Top Online Casinos for Panama
Officially named the Republic of Panama, this transcontinental country is located between Central America and South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south.
When it comes to gaming, the interactive commercial market became regulated in 2002. Following the resolution from March 2020, online gambling in Panama is officially greenlighted.
Interestingly, the gaming act was passed with the purpose to attract tourists, but it’s local residents who give the biggest contribution to the revenue. As a result, the number of slot venues and land-based casinos in Panama is on the continuous rise.
Regulations in Land-Based Industry
As far as the law says, the vast majority of gambling products are legal. Most of casinos are situated in Panama City, the country‘s capital city. All of them are located in five-star hotels. Smaller slot venues are found in other big cities such as El Dorado, Herrera, and Santiago.
Slot machines are the most popular form of entertainment in land-based casinos. They are divided into three class types A, B, and C, with the latter two, permitted outside the casino and slot venues.
Type A machine has no max cash-out limit, and punters can use cash. On the other hand, Type B machines only pay out via player cards and have maximum wagers of $5 (USD) and maximum payouts of $5k. Finally, Type C machines operate on cards only and have a maximum bet of $3, while the maximum payout is $200.
When it comes to sportsbooks, they can be operated either in betting shops at the sole racetrack or in casinos. Race wagering is supplied by private companies which need to receive approval from the gaming board. One of the companies running a business in the country is Codere, which is active in the market since 2005.
The lottery is also among the popular choices of local players. Wholly owned by the government, The National Charity Lottery offers traditional draw-based lottery games. It has a wide network of approximately 13,500 vendors. The main provider of instant lottery tickets is Scientific Games, which also offers online games.
Regulatory Institutions and Taxes
Panama Gambling Control Board (La Junta de Control de Juegos-JCJ) is then the body in charge of controlling the industry. This institution was restructured and handed over more responsibilities following the Legislative Decree of February 2, 1998.
On November 12, 2002, and Online Gambling Act was passed, so to govern the licensing procedure regarding electronic games of chance and sports betting via the internet. Three years later, in 2005, a law was passed to impose taxes on winnings, to raise funds for state pensions. In 2012, taxes rates on gaming were revised.
Speaking of taxes, gaming venues must pay 80% of all profits to the government. Furthermore, bingo halls are charged 15% gross income per month. Interactive operators pay a license fee of $40k, plus an additional $20k annual fee (and a $20k sublicense annual fee).
Online gambling is taxed at 10% of the gross win. Worth adding is that remote gaming operators who live in Panama are fully exempted from paying taxes. Only income generated from gaming activities outside this country is subject to taxation.
Is it Legal to Gamble Online in Panama?
In March 2020, the government authorized a resolution to allow online gambling for local citizens. Since then, it is officially legal to gamble online in Panama.
As mentioned in the previous section, a tax rate of 10% was imposed. Three months later, Caliente was granted a license to offer its products and services to local citizens. The operator’s portfolio encompasses sports betting, RNG table games, and slots as well as live casino games.
As there are no restrictions or bans regarding foreign operators, people also visit offshore betting websites. That’s mostly because they have a better offer of games, providers, bonuses, and promotions.
When doing so, they should always check whether Panama is on the list of restricted countries. Players should never risk and deposit in casinos that rank their country as a prohibited territory. It may happen that a venue denies paying them if they win, as the country was classified as non-permitted.
Other than that, they usually prefer online casinos available in Spanish, as this is the official language of the country. This way the overall communication is much simpler and smoother, with a minimal amount of misunderstandings.
Player Protection and Responsible Gambling
Even though the gambling industry of Panama is solidly organized, the country itself is having some AML issues in other sectors which may not be in direct connection with gambling but may have an impact on it.
The country is classified by the US Department as the area of primary concern in respect of money laundering and financial crimes. What’s even more, it is on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, but no sanctions are imposed.
As for the gambling industry, the country has quite a liberal approach, with no stringent conditions interested companies should follow to operate in this area. They aren’t audited, so there are no guidelines or measures in place for player protection and responsible gambling.
On the other hand, some jurisdictions have quite rigorous requirements their licensees should follow. It’s not rare to see a venue being punished for failing to comply with the rules. Sometimes they are penalized financially, but in the worst-case scenario, their license can be revoked as well.
Knowing that players are left by themselves to evaluate which online casino is trustworthy. When playing in offshore companies, they should choose venues that have a good reputation among international clientele.
It is advisable to check some forums and see other players’ experiences. Most of them are willing to share lots of valuable first-hand information, which can make the selection procedure much simpler and less stressful.
Before registering and depositing, take time to explore the establishment thoroughly. Analyze games, bonuses, payment methods, and policies, see how efficient customer support is, and of course- read Terms and Conditions.
Gamble responsibly!
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