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The Costa Rica Casino License – Comprehensive Guide
Welcome to the new wild west. At Costa Rica casinos, Europeans can enjoy unrestricted bonuses and many other freedoms. But beware, the lack of a Costa Rica license and gambling authority comes with some dangers. In this guide we help you find a safe Costa Rica Casino!
The Best Costa Rica Casinos 2024
Table of Contents
Casinos Registered in Costa Rica – No License, No Cry?
While gambling is illegal for citizens of Costa Rica, players from other countries are welcome to gamble on sites registered in the central American country. There is no Costa Rica Casino license specifically, instead gambling operators have their businesses registered and are inscribed in the tax department.
Ever since the early days of online gambling, many gambling companies have chosen the beautiful central American country as a base for their casino operations.
In Costa Rica, the operators have more freedom to run their businesses as they see fit, since no gambling authority exist. Meaning the companies also don’t have to pay gaming tax or licensing fees either. These are all huge advantages compared to casinos based in other countries. And it’s this lack of regulation that has made Costa Rica Casinos popular and an important part of the industry.
As a player, you’ll find many benefits when you choose the right Costa Rica-based sites to play at. Keyword here being right, since there are also a lot of low-quality sites that use the lack of regulation for their benefit. Coming up, we’ll review the pros and cons, but before that, let’s talk a little bit about safety.
Your Safety at Costa Rica-Based Casinos
We want to address a security concern regarding casinos that are based on Costa Rica. Since the country has no gambling law, operators aren’t necessarily supervised unless also licensed in other jurisdictions. It doesn’t mean all Costa Rica Casinos are unsafe, but you should be careful with which sites you choose to play at.
The best casinos listed at Slotsoo are licensed in more than one jurisdiction and we always test the sites we review thoroughly. That being said, we always encourage players to also do their own research and make sure a site is legit before depositing money. With that out of the way, let’s move on to take a closer look at the pros and cons of playing at Costa Rica licensed casino sites.
Costa Rica Casino Pros & Cons
- Recurring bonuses – Many a European casino player have turned to Costa Rica Casinos for the great bonuses and promotions that often run throughout the year.
- Generous promotions – Since it’s relatively cheap for a gambling company to obtain a Costa Rica license, more resources can be pooled into promotions and attracting players.
- No limitations – Since gambling isn’t regulated in Costa Rica, casinos can offer higher deposit limits, bonuses and table limits.
- Big game selection – Costa Rica Casinos are free to use software providers from all over the world. The norm is a good-sized and varied game offering with thousands of titles from famous and niche providers alike.
- Cryptocurrency is accepted – Many Costa Rica Casinos allow you to deposit gaming funds and withdraw your winnings using a range of popular cryptocurrencies.
- High withdrawal limits – It’s not uncommon to be able to withdraw up to 3000€ at the same time. Some sites offer even higher limits to compete with other casinos for the players.
- No gambling tax – Casinos don’t need to pay gambling tax to Costa Rica since the country doesn’t have a license.
- No responsible gambling measures – Since these measures aren’t enforced, you might find that some Costa Rica Casinos don’t have them.
- KYC differs widely – Depending on where else a Costa Rica Casino is licensed, the KYC process looks different from site to site. Some are especially slow and tedious.
- Spam – Since online casinos registered in Costa Rica aren’t subject to marketing restrictions, you may have to deal with more emails than you would at an EU Casino.
- Quality varies – The fact that it’s cheap to open a business in Costa Rica means it attracts a wide variety of casino and Sportsbook operators, and not all of them are good.
- Few payment methods – Some popular payment methods are missing from Costa Rica Casino sites. For instance, there’s no Trustly or Zimpler.
- No dispute resolution – If you and a Costa Rica-based casino have a difference in opinion, there’s no outside party that will step in to help resolve the issue.
- Tax on winnings – The tax law in most European countries require you to declare the winnings you get from online casinos outside EU. The tax can be a set percentage or then it is based on your income tax level.
How to Tell if a Costa Rica Casino is Good or Bad
The only way to tell if a casino is good or bad is to research it. A simple Google search is a good start, and you can also check out sites like Slotsoo and Trustpilot for reviews. Here are some other ways you can find out for yourself if a site is worth playing at:
- Check the license information – Casino companies should be transparent with what licenses and registrations they have in their footer. Can’t find anything there? Red flag!
- See if they offer free games – Good casinos have enough going for them that they feel confident to offer free demos besides real-money games.
- Try to contact support – Are contact methods hidden or difficult to find? Quality sites offer a highly visible live chat or other support options that are readily available even for logged-out players. Ask them a question to find out how fast they respond and if their answers are helpful.
