Questions and answers
Online casinos and the law
Short answers about licences, local law and what to do if something goes wrong. Nothing here is legal advice.
Checking a casino
How do I check whether an online casino is licensed?
Find the licence number and the regulator's name at the bottom of the casino's site. Then look the number up on the regulator's own website, not through a link or badge on the casino's site. The register entry should name the same company and the same website address. You can also search for the casino in our checker.
Which regulators publish a register I can search?
The Malta Gaming Authority (mga.org.mt), the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission (gamingcommission.ca) and Anjouan (anjouangaming.com) publish lists of licensed sites, and Curaçao has a certificate check at cert.cga.cw. If a casino shows only a badge and no licence number, there is nothing you can verify.
Does a licence badge on a casino site prove anything?
No. Anyone can copy a badge. A real seal opens a page on the regulator's own domain that names that exact website. If the seal opens a page on the casino's own domain or on a lookalike address, treat it as a warning sign.
Does a foreign licence make a casino legal in my country?
No. A licence from Curaçao, Malta or anywhere else only means that regulator oversees the operator. Whether you may play depends on the law where you live. None of the countries we cover licenses online casinos, and most of them ban online gambling outright.
What does "Licence unverified" mean on Nazar Check?
It marks an early check: a brand that more and more people search for, which we could not find in any public licence register and which has no official website we could confirm. It is not a full review. We add a trust score only once we can check the site, its terms and its payouts.
How does Nazar Check choose which casinos to check?
We follow Google Trends in every country we cover and check brands whose searches have grown over the last six months, as early as we can, so that people can find facts before they deposit.
Is it safe to install a betting app from an APK file?
It is risky. An APK downloaded from a website or a chat skips the checks of Google Play and the App Store, and it can ask for access to your messages, contacts or payment apps. If a casino is available only as an APK, you usually cannot tell who runs it.
What can I do if a casino does not pay out?
If the casino holds a licence you can verify, complain to that regulator and keep screenshots of your account, messages and payments. If it has no licence, there is no regulator to turn to: stop depositing and report it to your bank or payment service and to the police. Be careful with anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee: that is a common second scam.
Does Nazar Check take money from casinos?
No. We do not link to casinos, take affiliate fees or accept gifts from operators, and nothing on this site is an invitation to gamble.
Where can I get help if gambling is causing harm?
Gamblers Anonymous runs free meetings, including online, at gamblersanonymous.org. Talking to someone you trust also helps. Each country page lists where to report fraud.
Law by country
Is online gambling legal in India?
Prohibited. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans online money games. Offering them, advertising them and processing their payments are offences. Players are treated as victims, not offenders. Most scam casinos aimed at India take deposits by UPI to personal IDs or through "agents". Once sent, this money is very hard to recover. Under the 2025 Act, banks and payment apps must not process payments for online money games.
Is online gambling legal in Pakistan?
Prohibited. Gambling is banned under the Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 and the Pakistan Penal Code. Authorities have prosecuted people for promoting betting apps. Scam sites often ask for deposits through JazzCash or Easypaisa to personal accounts. These transfers usually cannot be reversed.
Is online gambling legal in Bangladesh?
Prohibited. Gambling is banned under the Public Gambling Act 1867. Online gambling is also an offence under the Cyber Security Ordinance 2025. Deposits are often taken through bKash or Nagad to personal numbers that change every few days. These transfers usually cannot be reversed.
Is online gambling legal in Sri Lanka?
No online licences. Land-based casinos operate under licence. No licences are issued for online casinos, so offshore sites have no local oversight. Offshore sites have no local oversight. If a payment goes wrong, Sri Lankan authorities have no licence holder to act against.
Is online gambling legal in Nepal?
Prohibited for citizens. Licensed casinos admit foreign passport holders only. Nepali citizens may not gamble, online or offline. Illegal sites often take deposits through eSewa, Khalti or agents. Nepali citizens have no legal protection when using them.
Is online gambling legal in Maldives?
Prohibited. All gambling is prohibited. Every online casino is illegal here, so there is no legal way to recover a lost deposit.
Is online gambling legal in Bhutan?
Prohibited. Gambling is prohibited. Every online casino is illegal here, so there is no legal way to recover a lost deposit.
Is online gambling legal in Ethiopia?
No licensed operators. The Ethiopian Lottery Service suspended sports betting licences on 4 December 2025 and revoked all of them on 15 December 2025. It says no betting company is licensed and warns people not to bet or deposit money with illegal services. No licences exist for online casinos. State lotteries remain legal. With every betting licence revoked, any site taking bets in Ethiopia is unlicensed. Deposits through mobile money or agents to such sites have no protection, and the authorities warn against them.