In 1929, gambling became a law-regulated activity in Portugal. In 2015, Portugal’s online gambling got legalized. Clearly, games of chance are thriving in the country. With the variety of different services and casinos, it is easy to get confused and feel overwhelmed with the necessity to choose. We wrote this review in hopes that it will help you to make an informed decision and get the best gambling experience possible.
We made a short list of our favorite candidates for top casinos online in Portugal—feel free to check what they have to offer!
CBet
CBet offers options for eSports betting, sports betting, slots, and other casino games. You can deposit and cash out both with your card and with cryptocurrency. You can also play on mobile devices. The casino has a Curacao license. Cbet provides over 5,000 games from various providers—one will never get bored there.
PariMatch
PariMatch was founded in 1994. Its headquarters are located in Limassol, Cyprus but originally it was created in Ukraine. The company operates under local regulations so it has various licenses, including Curacao one. This gambling platform provides a decent welcome bonus, has well-performing mobile applications, and provides, we think, about 6,000 options for gambling activities.
Pin Up
Founded in 2016, PinUp Casino operates under the Curacao license. We like its 100% match deposit bonus. Tech support works 24/7, there is a nice diversity in what you can play, and many software providers as well. PinUp has a very strict verifying process which is something not everyone likes but we think that is an advantage—the casino obviously cares about security.
How We Rank Casinos
You can ask what factors exactly did we take into account while ranking the best casinos in Portugal. In this section, we break down every aspect we believe is essential for a customer to really enjoy online gambling and avoid massive headaches with payments, withdrawals, and other things.
Licensing and Security
Many decent and great online casinos work under the Curacao license (you already are familiar with some of them). However, truly responsible and reputable Portugal casinos also should comply with the conditions of SRIJ (Gambling Regulation and Inspection Service).
It is clear why licensing and security measures are important. Controlling organs ensure that online casinos do pay out. You would not want to lose your fairly deposited money and your winnings, right? The second thing watched closely by the licensing operators is RTP. It stands for return-to-player and means the average amount of money that the casino paid to players in relation to their bets. For example, if the online casino received $1,000 from bettors, with an RTP of 85% $850 will return to customers. The best online casinos in Portugal have games with an RTP of 95% and higher.
Security is also about protecting your private data. The customers use their real names and documents to get verified in casinos. They deposit with their bank cards. Imagine all this data falling into the hands of some hacker or leaking out, a nightmare violation of your privacy.
Bonuses and Promo Codes
Let us talk about more pleasant things such as various bonuses that online casinos in Portugal can offer you. Promotions are used by a casino site to improve player retention and motivate them to play more, to stay with this particular platform, and to try a certain casino game. For a customer, bonuses provide extra cash, free spins, additional bets, free tournament entries, etc. Isn’t it wonderful to deposit $200 and get $300 on your balance? It surely is! The question is if one casino offers you a 100% match, and another gives only 50%, why miss the opportunity?
Games Portfolio
The variety of casino games is a guarantee you will have a good time and will not get bored. Also, if you want to play a particular betting game, it is disappointing to discover that your casino does not have it. There are hundreds of casino games with varying features, storylines, and concepts which makes online gambling in Portugal so diverse. The best casino obviously would offer the best playing options.
Payment Options
Playing in demo mode is fun and risk-free but it brings you no real money either. To start playing casino games in real mode, you need to start betting. To place a bet, you need money in your account. To reload your balance, you need a safe and convenient payment method. Imagine a casino of your choice does not accept Visa cards. Or you trade bitcoins, and the platform only works with Ethereum. Perhaps, you like to be extra careful and have an e-wallet with separate funds specifically for betting—is it compatible with your casino?
All these questions have to be answered before you stumble upon such issues. Therefore, we only consider those online casinos in Portugal that have a nice variety of payment options.
Support
A reputable online casino should provide proper customer support. Timely troubleshooting is essential because it is about customers’ money. Always check the players’ reviews: if the casino neglects their issues, leaves the problems hanging, and people lose money and cannot play in peace, it just is not worth it. If the casino abandons its clients, abandon this casino.
How to Play Casino Online in Portugal
So what exactly you should do to have a nice betting leisure? Do not worry, our detailed guide will get you through this. Keep reading, and you will find yourself enjoying gambling in online casinos in Lisbon or other Portugal cities.
Find the best casino
You can use our list of favorites or conduct your own little investigation. Do not forget the checklist we made for you with characteristics that a gambling site should possess to be worthy of your attention.
Let us suggest you found a casino that looks promising. It operates for years, has good online reviews, offers attractive bonuses, and has all the live casino games, table games, or slots you wanted to play. What is your next step should be?
Registration
Create an account! Usually, all you need to do is to fill in a provided form. Depending on the casino rules it may request some documents to verify you. Read carefully the FAQ about registration: oftentimes, your payment and withdrawal option should have the same name as you provide in your account.
