th, a special decree was signed by the president of Belarus, which will allow online casinos to be legalized in the country. Virtual gambling platforms will be able to open starting on April 1^st, 2019. Associates of the Belarusian law frim REVERA, Valentin Anikin and Dmitry Archipenko, have revealed the main provisions of the decree.

Online Gambling Officially Legalized:

Earlier this month, the president of Belarus signed a decree titled, ‘On the improvement of legal regulation of gambling business,’ which will allow online gambling to take place in the country. In the past, only two types of online gambling were allowed in the region; bet games and tote games. With bet games, players are able to wager on an expected result with a game manager. With tote games, players could wager on the expected result with another participant.

Now that the decree has been signed, starting on April 1^st, even more gambling will be allowed. Bingo games, online card games and slot games will all be permitted. Bingo games will consist of offerings in which a prize is dependent on a guessed number combination and the amount of the wager while online card games would be games such as poker. Slot games are considered gaming options where a prize and the amount is determined based on a system in a random manner.

Live dealer style games will also be allowed, with real gambling tables, card and roulette wheels located in the country will be broadcast online. Players will then have the ability to compete remotely.

Operator Guidelines:

To be able to offer gambling in the region, an operator must have a license. Only a Belarusian legal entity can provide such licensing. To obtain special permission to organize bookmaking or sweepstakes games, a company will have to organize an appropriate gambling establishment that is land-based.

For online games, including those of the live variety, an entity will need to establish an offline betting ship or totalizator. Business must be conducted for two years and because of this stipulation, licensing includes a new activity titled ‘maintaining a virtual gambling establishment.’

According to REVERA attorneys….

There are basic requirements for organizers of online games in the country. These requirements include having a virtual gambling establishment that is subject to examination for compliance, including software, hardware and the site. The information security system used must also be certified.

An account must be opened within a Belarusian bank and this account used to pay taxes, fees and duties as well as ensure money is in place for player wins. A certain amount will have to be maintained within this account. Settlements with players, even foreign individuals, must take place from this account.

Operators will be allowed to use servers and domains located outside the country if information about players, such as IP addresses and logins, as well as their operations info is collected via a server located in Belarus.