Elite Casinos: How to choose the most reputable online casinos in 2020

For casino fans it is not always easy to find a serious and reliable online casino.

We throw the spotlight on Germany and show how the current legal situation regarding casinos on the Internet looks like and what players should look out for when choosing a new online casino.

The current legal situation of online casinos in Germany

The legal basis for online casinos in Germany is unfortunately diffuse and difficult to understand. Even if Germany otherwise regulates almost all areas of life clearly by law – with online casinos it looks different.

So legal experts do not agree whether online casinos are legal or illegal, because strictly speaking the gambling treaty prohibits gambling for money on the Internet. The fact that this law cannot be enforced is shown not only by the many active players in Germany, but also by the sales of over 5 billion euros in the online casino industry.

Thus, the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has officially renounced gambling income and enforced its own much more liberal regulation. And now the federal state of Hesse is also following suit with its own law.

The European Court of Justice had also ruled that gambling for money on the Internet could not be completely banned.

Several attempts to change the national gambling treaty – most recently in 2018 – have failed so far and so the online gambling industry is unfortunately still in a grey area.

Moreover, many aspects of online casinos are only imprecisely regulated by the Criminal Code – more legal certainty would definitely be desirable. At the moment, online casinos in Germany operate in a grey area, which makes many operators and also players feel insecure.

One can only hope that the pressure from Hesse will ensure that a better regulation is also introduced nationally soon. At the moment, however, it fortunately does not look as if a complete ban on online casinos is in sight.

How to recognize a dubious online casino provider

In order to circumvent the unclear legal situation in Germany, many casino operators rely on a European gambling license – the most popular is clearly the license of the Maltese gambling authority MGA.

So anyone looking for a serious online casino should make sure that the operator has an official EU license. Meanwhile, in addition to licenses from Malta, licenses from Curacao, England and Germany itself (mostly from Schleswig-Holstein) are becoming more and more common.

Players should also make sure that an online casino has predominantly positive reviews and has not been noticed by a case of fraud. Many players will find new online casinos for 2020 on renowned casino rating portals, which look closely at which online casinos are reputable and safe.

What else online casino players should pay attention to in order to protect themselves
Since most online casinos require you to provide your personal details and payment information, a secure online casino must meet the following criteria:

  • SSL Encryption
  • Security-certified payment methods
  • Reliable customer service
  • Transparent random number generator
  • Fair bonus and turnover conditions

It is therefore helpful to check these aspects before registering with a new casino and look for test reports and reviews of an online casino. Because you should not take any unnecessary security risks when playing with your own money and only entrust your data to reputable providers.