Deposit
Deposit to start betting. We recommend learning about reload bonuses in your casino: they often have limitations, so it may be beneficial to make two deposits instead of one to gain the maximum bonus.
Withdrawals
Do not forget to learn about your withdrawal options and check the terms and conditions. For example, the amount of time you will have to wait for the money to get from your account to your bank card or wallet.
Responsible Play
The Portuguese responsible gambling policy protects both players and operators. Here is a list of things that every reputable and legal online casino in Portugal will remind you about:
- Gambling is a hobby and a fun pastime, not your sole source of income and stress.
- Set limits for the amount of money you can lose and do not chase winning it back—if lost, come back another day.
- Only participate in gambling when your losses will not create a financial problem for you.
- Spend moderate amounts of time gambling.
- If casino activities interfere with your work, relationships, or studying, decrease the amount of time you spend on casino sites. If you have trouble with withdrawal from gaming, ask for a consult from a specialist.
Popular Games in Portugal Casinos
From live dealer games to online slot machines, there are a lot of ways for betting. Let us go quickly over the most popular of them.
Slots
Virtual slot machines belong to instant casino games. There are several reel slots with different pay lines. Depending on the combination of symbols or images on the slots, the player can get various rewards. This genre is quite common because it does not have complex rules and requires nothing from the player except for the bet and a little luck.
Sport Betting
Betting on sports has been a thing among humanity since ancient times. Today, besides traditional sports, customers can also bet on cybersport teams. It is a thrilling activity because your favorite team can bring you not just the joy of winning but also real money.
Roulette
Roulette has many variations designed to gain more attention from players. The name origins from a French word that means “little wheel”. The bettor can wager on colors, odd and even numbers, single and adjacent ones, or even rows of them. European roulette has a great RTP of more than 97%.
Blackjack
The most popular casino banking card game, for sure. It is also a beloved table game, often played at homes under slightly varying rules. Just like with poker, there are blackjack tournaments that require an entry fee (the total entry fee is often used as a jackpot in such events).
Other
There are oh so many other casino games. Listing them all would keep you reading for too long. Crash game titles like Aviator, poker, baccarat, keno, and arcades are well-known and popular globally.
Popular Casino Software Providers
Every self-respecting casino keeps a variety of titles created by developers from all over the world. There are often dozens of names in the search filters on a casino site. Here are the creators of the most popular online casino game titles:
- Spribe;
- Microgaming;
- OnlyPlay;
- Elbet;
- BGaming;
- NetEnt;
- Gaming Corps;
- Evolution Gaming;
- Betsoft.
Online Casinos Bonuses in Portugal
As you already know, bonuses are meant to make your gambling experience better and attract you to a specific casino or casino game. Before claiming the bonus, check its conditions: casino bonuses always have limitations and wager requirements.
Welcome Bonus
A welcome bonus is something you get for logging in or creating an account. Awards of this kind come as extra cash or free spins.
Deposit Bonus
The name speaks for itself—it is an award (mostly, additional cash) that you can when transferring money to your account. Often are formulated in percentages (e.g. 100% match for your deposit) and with limitations (but not higher than a specific sum). Wager requirements are in force as well.
No deposit Bonus
Many online casinos online in Portugal offer a no-deposit bonus. These are promotional awards that follow a certain event or motivate the player to expand their horizons. As you can guess, they require no deposit creation.
Free Spins
Free bets and spins are a form of a bonus that can come from any occasion. It could be a welcome gift, an event award, a referral fee (when you sign a friend up to play), etc.
Laws and Regulations
Portuguese casinos should have an SRIJ license. Bettors also often play on offshore casinos with the Curacao license although not all of them support playing from Portugal. To receive an SRIJ license, the casino has to prove its fairness and provide security for players’ data and deposits.
Gambling Laws in Portugal
Gambling has been legal in Portugal since 1929, and online gambling was legalized in 2015. So yes, gambling is an absolutely legal activity in the country unless you are younger than 18.
Portuguese Online Casino Taxes
Portuguese laws define 3 kinds of gambling: casino games, sports betting, and lotteries. All of them are taxed differently depending on the kind of activity and amount of winning. As of 2020, the online gambling tax was 44% which is considered pretty high.
Best Online Casinos in Portugal
As we mentioned, our favorite platforms to play in Portugal are CBet, PariMatch, and Pin Up. You can also check these SRIJ-licensed casinos:
- Casino Portugal
- Luckia Casino
- 888casino
- Bacana Play
Summary
Both online and traditional gambling is popular and well-developed in Portugal. Players can enjoy table card games, live dealer games, slot machines, crash titles, and other activities. Choosing a casino to play at requires some work with information so that the player will have the best experience.
FAQ
The factors that define a good casino are constantly changing and updating. Moreover, different players value different things: some prefer better security, some need availability on mobile devices, etc.
Casino Estoril, built in the 20th century, is the greatest casino in Portugal and the 5th in Europe.
Yes, it was legalized in 2015.
You can do it at a casino that provides such an option.
Proven cheating would nullify the casino’s license, so no.