Online casinos in the Bahamas
Known across the world as some of the most appealing tropical islands, The Bahamas is also a haven and a treasure trove for foreigner gamblers. Local players won’t get much change out of the tough gambling laws in the country, but if you’re on holiday in The Bahamas (and many of us would like to be) it is good to know that you can still place bets on all manner of gambling games – provided they are offline and in a brick and mortar casino, that is. The situation for online gambling in The Bahamas is somewhat more complex than you might like to imagine. Basically, it works like this…
Gambling laws in The Bahamas
Back in 1969, The Bahamas legalised gambling. Why wouldn’t they? Since then, gambling has been a major source of revenue for the nation comprising of over 700 islands. In fact, it is one of the main sources of income. However, The Bahamas knew this, which is why only tourists are permitted to gamble whilst in the country. When The Bahamas in close proximity to the United States, many of its gambling tourists are Americans, who are unable to gamble in their own country. The clever Bahamians must be rubbing their hands together with glee, and why shouldn’t they? If you’re a tourist or a foreigner in The Bahamas, the sky is the limit, and you can freely venture into any of the islands’ casinos or gambling halls to wager.
Online gambling is a touch more difficult, though. Okay, considerably more difficult. For a kick-off, no online casino gaming is permitted in The Bahamas, even if you are a tourist or a foreigner. Recently, the Bahamian authorities did pass a law which made it okay for tourists (not locals) to wager on sportsbooks, but not casinos. A law was proposed to make online gambling completely legal, but unfortunately, that law did not pass – nor did a referendum for the locals on whether gambling should be legalised.
Offshore casinos in The Bahamas
You might think that this would mean that in The Bahamas, the authorities go to great lengths to stop their local populace from gambling (either online or offline). Surprisingly, they don’t. In fact, many authority figures (including police) turn a blind eye, with locals gambling in internet cafes and web shops via online casino sites freely. Even when caught by an official who is not as easy going as some of their counterparts, there is no punishment handed out more than a stern talking to.
With that in mind, it is perhaps not so surprising that many Bahamians have turned to online gambling. They certainly won’t be able to get into any of the land-based casinos, so why not give it a whirl? Many offshore casinos do accept people from The Bahamas, although admittedly not all casinos play ball. Most of the offshore casinos which do accept players from The Bahamas will allow the Bahamian dollar to be used as a currency, and of course, local players should have no language issues at offshore casinos, since their main language is English anyway. Players from The Bahamas may not be able to claim every bonus and promotion out there, though this differs from site to site.
About gambling in The Bahamas
If you’re a tourist in The Bahamas, it is going to be far more exciting for you to visit one of the casinos housed on the island which caters specifically to you – many Americans do just this every year. If you are visiting The Bahamas on holiday, we’re sure that you can keep your online gambling in check for the duration of your stay.
However, if you are Bahamian or a foreigner who has chosen to settle on the islands, what can you do? You are unlikely to be granted entry into a land-based casino, that’s for sure. Because of that, you’re going to want to bet online.
Players in The Bahamas do not need to use a VPN (virtual private network) to access offshore casinos since the authorities do not actively demand that ISPs (internet service providers) blacklist offshore casino sites. You may, however, want to use a virtual private network if you are skittish.
There doesn’t appear to be any official punishment for breaking the law and playing at an offshore casino. As we’ve said, in most cases, authority figures and police will generally turn a blind eye to those they catch gambling online (there are figures which might indicate that many of these people in power gamble online themselves!) so you shouldn’t really have anything to worry about when gambling online in The Bahamas.
