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Karin Kloosterman
Sustainable news for Israel and the Middle east

A Guide to Online Casino Gambling in Israel

Israel is divided on the entire gambling front: a majority of top politicians are pushing for the legalization of casino gambling, especially in the resort town of Eilat. But the security forces and religious groups, on the other hand, are striving to see the ban continue to be enforced.

Gambling is partially legal in Israel. As it stands, sports betting and national lottery are the only regulated forms of gambling because they are state monopolies. All other forms of gambling are illegal, meaning; you can’t find any casinos in the country providing popular games like blackjack, roulette or poker, and so on. Israelis are also banned from playing at offshore online casinos.

Casino gambling

As stated earlier, the only forms of casino gambling permitted in the country are lottery and sports betting, both of which are state monopolies. But despite the ban on these activities, Israeli players aren’t prosecuted if they choose to take part in an offshore online casino. The general feel to the situation is that in the long run, the casinos will be legalized. However, as of now, there isn’t any official communication on the matter.

The online casino is sought of like a grey area – because the rules are flouted. The government does allow or consider online gambling as legal, but only to some extent. And although Israel is a gambling jurisdiction, online casinos that are authorized in the country do not allow Israelis to take part. Just a while back, Calcalist, an Israeli’s business news website quoted Wismonsky saying that the police were watching the online gambling sector and was “working to uncover and block websites that allow gambling in the country.”

DNS blocking

Recently, some domains were blocked from targeting Israeli players through a court injunction. In the order, all local ISPs were required to block these domains, in the process, banning Israelis – at least theoretically – from accessing their gambling services. Gaming enthusiasts who try to access any of the flagged sites will get a message that their subscription to these websites is restricted under the Israeli law.

However, many believe that these are kicks of a dying horse, considering how easy it is for punters and operators to restore access to these prohibited sites. Besides, there are a handful of YouTube videos in Hebrew explaining how to bypass DNS blocking in 30 seconds.

The country continues to adopt harsh measures in an attempt to limit gambling activities, like prohibiting race betting (which cost the government about £5m in compensation), ordering the national lottery to close its land-based slot machines and cracking down on cryptocurrencies use to fund gambling transactions.

Whatever the rules are, it doesn’t stop punters from playing. Besides, top online casinos offer their services in Hebrew, accept shekels, and do not care about trivial things like laws. Punters can play online or travel to countries where gambling is legal, like the Czech Republic, Bulgaria or Malta. They can even join hundreds of other players in the Israeli poker championship that takes place on ships outside territorial waters.

Texas Hold’em, a popular card game – is a sizeable underground business, with events taking place at homes and private clubs (parties) away from the gaze of the law. The gambling rules do not prevent countless Israeli punters from seeking out casino sites to take care of their needs. They visit different websites and discover casinos that are glad to register Israeli players for their online casino solutions. And it’s improbable that there will be a shift in the status quo as of yet.

Finding the best online casino in Israel

Despite the restrictions and regulations around the online casino, the Israeli market is still a lucrative spot for many gaming platforms – so it shouldn’t be hard to find the best casino online. In fact, the main task is finding a site with a Hebrew platform and customer service who are native speakers to help address any questions and technicalities. In addition to language, experts advise punters to ensure that the casino is licensed by a renowned institution, like the UK Gambling Commission, Alderney, Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Malta. It’s also wise to ensure that the casino’s security protocol is valid to protect both personal and financial information. Checking out customer reviews, along with other players’ experiences, is also a great way to learn about a particular casino.

About the Author
Karin Kloosterman is a long-time journalist, and eco-entrepreneur, championing her energy for the earth and the good people and animal friends who live on it. She is a tech patent owner, brand designer, a published scientist, and an award-winning journalist. She's consulted governments, educational institutions and corporates such as Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, TEVA, and Tel Aviv University. She founded the first international cannabis technology conference in Israel, CannaTech, to promote medical cannabis as medicine and science. And she developed a robot to grow cannabis on earth and on Mars. Find her sustainability ideas at the world's first and leading eco news site for the Middle East, Green Prophet www.greenprophet.com Contact her: karin@greenprophet.com
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