Summary: The state of online gambling in Costa Rica is, to say the least, very interesting…
Simply put, if you are a resident in Costa Rica you are NOT able to gamble online.
That being said, there is an online gambling presence in Costa Rica; there are several online companies that are located within the country in order to take advantage of the relaxed, or rather non-existent, laws specific to online casino operators.
Costa Rica was once the center of the online gaming world in the industry’s early years but has been on the decline due to a shift international public opinion on the legitimacy of operations based in the country.
Once a haven for the online gaming industry, Costa Rica’s online gaming companies have increasingly become subject to many US federal investigations. This increased pressure from the US government has lead to a considerable decline in foreign trust of CR companies, which has pushed many online casino operators to look elsewhere to set up shop.
This all means very little to residents of Costa Rica, as it is illegal to gamble online in the country (although it is completely legal to operate an online casino in CR as long as they service foreign players in other countries).
Costa Rican’s do, however, have the option to partake in the many ‘free-to-play’ online casinos that have begun to surge in popularity. You will not be able to win ‘real money’ but you will be able to play all of your favorite games like slots.
CasinoSmash has put together a great list of FREE games if you’re looking to play some great online games just for fun.
Hopefully, in the future, CR citizens will be able to take advantage of all of wonderful online casinos and games Costa Rica is sharing with the rest of the world.
All changes in due time and until then, find comfort in a free spin or two.