- Compare bonus T & C’s with casino policy – Is the casino policy consistent with bonus terms? Wagering requirements should be stated clearly and there shouldn’t be any ambiguity between the two.
Taking these things into consideration while also reading reviews from experts and other players will get you that much closer to picking a high-quality Costa Rica Casino. When it comes to player reviews, just remember that people are far more likely to share their experience online if it’s a negative one. It’s just human nature.
Furthermore, a lot of professional reviewers are trying to sell you on the casinos instead of giving you an honest opinion. So take everything you read online with a grain of salt and ignore reviews that are either too negative or too positive.
How we Rate and Review New Costa Rica Casinos
Our first priority is your safety, so before we list a site and give them our recommendation, we test it ourselves. Here you can read more about our process for reviewing new Costa Rica Casino sites.
- We audit the casino. The first step is for our staff to collect and analyze as much information about the operator as possible. The goal here is to decide whether the casino is legitimate and reliable so the first thing we look for is a gambling license. Since there is no Costa Rica casino license, we check that the operator is registered with the tax agency in Costa Rica.
- We test it. Next step is our favorite where we go in and test the casino website or app. We look for any broken links, weaknesses in navigation and of course test the games in various categories. We also make a deposit and withdrawal and test the support to see how it compares to other international casinos. We even check what kind of responsible gambling tools the site offers.
- Reputation check. You can learn a lot about casinos from reading what other players have said. So aside from getting our own hands-on experience with a site, we always check Trustpilot, Reddit and other sites to see what other players and experts think. Reputation can change over time, so we make sure to always keep our reviews up to date with the latest information.
- Comparison and rating. When we’re sure that the site is safe and good enough to be featured at Slotsoo, our last step in the review process is to compare the new Costa Rica casino to other casinos and come up with a score. We handpick the sites that provide the best service in regard to games offered, bonuses, support, payment method and more.
Top 3 – Our Costa Rica Casino Recommendations
Below, we’ve listed the best Costa Rica Casino sites to play at right now. We’ve chosen these sites for their reliability and generous welcome offers but also for their huge and varied game selection. They also hold a high standard in regard to customer service and banking.
1. Casino Sky – Best Payment Methods
Casino Sky isn’t the prettiest Costa Rica Casino from the outside, but it has a very generous welcome bonus and some quality features if you look a little deeper. For instance, the withdrawal limit is high at 5000€ and they offer Visa/Mastercard, Revolut and a variety of cryptocurrencies. There are games aplenty and you can also play sports and all the best live casino titles from Pragmatic Play in a dedicated section.
2. Hell Spin – Best VIP Program
Hell Spin is a Costa Rica casino site for high-rollers and those who just love being the center of attention. Win big and you’ll be featured in their Hall of Fame that shows the top winners of every day and week. You can also earn up to 10 000€ every 15 days by joining their VIP club that offers exclusive prizes including cash and free spins. Another thing we like about Hell Spin is that they offer tournaments where you can earn valuable rewards on top of other promotions.
3. ivibet Casino – Best Sports Betting
Ivibet Casino is a hybrid platform offering both casino gambling and sports betting, including horse racing which has its own dedicated section at the site. As far as Costa Rica Sportsbooks, this is one of the best with thousands of markets and live betting that is made easier with a clean UI and intuitive bet slip. Ivibet Casino supports 20+ languages and has a live chat with a really short response time.
Deep Dive into Costa Rica Online Casinos
What kind of games, bonuses and payment methods can you find at a typical Costa Rica casino? Continue reading to find out!
Below we also explain in detail what documents are needed for the KYC process, walk you through how player complaints work, and inform you about resposible gambling measures.
Game Selection at Costa Rica Casino Sites
Playing at a Costa Rica Casino you’ll be able to choose from a range of popular casino games including slots, table games, casino jackpots and live dealer games. The slots come in all shapes and forms and are easy to learn, don’t require any skill and can pay out serious cash if you’re lucky.
Most Costa Rica online casinos offer live dealer games as a complement to their slots and virtual table games. These are played with real dealers and croupiers and the action is live streamed from a studio or a real casino somewhere in the world. The biggest software providers are Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play.
Aside from table games like Live Roulette and Live Blackjack, there are a myriad of popular game shows that are hosted by real people in real-time. Some of the most popular ones include Football Studio Dice, Gonzo’s Quest Treasure Hunt, Crazy Time and Crazy Pachinko.
Available software providers
You’ll find games from highly acclaimed European slot providers like NetEnt, Nolimit City and Pragmatic Play, but also from some lesser-known studios like Tom Horn, Habanero, Octoplay, Yolted and Platipus Gaming. Play’n GO slots are shining with their absence though.
