Croatian Casinos

Back in the year 1991, the former Yugoslavia ceased to exist and Croatia soon got its independence. Although the situation in the region was pretty tense, thanks to Croatia’s magnificent shores, new Croatia casinos started opening, which attracted even more foreign tourists. A short time after gaining independence, the government has legalized sports betting. Foreign investors were allowed to open betting locations throughout the country’s territory.

At the moment, both forms of casinos, land-based and Croatia online casinos were recognized by the law and regulated according to modern standards. All gambling operations are being supervised by a regulatory body known under the name of “Hrvatska Lutrija” (Croatian Lottery). However, there are some minor restrictions introduced by the government, such as the fact that all offered table games and poker games are totally legal but they can be played at Croatia casinos only.

Legislation Overview

Croatia’s government has adopted a widespread regulation which implies that all persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to gain access to any forms of gambling. As stated above, the laws recognize all kinds of casino games but they can be organized in licensed Croatia casinos only. Croatian Lottery monitors all gambling activities, including land-based and online ones, Bingo, Keno, sports betting, various lotteries, including the one organized by the state itself.

Up to now, there are over 25 Croatia casinos and over 35 so-called slot (or automat) clubs which provide services according to the current legislation and laws.

As mentioned before, the country was for a long time applying so-called latter laws, such as the one from 2010 known under the name of “Ordinance of Interactive Online Casino Gambling”. However, back in 2014, the European Commission has recognized the Croatian Gambling Law (“Zakon o igrama na sre?u”, lit. “Games of Luck Law”) and the state has sent a request to introduce new, updated legislation, which was accepted back in 2015.

Nowadays, the law recognizes four different forms of gambling activities: casino games, slot machines, bingo and lotteries, as well as sports betting. The entire gambling industry is under the control of the Croatian Ministry of Finance. In order for the operator to obtain the license to open a Croatia casino, two requests must be fulfilled, an approved application and a tender won. In order to obtain the license, the company should provide all needed documentation, such as the entity’s data, list of owners, as well as information about the initial capital. The license is being issued for a period of 15 years. The company is obliged to pay a certain annual tax, which takes the value of 500.000 HRK (around 67000 Euros) for land-based Croatia casinos and 3.000.000 HRK (just over 400.000 Euros) for Croatia online casinos. The company is also obliged to issue a plan for the next year as well as to issue a financial report for the previous month not later than the 20th of the current month.

Besides Croatia casinos, the law also recognizes and accepts so-called gambling halls in which customers can play various slot machines. These organizations are obliged to block services to people under the age of 18, to either create a separate entrance or to possess a separate building and to possess an initial capital of at least 2.000.000 HRK (just under 270.000 Euros). The annual tax is 10.000 HRK per a single slot machine (around 1.300 Euros). There is also a monthly fee, which takes the value of 25% of the realized profit.

Additional Data

The annual gross income of the Croatian gambling industry is on a constant growth in the past several years. Back in 2010, the gross income was around 1.900.000.000 HRK (around 255.000.000 Euros) and in 2017 it occupied the value of 3.100.000.000 HRK (around 417.000.000 Euros), which is almost a twice higher compared to 2010. This income was in a slight decrease between 2014 and 2015. However, after Croatia was recognized by the European Gambling Commission, it continued its growth, reaching the previously stated figures for the year 2017.

The latest data considering Croatian gambling market implies that Croatian laws considering money laundering and personal data protection have been adjusted to the latest legislation brought by the EGC and the Croatian Lottery has issued the following regulation updates to all Croatia casinos and Croatia online casinos.

Online Gambling in Croatia

At the moment, all online gambling operations are absolutely legal in the Croatian domain. Until the year 2015, Croatia online casinos were operating under the Ordinance on Interactive Online Casino Gambling, which was issued back in 2010. However, with an accepted EC membership, as well as the EU membership, the law has been updated several times, according to the latest regulations brought by the European Commission.

Private companies and providers are allowed to provide services to the Croatian players, as well as to operate online gambling platforms under the Croatian domain.

The list below displays online casino websites that were the most visited ones by the Croatian players in the past several years:

• Bet365;
• King Billy;
• Unibet;
• Bit Starz;
• Play Fortuna.

An especially loved form of online gambling in Croatia is definitely online sports betting. The country has its own private companies/providers, such as “Prva Sportska Kladionica” and “Sport Tip”, as well as some from the neighbouring countries, such as the “Max Bet”. They provide a wide range of online betting possibilities, including the live odd calculator, which allows one to create a combination right on the spot.

Mobile Gaming in Croatia

The above mentioned most popular Croatia online casinos all provide the possibility of playing via mobile devices, including all known types of tablets and smartphones that are powered either by the Android, iOS or Windows Mobile. Since the games they offer are mostly HTML5-based, they can be accessed without having to leave the web browsing program/app, by running it through the Adobe Flash player. Sports betting is also available via mobile devices, either by visiting the website of above-mentioned providers or by installing their apps.

?Croatia Casinos

Nowadays one can choose between various Croatia casinos that come with a wide range of games to play as well as with a high variety of promotions, bonuses and rewards. The list below contains Croatia casinos considered to be among the most visited ones in the previous several years:

• Grand Casino Admiral;
• Cezar;
• Luckia;
• Casino Adriatic;
• Casino International.

Grand Casino Admiral is located in Zagreb, with its sister Admiral Casinos located in several cities, such as Split, Dubrava and Zadar. The casino in Zagreb is merged with a same-called hotel, so the customers can also provide themselves with accommodation. The house offers a palette of different slot machines, table games, organizes poker events and tournaments and offers live games as well. The casino also offers a separate room called “Sports Bar” for all sports betting lovers. There, they can place a bet on modern betting machines and properly relax while keeping an eye on the scoreboard and ongoing matches.

Cezar is located in several cities as well, including Zagreb and Porec. Both of them provide accommodation alongside gaming services. The casino offers a wide range of games, including slot machines, several variations of Blackjack and Roulette, as well as the Cezar Super Poker and live games. There is also a Poker Room in which poker leagues are organized.

Luckia is located in several cities across Croatia, including the capital of Zagreb, Osijek, Pula, Slavonski Brod and Cakovec. The casino offers a high variety of slot machines to choose from, as well as a rich game collection of table and card games. The players also have the opportunity to enjoy live games operated by professional and polite dealers.

Adriatic Casino and hotel is located in the city of Opatija. The casino offers a wide range of different games to choose from, including slot machines, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Punto Banco, live games etc. This casino is especially popular by its location since the building is located near the Mediterranean Sea with an amazing view and a pleasant spa centre with complete services.

Casino International is located in the city of Zagreb and it is operated directly by the Croatian Lottery. It offers a wide range of games, including slot machines, several forms of Roulette, Blackjack, variations of Poker, Bingo etc. There are also live games. The casino also organizes various lotteries, as well as sports betting events.