How you choose what site to play real-money casino games may come down to your concerns about legality and safety. We know that sites that are regulated by the Danish Gaming Authority provide the highest level of player safety, but they also come with restrictions such as not being able to deposit more than 10,000 Kroner. While this may not impact many of our readers, it is something that we take into consideration when we write our comprehensive site reviews.
Having looked at hundreds of sites, we are very happy to present you with this list of some of our favorites. We are certain that you will have an enjoyable experience with any of these brands, and we welcome your feedback on any other sites that you have enjoyed or have had issues with along your journey.
Gambling Regulations in Denmark
Gambling has had a long history in the country of Denmark, and given all the confusion and controversy around online gambling across the globe, the country is one of the leaders in regulating the industry within its country. The model that Denmark built for its players is one that we suspect we will see many other countries adopt as online gambling continues its road to legitimacy in the years to come.
For a country with less than 6 million residents, the Danish sure do contribute a lot of revenue to the global gambling market. Maybe it is the weather in the region or the lack of hours of sunlight during the winter months, but players love to gamble either in a live casino or online. They spend millions of dollars each year on sports betting, casino games like slots and Table Games, and the national lottery.
Rather than turn a blind eye to online gambling as it came to prominence at the end of the 1990s, the government of Denmark seemed determined to find a way to protect its citizens from fraud while also reaping some tax benefits from these offshore sites. However, the country’s first attempt at regulation came with some controversy and not much bite, so Denmark went back to the drawing board and came back with something that made more sense for everyone in the industry.
There have been land-based casinos in Denmark since the early 1900s, with the majority of these facilities focused on Table Games and slot machines. Poker rooms were introduced when the game became more popular in Europe in the 1990s. However, all the gaming in Denmark was controlled by a monopoly run by Danske Spil. This was controversial as no other company, local or not, could get a license. Finally, in 2009, after a few years of being in the European Union, the European courts deemed that this monopoly was unfair and ordered the gaming regulations to be changed.
A new set of gaming regulations were signed into law in 2010, which ended the monopoly held by Danske Spil and starting the process of allowing other companies to apply for licenses. This law was amended in 2012 to include provisions for online gambling licenses as well, and with that, a proper framework was now in place for companies to accept online wagers legally from Danish citizens.
Part of the new laws dictated that companies who wanted to be licensed by Denmark needed to have an office in the country. This was quickly altered when the country signed an agreement with the licensing jurisdiction of Alderney, giving companies who had been licensed by that region the choice of setting up an office in Denmark as well. Very quickly after the new laws were enacted in 2012, the Danish Gaming Authority issued its first 25 licenses, which included several major online software companies and operators.
Licensing in Denmark comes with a stiff cost, but it seems to be worth it to the operators trying to earn their share of the billions of dollars in Gross Gaming Revenue coming from the Danish players. Operators have to pay both a business tax of 28% and a gambling tax of almost 20% on all revenue generated from Danish companies. The country further clamped down on the online gaming sites operating illegally by requiring ISPs block unlicensed sites from being accessed by Danish players. To date, over 20 large sites have been added to this list.
Online Casino Software Available to Danish players
Despite all the regulations put in place by the country to restrict online gambling, it is still up to a software company as to whether or not they will accept players from Denmark. There are really three camps here: those who have received a license, those who have left the market and those who continue to operate outside the law for the time being. From a player perspective, the most important factor should be whether or not a software company has a license at all, regardless of if it is from the Danish Gaming Authority. Being licensed by Malta or the UK ensures that the games have been tested and verified to be playing true to the odds of each game. Our Danish readers will be able to find excellent software available from companies like the following:
On that list are some of the best software providers in the entire industry, featuring thousands of excellent slots and table games for you to play.
