Macedonian Casinos

With a population of approx. 2 million inhabitants, this country has a very interesting demographic situation, having besides Macedonians a large number of Albanians, Turks, Romani and Serbs. A quarter of the population is represented by the Albanian minority, the largest one from this country. The religious situation is even more interesting, with one-third of the country’s population having the Muslim religion. Online gambling was not considered legal in this country until recently when in 2013 the new gambling law was issued which also regulate this kind of websites. However, land-based casinos were considered legal before this law and they are still legal.

Even though gambling over the internet was considered illegal until 2013, nobody was convicted for such activity because the local authorities didn’t have the resources to monitor this activity. According to the Law of Games of Chance and Entertainment Games, any online casino needs to have a license issued by the Minister of Finance in order to operate in Macedonia. This law marked the beginning of the liberalisation for the Macedonian Gaming market. The first license for gambling over the internet was received by the National Video Lottery which began using its own website 2win.mk.

Selecting the Best Online Casino of Macedonia

There is no official gambling authority in this country and no institution to monitor the activity of Macedonia casinos and issue regulations. The Minister of Finance has the competence to issue licences but doesn’t have the knowledge and resources to evaluate and monitor the activity of this kind of websites. Unlike other European countries, international online casinos are not blocked in this country, therefore Macedonians are free to join any casino which can accept players from this country.

In order to choose the gambling website which best suits them, players from this country will need to take into consideration some important aspects:

• Safety and security. Since there isn’t any local authority to evaluate the capability of a website to process data safely and to rule out the ones with low-security levels, the players will need to be very careful when selecting an online casino. Usually, top gambling websites have top of notch security systems to keep the personal and banking details safe. They use the latest 128-bit SSL encryption, which happens to be the kind of security feature used by the biggest banks in the world;
• The selection of games. By now it’s pretty obvious which are the most reliable game developers in this business and which of them release the most popular video slots. You can’t go wrong with an online casino which has the best games from Microgaming, Novomatic, NetEnt, Playtech, NextGen, BetSoft, IGT or Yggdrasil. These are the software houses to look for when choosing the website which best suits you. The quality of gameplay will be guaranteed and as well the fun, thrills and excitement;
• The welcome bonus. This can prove to be a decisive factor when choosing an online casino. Many of these websites offer really attractive welcome bonuses in order to attract players. In most of the cases, this consists of free cash or spins. They usually match your deposit by 100% or even more, but only up to a specific sum;
• The wagering requirement. This is an aspect that probably many players don’t consider, although it’s very important. If you analyse this aspect you will know for sure how many times you have to gamble your deposit before attempting a withdrawal;
• Deposit and Withdrawal. Players from Macedonia will have to know exactly every aspect of the deposit and withdrawal process, what payment instruments are accepted, how long it takes if there are any fees, or if there is a minimum/ maximum limit for any of these processes. Also, in this case, is very important the conversion rate, as not many online casinos accept Macedonia’s national currency.

There aren’t too many gambling websites based in this country (2win.mk is owned by the National Video Lottery), but Macedonian players can still play on many online casinos which can accept players from this country. Some of the best options would be Bet365, NetBet, Royal Spinz, Unibet or BGO Casino.

Why You Should Gamble from Your Mobile

Having access to the internet every time and everywhere is one of the 21st century greatest technological achievements. Nowadays, people can gamble on the move, whilst using public transportation, walking or being in public places. Although Macedonia is not yet part of the European Union, this doesn’t mean they don’t have the technological infrastructure of the 21st century. In order to use mobile casinos, players from Macedonia will need to have all of the following:

• A fast internet connection, at least 3G on mobile data or Wi-Fi where possible;
• A reliable mobile device (smartphone or tablet) with higher than average RAM memory and very good graphics;
• The online casino’s app downloaded for an Android or iOS device, or to use the mobile-optimized version of the website.

How to Play for Real Money at Macedonia Online Casinos

Any player can opt for demo mode or real money mode when they want to try a specific video slot on an online casino. The first option can get them experience and the possibility to learn the game, but it won’t increase any prizes. The best option to win some money when playing on these websites is to gamble on them. In order to do so, you will need to register with an online casino, make a deposit (at this point you can claim the welcome bonus to increase the credit available) and gamble the credit on the video slots and games offered by the website.

To get the highest prizes, players from Macedonia will have to bet big or to be really lucky. However, responsible gambling is highly recommendable as there are no guaranteed prizes. Macedonian players will probably need to gamble as much as they can afford and benefit from most of the special features a video slot has to offer.

The Best Options for Making a Deposit or a Withdrawal

As there is no Macedonian gambling authority to rule out a gambling website by issuing some laws and regulations, there are plenty of online casinos to choose from. Players can choose from the multitude of payment instruments available to make deposits or withdrawals. If deposits are in most of the cases crediting the account instantly, the withdrawal process is a bit more complicated and takes more time. Depending on the payment option you select, the period of this process can last from 1 working day to 7, or even more. Also, some of the options may come with some fees, therefore you have to analyse and study them all in order to find out which one best suit your needs.

In some cases, there can be a pending period (normally it’s 1 day), but this is regardless of the selected payment instrument. Some of the most common options are the debit/ credit cards, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Wire Transfer and many more. If the casino doesn’t take any fees for withdrawing or making a deposit using a certain payment instrument, you still need to discover if you will be commissioned by the bank or payment processor if you receive or send money using that option.

Conclusion

Although in Macedonia one-third of the population are Muslims this country has a bright future when it comes to gambling. As this country wants to become part of the European Union, it is expected a bigger opening of the gambling market and more online casinos will be able to operate or even to be based in this country.