Bonuses & Promotions at Costa Rica Casinos
Many players are attracted to Costa Rica Casinos for their hefty welcome offers and on-going casino promotions. You’ll find a great variety of exciting bonus types of which we’ve listed some of the most popular ones below.
- Deposit Bonuses & Welcome Offers The most common type of bonus found at almost every Costa Rica Casino today is the welcome bonus which will typically require a small deposit on your part. Usually, the operator matches your first (and potentially subsequent deposits) to a percentage, for instance 100% or 200%. This means you can double your money or in some cases even triple or quadruple it.
- Cashback This is a kind of consolation prize that gives you back a certain percentage of your loss. It’s not the most exciting bonus, perhaps, since you have to lose in order to gain anything from it. But it can help minimize your losses and maximize your return. The best Cashback Casinos in Costa Rica may offer upwards of 20%-30% in a single promotion.
- Rakeback Costa Rica Casinos that offer poker will sometimes give a percentage of your rake back every day, week or on a single occasion. This is a very valuable type of bonus for serious poker players and used with a poker strategy it can help maximize your winnings over time.
- No Deposit Bonuses The holy grail of casino bonuses is the one that you get for free, or so it seems. Players love to chase this one, but we’ll let you in on a secret: 9 times out of 10 they come with a wagering requirement so high it makes them useless for trying to withdraw your winnings.
- Free Spins Free spins is the most popular casino bonus next to cash. You get a certain amount, typically around 100-500 in popular slots or jackpot games. When we look for free spins bonuses on Costa Rica Casinos, we try to pick the ones that have high cash values and are offered in high RTP games with good max potentials.
- Loyalty Programs Many Costa Rica Casino sites offer a loyalty scheme in tiers like bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. The more a player bets, the higher tiers they achieve and the better rewards they get access to. These types of loyalty programs can give everything from cash to free spins and are great for maximizing your returns.
- VIP & High-roller Bonuses Players who bet bigger will generally also be rewarded better. If you’re scouting out a new Costa Rica Casino, look in the main menu where you’ll typically find information about any potential VIP bonuses. This type of bonus gives more than your average casino bonus and can even consist of physical items like jewelry, electronics or cars.
Payment Methods at Costa Rica-based Casinos
Some popular European methods like Trustly and Zimpler are excluded, so make sure you have access to one of the following if you plan to deposit money to a Costa Rica-based casino.
Card Payments
Visa and Mastercard are the most popular cards in the world and as such, many casinos accept them. The downside is that transactions are slower than some other methods including instant banking. Withdrawals with a credit or debit card can take up to 1-5 days.
E-wallets
Digital wallets like Mifinity, EzeeWallet and Jeton are also commonplace at Costa Rica Casinos and these are a good option if you prefer to keep your gaming funds separate from your regular bank account. One downside is that some e-wallets take a fee, but they’re still a popular choice for their speed and convenience.
Cryptocurrencies
There are over 23 000 cryptocurrencies available in 2024 but the most popular ones you’ll find at Costa Rica Casinos include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Ethereum. The upside of using cryptocurrency is that you’re normally not charged a fee. The downside is that trading with crypto requires going through an extensive KYC process.
How KYC Works at Costa Rica Casino Sites
Just like casinos from any other country, Costa Rica-based sites are required to verify their customers identity to comply with international anti-money-lauundering laws. A verification procedure is carried out when a single or cumulative deposits/withdrawals exceed a certain amount, usually around 3 000€.
However, random checks can also be carried out for lower amounts. To comply with the casinos policy, the player needs to show a copy of national ID card, Passport, Personal Account Number Card, Proof of residence and/or self-photos. Documents can either be uploaded directly to the casino website or sent to the support staff via email or live chat.
A Word on Dispute Resolution
Some Costa Rica-based casinos advice players to contact customer support if they have a problem with the casino. This, of course, is pretty useless advice since there’s a conflict of interest and you would need an outside party to step in and help.
In this case, there is no outside party unless the site is also licensed by another authority that offers dispute resolution. So your best case scenario at an unlicensed Costa Rica Casino site is that you get to talk to another staff member who can potentially help solve any issues you have.
We get it, this isn’t optimal so if you’re worried you might want to stay away from Costa Rica-based sites all-together. Luckily, there are other options like the MGA Casino License. Players at MGA Casinos can receive help directly from the Maltese gaming authority when there’s a dispute.
