Offshore Sites for Israel Online Casino Players
There have been a number of interesting court cases, including one where the court officials found that the Tel Aviv police didn’t have the legal authority to issue orders to internet providers forcing them to block access to gambling sites.
Although the government tried to fix the situation, efforts to enforce laws have been limited, at best.
This means that if you want to engage in legal gambling in Israel, you’ll have plenty of choices - there is no lack of reliable online casinos in Israel. While there are companies that have chosen not to operate here, many others are happy to offer real money play. Meaning, you’ll find numerous sites offering games from a variety of software providers, including:
- Microgaming
- NetEnt
- Play’n GO
- Betsoft
- Realtime Gaming
Choosing an Online Casino in Israel
Of course, when you’re searching for an online casino site, there are many factors to consider. We carefully research and vet our recommended casinos so you can play with complete peace of mind. Here are a few key elements we look for in a top Israel online casino.
Customer Experience
When you play at one of our online casinos that welcomes players from Israel, you should have a seamless experience from start to finish. Many of our sites offer support in Hebrew as well as English, giving Israeli players plenty of options. These sites have 24/7 support so you can resolve issues quicker.
Payment Options
A number of the sites we recommend accept payment via Israeli shekel as well as US dollars and other currencies.
A variety of deposit and withdrawal methods is a crucial aspect of any online casino, and Israel casinos are no exception. Players will find it simple to deposit using credit or debit cards, PayPal, prepaid cards, and plenty of other methods.
Additionally, our leading online casino sites are secure and safe, as they are regulated by local governments. Your information and payment info is in safe hands when you gamble at one of your Israel online casinos.
Popular Israel Online Casino Games
Playing at our top recommended online casinos in Israel offers users a wide variety of popular casino games. The online casino experience is full of games that players across the globe can enjoy.
Slots
Israel online casino sites have hundreds and hundreds of slot themes to choose from. The world’s best slot games are accessible to Israeli players. Even though there are no casinos in Israel with real slot machines, online casinos offer plenty of slot games.
Table Games
Roulette, blackjack, baccarat, sic bo, and many other table games are available at casinos online in Israel. You name the game, and you’re likely to find it at one - or many - of our recommended casino sites.
If you’re new to table games and looking to play at an online casino, you’re in luck. Our top sites have helpful pages to teach you the basics. You can even learn as you play for free and improve your table game knowledge.
Live Dealer Games
Unfortunately, there are no land-based casinos in the country. But many of our top online casino sites offer live dealer games, which replicate the brick-and-mortar casino experience.
Live dealer games feature live streams of actual dealers running table games. The online rooms allow specific numbers of players, depending on the game and the dealer hands out cards virtually, much like a live casino dealer would, for a real gambling experience at home.
For players, live dealer games present a great alternative in the absence of offline gambling in Israel.
Legal Gambling in Israel
You might be surprised to learn that while heavily regulated, gambling is still allowed throughout Israel. As mentioned previously, offline gambling in Israel is strongly controlled by the government, but in the limited areas they regulate, individuals can enjoy placing bets freely.
Perhaps the most popular gambling-related pastime in Israel is sports betting. All legal activity in this sector is overseen by the Israeli Commission for Sports Gambling, a government agency. Exactly what can be wagered on changes from time to time: in recent years, the Knesset has expanded the offerings, allowing Israelis to bet on horse racing that takes place in other countries as well as other sporting events, with soccer and basketball being particularly popular.
The national lottery is another popular choice, which is run by a state agency known as Mifal HaPayis. The organization was established in 1951 to fund a hospital in Tel Aviv, but was eventually expanded to a nationwide program that supports funding for education, recreation, and the arts. It is open to anyone who is at least 18 years of age, there is a weekly main drawing, along with keno, scratch cards, and The Big Lottery. This is a yearly lottery game with a top prize of 50 million shekels (about $13 million).
You may wonder: are there casinos in Israel? One thing you won’t find here is a fully-fledged casino. The country has always resisted the possibility of allowing casino gambling, both in the form of Israel online casinos and land-based properties. However, the issue of land-based gaming has been brought to the forefront a couple times over the past few decades. Sheldon Adelson expressed an interest in building one in the 1990s, and more recently, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has floated the possibility of opening a resort in Eilat in an attempt to increase interest in an already-popular tourist destination.
Eilat is already home to cruises that offer gambling on international waters, but the proposed additions would be the first land-based operators licensed by the state. The idea would be to either allow existing hotels to apply for gaming licenses. or build a new casino on the site of an existing airport in the city, seeing as a newer one is currently under construction to replace it. Israel’s online casino stance and land-based casino outlook are similar: the country is hesitant, but not completely unwilling to embrace it in a controlled environment.
Israel Casino Expansion Faces Fierce Opposition
While Netanyahu is likely to continue lobbying for the addition of casino gaming in the resort town of Eilat, it appears unlikely that his ambitions will be realized anytime soon. So far, the proposal has been met with strong opposition from legislators, and to make matters worse, that opposition has come from all parts of the Israeli political landscape.
The prime minister has hoped that adding a new attraction would help relieve a slump in tourism to this destination, which has suffered largely because of a sharp decline in Russian vacationers. But with both Netanyahu’s own orthodox and right-wing coalition partners in government, along with a variety of Jewish and Arab opposition lawmakers, it remains unclear where he will be able to generate support for the project.
According to a study by the Israeli Tourism Ministry, building one or more casinos would benefit Eilat. There would almost certainly be an uptick in tourism: the city is known for being more affordable than many regional destinations in the Middle East, and both foreign and domestic travelers would likely flock to the resort city. Government estimates put the increased revenues at well over $300 million per year. On the other hand, they also warn that such an expansion could increase gambling problems in the nation. This attitude generally reflects Israel’s online casino outlook, as well. Plans for expansion of Israel online casinos tend to be met with heavy opposition, however, many offshore operators offer their services to players in the country.
Given the wide opposition to the proposal, we don’t expect to see casinos pop up in Eilat – or anywhere else in Israel – for at least the next few years. Beyond that, it is hard to forecast, as it remains possible that future governments may feel that the benefits outweigh the costs, even in this fairly conservative state. However, we can confidently say that the regulation of online casino sites in Israel is even further off, with gamblers relying on foreign sites and online casinos from countries like Bermuda, the Philippines, or Kazakstan to meet their betting needs for the foreseeable future.
Gamblers in Israel will have no problem joining the sites we recommend for them. Our list includes casinos from Jordan, Korea, and many other territories, that all accept Israeli players.
