Statistically, Bangladesh is the second country with the highest Muslim population. If you are a Muslim, or know about the Islamic religion, you know that gambling is a punishable crime. For this reason, casinos in Bangladesh have a terrible relationship with government laws. However, this doesn’t mean that people in the country don’t gamble. They do. In fact, lottery rooms and horse racing contests are legal. Again, there are a few casino operators running their businesses illegally. Though, the government is in a continuous battle against such underground gaming dens.
Notably, Bangladesh’s gambling laws have some loopholes. For instance, there is no mention of online casinos. So, it’s neither legal nor is it illegal to wager online. And since most people in the country love gambling, they take advantage of this uncertainty. And for your information, nobody has ever been prosecuted for gambling online in Bangladesh.
History of casinos in Bangladesh
Unlike several other countries, Bangladesh’s gambling history isn’t that long. This may be attributed to its recent independence from the British ruling by Pakistan. Since freedom, gambling has been illegal in the country. Pakistan was part of the British Indian Empire. They carried Indian gambling laws to their colonies. As such, Bangladesh inherited these laws, including the Public Gambling Act. This act banned all gambling activities in the state.
However, after some time, a few amendments were made. Lottery and horse races were legalized, but casinos remained illegal. Even with these bans, Bangladeshi gamblers still find their way around. The only problem is that their activities are illegal, and therefore punishable. And due to the country’s conservative culture, changing the law in favour of gambling is quite unlikely.
The legal framework guiding online gambling in Bangladesh
To clear the air, all gambling activities except lottery and horse races, are illegal in Bangladesh. This is according to the Public Gambling Act, a law tracing back to 1867. Now, you may be wondering how Bangladesh got hold of this act and it just got independence in 1973. The Act came from India and reached Bangladesh through the Pakistan governors.
Even with the amendments, the law is still old. There is no mention of online gambling, and so it’s neither illegal nor is it legal to bet online in Bangladesh. Notably, people have taken advantage of this to gamble online through offshore gambling platforms. And even if the government is aware, it’s in no position to prosecute anyone. Remember, no laws are prohibiting online gambling.
But the fact remains, any physical casino in Bangladesh is illegal. And since a few people may decide not to obey, the government is continuously hunting and prosecuting defaulters. In fact, a recent incident happened in Dhaka. Police seized casino boards, liquor, cash conducting drives and other gambling equipment in four different clubs. You can read the full story here.
The existing legal framework guiding online gambling in Bangladesh legally permits horse racing and lotteries only. However, all other forms of online gambling remain clouded in a grey area with no explicit laws legalizing them or restricting them. Owing to this, Bangladesh folks do enjoy other forms of online gambling such as casino games as there is no law that explicitly bans casino games. Having checked out the legality of online gambling in Bangladesh, it’s now time to check out the top 5 online casinos that players can settle at.
How to find the best online casino in Bangladesh
When looking for the best online casino, Bangladesh is not different from other casinos. Even with the strict bans on gambling, doing it online is safer. But this depends on the specific gaming site you choose. First, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of online casinos available for Bangladeshi gamblers. So, finding the best one will not always be easy. But if you know the key things to look for, it’ll be a walk in the park. Here are some key areas to examine:
- License and regulation: Before registration, you should make sure that a casino is legit. The best way to do that is by checking its licensing info. Usually, this information is displayed at the bottom-most part of the site’s homepage. If the license is valid and issued by a reputable regulatory body, the casino is real and legit.
- Safety and security: The second thing to observe is how safe you’ll be when playing on the casino site. Remember, you’ll be transacting online. So, you need to be certain that nobody can intercept any transaction you authorize. Again, you should be sure that the casino guards your privacy and confidentiality.
- Trust and reputation: Some online casinos may disappear with your money or even withhold your winnings without any concrete reason. You should avoid such sites. Read as many player reviews as you can to establish how trustworthy the casino is.
- User experience: Even with a valid gaming license, the casino needs to provide an easy to use platform. You don’t want to struggle when finding any player option on the site. The menus and navigation bars should be easily reachable. And this should reflect in both mobile and desktop versions of the casino.
- Deposit and withdrawal methods: Moving money to and from the casinos should be quick and painless. In addition, the casino should provide a safe environment to authorize both deposit and withdrawal transactions. But most importantly, you should check to ensure that the available payment methods are viable in Bangladesh.