Self-Exclusion Not Guaranteed
Self-exclusion works differently at casinos based in Costa Rica. First and foremost, you can’t self-exclude yourself from all casinos at once, which is what you would want if you had a gambling problem. Second, there’s no guarantee that you can self-exclude from an individual Costa Rica Casino either, because there’s no law that states that casinos need to offer the service.
In fact, some casino sites have been known to turn down players requests or use delay tactics because they don’t want to lose the potential income. Such scumbags!
When we review new Costa Rica Casinos, we ask to be self-excluded for a period of time as one of the last things we do in our testing phase. This way, we can separate the serious operators from businesses who are just out to make a quick buck on the expense of player and their safety.
Costa Rica Casino Tax Rules: Are Winnings Tax-Free?
In most European countries you have to declare and pay tax on winnings you collect from gambling, including when playing at Costa Rica Casinos online. Ultimately, tax laws vary heavily between countries, so you have to refer to the laws of your country to know whether or not your winnings are tax-free and to which amount.
Here are some examples to demonstrate just how different the tax rules can look in various EU/EEA member states. How are the examples below compared to your home country? Visit the website for your tax agency and find out.
- Sweden – Sweden has a default 30% tax rate on yearly gambling winnings above 100 SEK from sites that target Swedish players without having the local license. Costa Rica casinos that does not target the Swedish market are essentially tax-free according to the tax agency’s interpretation of the law.(Source: Skatteverket.se)
- Finland – Finland gives Finns wanting to play on Costa Rica online a casinos and other non-EU sites a big headache. You pay tax according to your income tax level You have to pay tax on every winning bet, even though you a headache. If it was up to the Finnish government, winnings from Estonian casinos would be taxable income too, but here EU puts their foot down. (Source: Vero.fi)
- Norway – Norway divides gambling into taxable (such as online casinos based in Costa Rica) and non-taxable (the state monopoly Norsk Tipping etcetera). Norwegian players have to state the casino winnings on their tax returns if they win more than 10 000 NOK. (Source: skatteetaten.no).
Costa Rica Compared to Other Gaming Licenses
The most significant difference between Costa Rica-based casinos and other casinos is that the country doesn’t regulate gambling. This means there is no supervision, and operators don’t need to follow any specific rules when it comes to bonuses or responsible gambling limits for example.
This doesn’t mean they can run their businesses however they see fit. As a customer you need to get the product or service you pay for and the site needs to offer encrypted payments to protect your data.
That said, Costa Rica online casinos are more reliant on a good reputation than casinos in other jurisdictions. To really thrive, a new Costa Rica casino need to adapt to market trends which includes offering safety solutions, responsible gambling features and other things that players appreciate.
As a player, you should take extra caution and thoroughly research the site before you play at a Costa Rica casino. Do your homework and you’ll find that there are quality sites out there that offer good-sized bonuses with decent terms. After all, Costa Rica is the new ”Wild West” of the casino world and since there are no restrictions, operators can be very generous to new and existing players.
Costa Rica Online Casino Questions & Answers
Is there a Costa Rica gambling license?
No, there isn’t. Casinos are registered as any other business in Costa Rica and are allowed to offer gambling services online, albeit not to Costa Rican citizens. Gambling is illegal within the country itself and Costa Rica-based casino sites are not regulated or supervised unless they are also licensed somewhere else.
Are Costa Rica Casinos safe?
Costa Rica Casinos can be safe, however it’s important to remember that the government doesn’t regulate gambling or supervise gambling operations at all. To stay safe you should always do your research and only choose casinos that have received good review scores from experts and other players.
What is the biggest casino in Costa Rica?
Hell Spin is one of the biggest Costa Rica-based online casino with a large player base and thousands of games on offer. They’re also big on bonuses (hence the popularity) and usually have some good promotions with free spins or cash.
Which Costa Rica Casino has the best welcome offer?
Ivibet Casino offers a massive welcome bonus consisting of up to 300€ plus an extra 170 free spins for players signing up today. Almost all our listed sites offer welcome bonuses of considerable sizes so take a look further up for more options.
How long do withdrawals take at Costa Rica Casinos?
Normally between 0-5 bank days depending on several factors, including which payment method you use. e-Wallets and crypto tend to be quicker than bank withdrawals. When you requested the withdrawal (normal day or weekend/holiday) and the size of the withdrawal (if it triggers KYC) are also important. Of course, how fast the casino’s payment team also plays a big role in how long you have to wait for your money.
Are winnings from Costa Rica Licensed Casinos tax-free?
The tax department of Costa Rica doesn’t collect taxes from players, however you may have to declare your winnings and pay full taxes depending on where you reside. Check with the tax laws of your country to find out if your winnings are tax-free.
