Israel is located in the Middle East. It borders Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the south-west and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
Overview
Israel has a relatively complicated history with online gambling. Their standard laws on gambling do not reference Internet play directly. However, their Attorney General called for all online gambling (other than certain specific types) to stop in the country, and they called on credit card processing companies to stop issuing payments.
The national lottery, bet on horse racing and bets on certain sports (basketball and soccer included) are the only forms of betting allowed online or in land-based arenas.
What's really interesting is that…
… Israel has previously been home to some of the biggest names in the Internet gambling world, including companies like 888 and Playtech. This irony may be lost on politicians, but it's not lost on industry experts.
Either way, current Israel legislation limits the range of authorized gambling activities to the state monopolies – Mifal Hapayis Lottery Authority, and alternately, the Israeli Sports Betting Board. Casino gambling, gaming machines and wagering on a wider range of sportsbetting markets is yet to get a resolution within this jurisdiction.
In the past couple of years, significant efforts have been made in order to alter this situation, for better or for worse.
Hence, on the one side…
… there were government officials such as Moshe Kahlon, the Minister of Finance, working towards greater restrictions and ultimate bans on the gaming industry. With the help of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, back in mid-2017, online blocking and search engine result filtering has also been made legal practice.
On the other hand, some forms of casino establishments do exist in the country in the form of cruise ships at Israel’s port towns.
What is more, initiatives have been prompted toward a separate casino facility in Eilat, back in 2015.
Since then, most attempts have been towards banning gaming machines and interactive gambling platforms, as mentioned above. Even with some of these procedures well underway, pro-oriented legislators still manage to stall said procedures, introduce stricter laws and player protection.
Following the Supreme Court ruling that poker is a game of skill, Sharren Haskel, a Member of Parliament, put forward a proposal to legalize this game as an exception from standard gameplays depending on chance and luck.
Both the Israeli Poker Players Association, and the Ministry of Finance…
… are planned to take active part in the regulation of the industry segment, even though its legality is still hanging by the threads.
Licensing
There's really no general licensing process available strictly for online gambling companies, and there's unlikely to be one in the future. Because all of their politicians agree that their ban on gambling includes Internet gambling, and because they've been so consistent with keeping other forms of gambling from being made legal, there's not really much hope there for an expansion of online gambling in the near future.
A lot of effort has also been made towards creating…
… a legal framework where the Israeli government could force the Internet service providers into banning the games on that level. This topic has seen a lot of debate because of the potential for government abuse to censor the Internet in other ways. Ultimately, in July 2017, the Knesset made a decision to authorize legislators with issuing bans for online website domains. Some even had search engines block the sites, so that they wouldn’t even appear in their search results, let alone open as a separate platform.
In spite of all bans, players opt for alternative solutions and bypassing methods that allow them to enjoy their favorite gameplay in spite of restrictions.
Player Protections
For the types of online gambling that are allowed, there are specific protections in place to keep the players' confidence in the games. Government oversight of these games keeps the companies honest in the sense that they do not have free reign to take advantage of players.
In May 2018, the Ministry of Justice...
... made yet another crucial step towards this goal by proposing an amendment of the Prohibition of Money Laundering Order. This is expected to increase control over cryptocurrency transactions related to gambling platforms, keeping player information and funds safe.
As for games that aren't allowed, especially with play on foreign sites, there are no protections. It's not recommended that players get in on the action with foreign sites from Israel because of the ban on unlicensed operators.
It only takes a stroke of a pen or harsher enforcement of the legal provisions to momentarily seize all your bankroll, winnings included, from your player account.
Further Reading
Bahrain
Egypt
Jordan
Lebanon
Palestine
Andorra
Argentina
Australia
Belarus
Canada
Casinos found: 389
Vegas Casino Online
Bonus code: VEGASPLAY
09/08/16
300% up to $3000
Sign Up Bonus
Las Vegas USA
09/08/16
25% Cashback
Cashback Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
300% up to $3000
Sign Up Bonus
200% up to $7000
Sign Up Bonus - Slots
25% Cashback
Cashback Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
250% up to $1250
Sign Up Bonus
200% up to $2000
Sign Up Bonus
$35
No Deposit - Exclusive
500% up to $2500
Sign Up Bonus
150% up to €300 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
-
-
-
-
All Software
100% up to €/$200 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
-
-
-
-
All Software
45 Spins
No Deposit
-
-
-
-
All Software
130% up to €200
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
-
-
-
-
All Software
130% up to €300
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
-
-
-
-
All Software
250% up to $250
Sign Up Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
-
All Software
Examples of deposits:
Bitcoin$68
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
-
All Software
100% up to €/$250 + 25 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
-
-
-
-
All Software
100% up to €/$200
Sign Up Bonus
-
-
-
-
All Software
AU$/$18
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
-
-
-
-
All Software
100% up to €/$100
Sign Up Bonus
-
-
-
-
All Software
100% up to €1000
Sign Up Bonus
-
-
-
-
All Software
