Betting or gambling is a habit that has been indulged in from time immemorial. It is an acceptable pastime world over. In days gone by, people had to go to brick and mortar betting centers to play different types of betting games. But thanks to technology and changing times, people can now play from the comfort of their home.
In almost every country of the world, there are rules and regulations that guide operators of betting ventures. Countries such as Sweden require casino operators to have licenses to function whether online or offline. Some of the requirements for getting licensed make it difficult for players to get the full benefits that they enjoy from foreign casinos. Swedish licensed casinos usually have more restrictions as to what bonuses they can offer, age limit and some statutory limitation.
In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of playing in foreign casinos. This will help players to make an informed decision of which operators to go with. Meanwhile, check out this site to understand what it means to be a licensed casino operator in Sweden: https://iclg.com/
What Is a Foreign Casino?
A foreign casino in Sweden is one that doesn’t have a Swedish license but has gambling license from any other country. Most ‘foreign’ gambling sites have licenses from Curaro, UK, Malta or Lithuania. A license certifies that a casino is legit and can be trusted by players. However, the regulations for operating an online casino differs based on the license.
Malta (MGA) license is as of now the most expensive and also seen as the most prestigious license that a gambling company can have. The reason is because it ensures that the operators’ site is safe with adequate SSL encryption for the protection of their users’ privacy and data. Additionally, games on such sites are also very fair and do not exploit players.
Why Swedes Choose to Play at Foreign Casinos
These casinos that are referred to as foreign casinos have been popular from way back but with the launch of Swedish gaming license, they became even more popular. Although the Swedish license is designed for the safety of players, it also puts some sort of restriction that doesn’t make the game as fun as it should be.
The following therefore are reasons why the citizens prefer overseas licensed platforms:-
To Avoid Certain Restrictions
A good number of Swedes prefer playing at these foreign casinos because of the restrictions on their local counterparts. These non-native licensed operators offer more freedom and access to welcome bonus and other bonuses.
Although playing in these overseas casinos and playing in Swedish ones have the same level of ease but there are some differences. Prior to 2019 before the Swedish Gambling act was enacted, players could play in an online gaming center by registering which involved creating an account and verifying their identity with any form of ID. But these days, they have to verify with a Bank ID.
This process of identity verification with Bank ID and transaction through the same means, dissuaded a lot of local players from going with their local operators. They would rather go to the overseas ones that allow them to pick from reliable options for safe payment such as Mastercard, VISA, Neteller, Skrill and Paysafecard. Click here for more information on this.
Freedom to Choose from a Wide Variety of Operators
Foreign casinos have plenty of fun games more than the Swedish ones. You can find the conventional slot machines from tried tested and trusted providers but in addition, you also have table games, roulette and black jack.
Furthermore, there are different wheel of fortune, scratch cards, live casinos and poker sections. There is also a wide variety of game providers. For example, casinos with EU license most often will feature providers such as Microgaming,NetEnt,Yggdrasil, Quickspin, Evolution Gaming and Red Tiger Gaming.
All these give players the freedom to experiment with any of the games and in the process learn new strategies.
A More Robust Bonus System
One other reason why Swedes prefer foreign casinos to local ones is the robust bonus system. These overseas licensed operators offer different bonuses to their players. These include deposit bonuses, free spins, and free games and odds bonuses. These of course offer more excitement as players try to meet the requirements for these bonuses.
Pros and Cons of foreign casinos
There are many benefits to playing in foreign casinos as against those with Swedish license. But just as with anything in life, there may be downsides to consider. We will share the pros and cons below:-
Pros
- No 3 second rule is enforced
- You have access to a wide variety of bonuses/bonus system.
- Freedom to continue playing for players registered on Spelpaus.
- Tax-free winnings for players that register with EU licensed casinos
- Freedom to choose from a wide variety of payment methods.
- Access to a wide variety of game developers and games. For example, you can choose a utländskt casino med trustly (foreign casino with trustly) , or a sports casino or one with an MGA license. The possibilities are quite massive.
Cons
What one may consider as cons in this regard are actually subjective. It has been touted that foreign casinos are not safe but the truth is that a lot of players are not careful to verify that they are dealing with an authentic site before they register. You need to do your research well to be sure that the site you are registering with is verified and licensed.
Do not overlook the fine prints; read the terms and conditions so that you are certain of what you are getting into. Some people do not look out for whether the casino is EU licensed or not and when they register with those that are not EU licensed, they find out that they have to pay taxes on their winnings.
Conclusion
We have discussed some basic issues about playing in foreign casinos in this article. We briefly discussed the pros and cons and why Swedes prefer to play in these overseas platforms than their home platforms.
Bear in mind all the things we have discussed here because that will help you know how to maximize the benefits of engaging with operators that have overseas licenses.