Ethical VPN Usage for Online Gambling to Evade Geo-Restrictions

March 4, 2024 By Nancy William No Comments 6 minutes

People use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) for many different reasons, but mainly to access websites that are usually restricted to people in their country and to enhance their online security when surfing the internet.

VPNs create a secure end-to-end encrypted tunnel (between the website and the person’s desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet device), which protects their sensitive data and hides their true location (IP address), meaning their history is untraceable.

NOTE – Always choose the best VPN for online gambling and avoid free options to prevent security flaws and data breaches. FastestVPN is the best and most affordable. Our servers are optimized for safe access to gambling sites.

A reliable VPN service is a downloadable program that basically allows for complete anonymity when browsing the web, enhancing security and enabling them to visit sites that they wouldn’t normally be able to visit.

Switching on your VPN will connect to a secure server and make it appear as though your device is in a different location.

Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at why people use VPNs and proxies (which are similar to VPNs) to access iGaming sites like online casinos and sports betting sites to sidestep local online gambling laws and regulations and discuss the technical, ethical, and legal questions this raises.

Do online casinos need a license to operate?

Yes. For an online casino operator to legally operate in certain countries, it must first obtain the necessary gambling license from the country’s main online gambling licensing authority. After obtaining a license, it can legally offer real money gambling services to people living in that country.

However, if the casino operator doesn’t have offices based in that jurisdiction, they often cannot obtain an online gambling license to operate from the respective licensing authority.

The leading global online crypto casino 10bet.com, for example, is known as a multi-jurisdictional iGaming site because it has obtained the necessary licenses from several of the iGaming industry’s mid to top-tier licensing authorities.

In other words, this globally renowned iGaming site is legally permitted to offer real money gambling services in several countries. Depending on which jurisdiction is your residence though, will determine exactly which 10bet domain you can access when you try to visit the official 10bet casino website.

Additionally, online gambling laws and regulations vary a great deal across the globe, and some countries do not permit online casino gambling or any other form of online gambling activities, such as placing sports bets, playing competitive poker, or even playing online bingo or taking part in lotteries.

However, many laws are outdated and have failed to keep up with the rapidly changing times, meaning that players in some restricted countries can simply go online and search for a casino, registering a new account with pretty much any site they find.

Those online casinos tend to fall outside that country’s jurisdictional law, meaning the operator isn’t breaking the law in that country, and the player also isn’t breaking the law in their country for playing at one of these sites, which are also known as offshore casinos or foreign-controlled online casinos.

Why do people use VPNs to access iGaming sites?

Some online casino licensing authorities and iGaming operators have a more laid-back approach to people using VPNs to access websites, meaning players in countries that don’t have any of their own ‘homegrown’ online casinos but are restricted from some offshore casino sites can simply switch on the VPN to a country/location where players in that region are NOT restricted.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it is. VPNs work on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers, FastestVPN supports all of that and more.

Do all online casinos allow you to use VPNs to access their website?

No. Not all online casinos allow you to use a VPN to access their site, and the main reason for this is that they could get in hot water with the gambling authority that issued them a license.

Some top-tier authorities, such as the UK Gambling Commission and those based in US states where online casino gambling is legally permitted, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and Delaware, to name a few, even go as far as using VPN detectors and other sophisticated geo-location (aka geo-targeting) software to find out where you are playing from and if you are using a VPN or not to circumvent local online gambling laws.

For example, a player in Washington couldn’t sign up to an online casino in New Jersey, even though online casino gambling is legally permitted in New Jersey. The website operator would lose its license if it allowed players to sign up from states where online casino gambling has not been fully legalised.

Apart from the operator getting into hot water with its licensing authority, what other technical, ethical, and legal questions does this raise?

In some countries with extremely strict rules that prohibit all forms of online gambling activities, players who are caught using VPNs to sidestep restrictions could also find themselves in trouble with the law. They might face a fine, penalty, or even criminal charges, depending on the laws of the land.

Additionally, if you get caught using a VPN to play at sites that don’t allow them (but also don’t use VPN detectors or geo-location software to find out where their registered members are based), they could be in breach of the casino’s general policies, terms and conditions, meaning their account (and the money inside) could be frozen at any time and unretrievable.

The only other issue is that sometimes, VPNs can have connectivity issues, and you could get disconnected halfway through placing a bet. However, a strong provider like FastestVPN would not give you a negative experience.

To conclude

Most of the time, people get away with using VPNs to play at online casinos, whether it’s to enhance their security or sidestep restrictions, as many sites are ok with you using them.

However, more and more operators (and the authorities that issue them with licenses) are starting to clamp down on people using them, whatever their reason may be, so there could become a day when no sites allow you to use them, but as it stands, that’s a long way off.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Receive the trending posts of the week and the latest announcements from FastestVPN via our email newsletter.

Email Address