Here are a list of the top 5 online casinos for Bangladesh players:
1. Mega Casino World
Mega Casino World is an exclusive Bangladesh online casino which caters to the needs of Bangladesh players mainly. At this online casino, players can enjoy a wide variety of betting products. These largely relate to casino games talk of live casino games as well as poker. There are also numerous online slot machines that players can enjoy which cover different themes. Players who choose to settle at this online casino are guaranteed to benefit from a whole host of bonus and promotional perks. The welcome bonus comes in the form of a 100 per cent match bonus of up to 100 rupees.
2. Bet365
Bet365 is predominantly a sports betting platform that allows punters to place bets on a wide variety of sports including the popular sports in Bangladesh. Sports punters based in Bangladesh ought to note that Bet365 is their Mecca when it comes to all things gaming. Though specializing in sports betting, Bet365 also does offer some casino games. The majority of these are online slots as well as live casino games. Whether one is a casino player or sports punter, they first need to register an account and load some funds first before they can enjoy their favourite pastime. The registration process is quite simple and the banking methods supported for deposits are varied ranging from Bank Wire Transfer, Paysafe Card, Astropay, Neteller, Skrill, Maestro, MasterCard and Visa. For a better understand, read our comprehensive review of Bet365 too.
3. 1xBet
1xBet ranks as one of the most popular online casinos in Bangladesh. The popularity of 1xBet largely stems from the fact that this online casino listens to the needs of Bangladesh players and proceeds to offer exactly what the Bangladesh players want. Just to put this into perspective, Bangladesh players for long have longed for an online casino that supports the local Bengali language. 1xBet listened to the demands and it now offers Bengali as one of the supported languages! Other great aspects of 1xBet that have enabled this casino to endear itself with casino players is the wide variety of oriental themed games, presence of lucrative bonus rounds, highly responsive customer support platforms as well as the support of multiplicities of banking methods including both conventional banking methods as well as digital (cryptocurrency) banking methods. You can read our full review of 1xBet here.
4. Betway
Betway is a world renowned brand in the online casino and sports betting industry. Having officially launched all the way back in 2002, Betway has managed to spread its wings to all corners of the world including Bangladesh. At Betway, Bangladesh folks are guaranteed the opportunity to enjoy both casino games as well as sports betting services. In Bangladesh, Betway is largely favoured for its mobile app which offers a smooth and user friendly interface. Players who love playing on the go therefore find Betway to be quite a great proposition.
5. Megapari
Megapari is quite a popular online sportsbook in Bangladesh. On a daily basis, thousands visit Megapari with the sole intention of taking advantage of the sportsbook’s highly competitive odds. More and more players also join the sportsbook on a frequent basis largely influenced by the sumptuous welcome bonus offer the sportsbook offers. This welcome bonus offer comes in the form of a 100 per cent match bonus of up to 13,000 rupees! In addition to accepting conventional currency payments, Megapari also accepts cryptocurrencies. Players need not worry about their safety and security while at Megapari as the online sportsbook is regulated and licensed by Curacao eGaming. The site also uses SSL bit encryption technology to further protect all of its players.
In order to come up with our list of the top 5 online casinos in Bangladesh, we looked at various parameters. The online casinos that made our list satisfied all of the parameters. Some of the major parameters that were checked include: presence of a wide variety of gambling products, presence of numerous banking methods for the convenience of players, presence of bonus and promotional perks, level of responsiveness of the customer support agents as well as the safety and security measures/protocols of the sites.
Variety of real money games to play
There are thousands of casino games to play for real money. If you are in Bangladesh, things are even better for you. Prominent online casinos here offer an extensive library of games with enough diversity. That way, they can serve all players’ interests and preferences. Whether you love slots or table games, you will have more than a hundred titles to play. Even better, you can initiate gameplay from a mobile gaming console. But this may depend on the specific casino site you choose. Some of the common casino games to play include:
- Online slots – classic and video slots. Some of these casinos might offer free spins and bonuses.
- Table and card games – roulette, baccarat, blackjack and poker
- Lottery – bingo and keno
The final thoughts
To sum it up, gambling is happening in Bangladesh. Even with the strict bans on the activity, it’s quite hard to contain the gaming urge Bangladeshi people have. And with the chance to gamble online, several people have opted for the digital way. You can now make real money wagers as you wait for the government to loosen the gambling laws.
