|
 |
|
|
|
| Member since: 30 Oct, 2019 |
|
| Website: https://newcasinos-il.com/ |
|
| Location: Jerusalem |
|
| Relationship status: Single |
|
About me:
Israel Online Casinos
IsraelThe world’s only Jewish-majority
country, Israel was established after the United
Nations recommended such a state be created in
Palestine following the end of World War II.
Today, the nation struggles to find its place in
the Middle Eastern community, as religious and
cultural differences have often created tension
both with its neighbors and within its own lands.
One area in which Israel is much like its
neighbors, however, is in its treatment of online
gambling. As a strongly religious state, it is
hardly surprising that the government keeps rather
tight control over the gaming industry here, both
in terms of what is allowed in the real world and
what residents can access online. However, the
situation isn’t as bad as it might be:
efforts to prevent access to Internet casinos have
largely been thwarted, meaning there are plenty of
Israeli gambling sites to choose from, with most
run by foreign operators.
Foreign Sites Necessary for Online Play
Despite some flexibility in the land-based area
for certain forms of gaming, there are no such
allowances made for online betting in Israel. The
government does not condone online casinos, and
has, at times, made concerted efforts to block
Israeli citizens from accessing foreign gaming
sites. The anti-online gaming stance was made
clear in 2005, when the nation’s Attorney
General both ordered local real money gambling
sites to close, and for financial institutions to
stop processing payments to such websites. So far,
only one backgammon site has been excluded from
these orders.
Thankfully, residents here still have access to a
number of sites that operate outside of the
country. While officials have made efforts to
block access to these operations, they have been
largely unsuccessful in doing so. In recent cases,
courts in Israel have even sided against the
government in their efforts. In a 2012 case,
courts at two different levels found that the Tel
Aviv Police did not have legal authority to issue
an order to ISPs forcing them to block access to
the sites. While the government then looked to
authorize legislation that would make such an
order valid, the effectiveness of efforts to
prevent access to Internet casinos and poker rooms
has been limited, at best.
This means that if you want to place bets over the
web, you’ll have plenty of choices - there
is no lack of reliable online casinos in Israel.
While there are companies that do not operate
here, many others are happy to offer real money
play. This means you’ll find numerous sites
offering games from a variety of software
providers, including:
Microgaming
NetEnt
Play’n GO
Betsoft
Realtime Gaming Sports Betting Popular in
Controlled Market
You might be surprised to learn that while it is
heavily regulated, gambling is allowed throughout
Israel. The practice is strongly controlled by the
government, but in the limited areas they
regulate, individuals are free to enjoy placing
bets freely.
Perhaps the most popular gambling-related pastime
in the country is sports betting. All legal
activity in this sector is overseen by the Israeli
Commission for Sports Gambling, a government
agency. Exactly what can be wagered on changes
from time to time: in recent years, the Knesset
has expanded the offerings, allowing Israelis to
bet on horse racing that takes place in other
countries as well as other sporting events (soccer
and basketball being particularly popular here.
Also popular is the national lottery, which is run
by a state agency known as Mifal HaPayis. The
organization was established in 1951 to fund a
hospital in Tel Aviv, but was eventually expanded
to a nationwide program that supports funding for
education, recreation, and the arts. Open to
anyone who is at least 18 years old, there is a
weekly main drawing each week, along with keno,
scratch cards, and The Big Lottery: a yearly
lottery game with a top prize of 50 million
shekels (or about $13 million).
One thing you won’t find here is a
full-fledged casino. The country has always
resisted the possibility of allowing casino
gambling, though the issue has come to the
forefront a couple times over the past few
decades. Sheldon Adelson expressed an interest in
building there in the 1990s, and more recently,
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has floated the
possibility of opening a resort in Eilat, in an
attempt to increase interest in what is already a
popular spot for tourists.
Eilat is already home to cruises that offer
gambling as soon as they reach international
waters, but these would be the first land-based
operators licensed by the state. The idea would be
either to allow existing hotels to apply for
gaming licenses, or to build a new casino on the
site of the existing airport in the city, as a
newer airport is already under construction to
replace it.
Expansion Plan Faces Fierce Opposition
While Netanyahu is likely to continue lobbying for
the addition of casino gaming in the resort town
of Eilat, it appears unlikely that his ambitions
will be realized anytime soon. So far, the
proposal has met with strong opposition from
legislators, and to make matters worse, that
opposition has come from all parts of the Israeli
political landscape.
The prime minister has hoped that adding a new
attraction would help relieve a slump in tourism
at the destination, which has suffered largely
because of a sharp decline in Russian vacationers.
But with both Netanyahu’s own orthodox and
right-wing coalition partners in government, along
with a variety of Jewish and Arab opposition
lawmakers, it remains unclear where he will be
able to generate support for the project.
According to a study by the Tourism Ministry,
building one or more casinos would benefit Eilat.
There would almost certainly be an uptick in
tourism: the city is known for being more
affordable than many regional destinations in the
Middle East, and both foreign and domestic
travelers would likely flock to the resort city.
Government estimates put the increased revenues at
well over $300 million per year. On the other
hand, they also warn that such an expansion could
increase gambling problems in the nation.
Given the wide opposition to the proposal, we
don’t expect to see casinos pop up in Eilat
– or anywhere else in Israel – for
at least the next few years. Beyond that, it is
hard to project, as it remains possible that
future governments may feel that the benefits
outweigh the costs, even in this fairly
conservative state. However, we can confidently
say that the regulation of online gaming sites is
even further off, meaning that gamblers here will
be relying on foreign sites to meet their betting
needs for the foreseeable future. |
|
|
Badges |
|
|
 4 year
club |
|
|
Collections |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
