Top Online Casinos in Maldives

The Maldives cannot be described as a go-to destination when it comes to land-based casino gaming. The country has always had a stern stand against gambling, especially for locals. However, given the huge role that tourism plays in the country's economy, the laws are a bit lax for people visiting the country.

Despite the fact that most forms of gambling are illegal, Maldivians enjoy a wide variety of online casino games. Fortunately, Maldivian authorities are not known for strictly enforcing these rules, and many online casino fans play confidently at online casino gambling sites without fear of repercussions.

Gambling Nowadays in the Maldives

Because casinos are currently illegal in the country, there is no evident level of government protection. The Maldivian government is, however, not very active in going after people who participate in online casino gaming.

This situation is likely to persist as the government pushes for the decriminalization of online casino gambling and, potentially, the legalization of casinos in the coming years. While nothing is guaranteed, nothing suggests that the legal environment will become more hostile to the online casino gaming industry in the Maldives.

The Future of Online Casinos in the Maldives

There has been a sigh of relief amongst Maldivian punters after the 2015 Penal Code went into effect. Since then, online casino gambling has grown in popularity in the Maldives, and the government's general attitude toward gambling has become more tolerant.

While online casino gaming is still illegal in the Maldives, there is little enforcement from the government. In fact, they have been gradually working toward decriminalizing online gambling, but they are still a long way from there. Overall, the Maldives holds more promise for open online gambling, if not a fully regulated market, than the vast majority of Islamic-law countries.

The Maldivian Criminal and Penal Law are considered authoritative for the regulation of gambling activities in the Maldives, making it illegal in general. Although not explicitly prohibited by law, online gambling sites in the Maldives are considered to fall within the scope of this prohibition. As of April 2020, there are no home-licensed online casinos in the Maldives due to the prohibition of all gambling.

Still, many international online casino gambling sites actively target Maldivians. According to various internet gambling portals, these casinos attract a large number of players from the country, primarily through the provision of generous online casino bonuses to their customers on a regular basis.
For the time being, thousands of local online casino players are exploiting legal loopholes by using proxy servers and anonymous banking options.

Important legal acts and policies

Online casino gambling is generally prohibited in the Maldives under Maldivian Criminal and Penal Law, which cites Islamic Sharia as a source of the prohibition. The law’s sections 315(a)-4 and 730(b) strictly prohibit all forms of gambling in the country. The penalty for playing in a gambling establishment or promoting gambling can range from monetary fines to months in prison.

Although there are no specific online gambling laws in the Maldives, it is widely assumed that online gambling is also prohibited in the country. According to Maldives laws, in the absence of a gambling authority, the Royal Maldives Police Force (RBPF) is in charge of ensuring that the prohibition is guided, as well as preventing the spread of any online gambling content.

Online casino gambling sites that accept players from the Maldives provide a variety of online payment options. These sites offer simple and secure methods of money transactions, making it much easier and safer to play on their sites. As a result, VISA and MasterCard credit and debit cards are widely accepted. However, there are other options that are just as safe and efficient, such as Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, or ecoPayz. Most online casinos that accept Maldivians count as online casinos that accept EUR or USD.

Despite the fact that they are not officially legal, cryptocurrencies are already quite popular in the Maldives. They are being used by an increasing number of Maldivian online casino players. They provide complete anonymity, which can be extremely useful.

Overall, players in the Maldives value the anonymity of a casino payment method over all other features. Anonymity allows them to stay in the green zone in regard to the country's laws. This is enhanced by the use of VPN connections when gambling online. Other features like speed and cost of payments come secondary to anonymity.