Casinos in Cyprus

Introduction

The Republic of Cyprus is an ages-old country that has always held an allure for travelers, especially those in the region. But now tourists have more than sun-drenched beaches and thousands of years of historical lore and sites to explore, it has become the new hotspot for casino tourism.

Casinos had been outlawed in the southern, beach-adjacent section of Cyprus for a long time but in the last decade that changed with a law designed to bring an integrated resort casino to the country.

City of Dreams Mediterranean is a large-scale resort casino that mixes luxury with hospitality and plenty of entertainment options. Of course, the new integrated resort and its remaining satellite casinos are not the entire story here. There are plenty of casinos in Cyprus, the rest of them just happen to be in what could be called another country, but which is really occupied territory according to international legal bodies.

In Northern Cyprus, about two dozen casinos cater to players, many of them along the Kyrenia coastline and the Bafra region. There are a few high-end establishments like the Rocks Hotel & Casino and the Kaya Artemis Resort. Northern casinos are popular but they aren’t regulated by the Republic of Cyprus and they operate under a separate Turkish legal structure. Oddly enough, casinos are not legal in Turkey at all.

The UN buffer zone that separates North and South Cyprus makes the picture even more complicated to see clearly, but these casinos are not regulated under any legal structure. They pop up, get shut down, the purveyors are rarely pigeonholed by authorities due to the unique nature of the legal situation, and another pops up in its place.

In the Republic, City of Dreams Mediterranean has brought a whole new dimension to the picture - it is legal, fully regulated, and one of the most magnificent casino resorts in the world. It is also Europe’s first integrated casino resort. In some ways, it was modeled off the Melco properties in Macau and operated by the same people, but it also aims to attract an entirely different clientele. A lot of the big money players come from Qatar and other Gulf nations, while the mass market is mostly Israeli. Unfortunately, since the Israeli-Hamas conflict began in earnest in 2023, visitor numbers have dropped and many employees have been let go.

History of Gambling in Cyprus

Cyprus’s organized legal gambling industry is fairly new. There were casinos operated in Northern Cyprus before Turkey invaded in 1974 but many of the owners were not allowed to return and others took over the properties in the intervening months and years. Until recently the Republic of Cyprus had next to no licensed, regulated gambling and most of the casino action was happening in the North. When City of Dreams Mediterranean opened a temporary casino and two satellite casinos and eventually in July 2024 the main site in Limassol that all changed. Now a high-profile, government-sanctioned casino is open to the public.

The desire to increase tourism and raise revenues was a major driving force behind the evolution of the Republic’s laws. Over time, Cyprus has shifted from strict limitations to allowing more regulated forms of gaming, from sports betting to satellite casinos that operate under the same license as the big resort. Sports betting is allowed online and in-person in betting shops under the National Betting Authority’s oversight.

The Republic of Cyprus has carved out a legal and controlled gambling market that gives residents and visitors a safer alternative to the unregulated casinos across the Blue Zone and the government hopes it will keep residents from traveling North along with their gambling funds.

The North allowed casino gambling a lot earlier and still attracts players from Turkey, Israel, and beyond. With no international regulation and oversight, the northern casinos offer a completely different experience.

Legislation and Jurisdiction

Gambling laws are overseen by the Cyprus National Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission in the Republic of Cyprus. The commission sets strict regulations for casino operators, and all operators are held to high standards for licensing, safety, and player protection. Long before authorizing a full-scale integrated casino resort like City of Dreams Mediterranean, a comprehensive framework was hammered out over years that included rules for financial reporting, responsible gambling, and restrictions on marketing to make sure that the casinos would operate inside a secure, regulated environment.

As mentioned earlier, sportsbetting is overseen by the National Betting Authority which works hand in hand with the larger Commission on many matters.

On the other hand, Northern Cyprus operates its casinos separately from the Republic, and they fall under Turkish Cypriot jurisdiction. The political status of Northern Cyprus is disputed and considered an occupied territory in some quarters and not recognized as independent from The Republic. Operators in the area have developed their own regulatory system - a much more informal one that mostly operates on trust and market forces - greatly untethered from international standards.

Northern casinos may be legally sanctioned by Turkish Cypriot authorities, but they operate outside the framework of the Republic. That makes it very difficult or impossible to form any cross-border cooperation or a level field of oversight. Each side of the island operates under completely separate rules.

Popular Casinos and Games

City of Dreams Mediterranean is the largest casino resort in all of Europe and the continent’s only integrated resort with gambling. Other casinos market themselves as the biggest but when you combine the 7,500 sq. meters (80,000 sq ft) casino floor, entertainment areas, MICE space, and hotel rooms of the $600,000,000 resort, it comes out on top.

City of Dreams was developed by Melco Resorts and Entertainment in partnership with the local CNS Group. The resort includes a 7,500-square-meter casino floor, luxurious hotel accommodations with over 500 rooms, and an internationally impressive choice of dining options. There are six signature restaurants, high-end retail shopping, and a bevy of recreational amenities including a large world-class pool area, family-friendly adventure zones, and even an outdoor amphitheater.

Footfall at the casino ranges from super high rollers from Gulf countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to mass-market players that mostly come from Israel. Geopolitics has put the marketing plan on its head and the demographics will likely remain in a bit of flux until things settle out in the Middle East. The company has set up a sales office in Cyprus to try to funnel some visitors to its other properties in Macau.

Northern Cyprus casinos offer a more traditional gaming experience without the international oversight that is found in the Republic. High-end experiences can be found at locations that include the luxurious Rocks Hotel & Casino, the family-friendly Acapulco Beach Club & Resort Hotel, and the Cratos Premium Hotel & Casino in Kyrenia (Girna). A focus on slots, blackjack, poker, and regional favorites helps these properties appeal to an international clientele.

Conclusion

City of Dreams Mediterranean sets a new standard for casino entertainment in Cyprus and all of Europe. It attracts visitors from the Middle East and beyond with a gambler-friendly, family-friendly, and business-friendly footprint.

Northern Cyprus still attracts tourists looking for more of an informal casino experience with seaside and inland casinos.