Best Online Casinos for Danish Players

Introduction

Online gamblers in Denmark were among the first in the European Union to enjoy liberalization of their home markets. Executive orders in 2011 and the advent of the Danish Gambling Act (DGA) on 1, January 2012 gave players access to regulated online betting and the protections they deserve.

The Gambling Act does not cover all gambling at online casinos. The games must meet the following criteria in order to fall under the licensing and regulation for online casinos:

• The game played is baccarat, blackjack, online bingo, poker, punto banco, roulette, or a virtual slot machine. Combination games include elements of skill and chance. Backgammon and whist are listed as 'combination games'
• Players must put something of value at risk (a stake or bet)
• By virtue of that risked stake, you have a chance to win some sort of prize either money or another type of prize with value

Lottery, scratch cards, and sports betting fall under different licenses.

The first thing to know is that only sites that display the DGA's label are licensed to provide gambling activities in Denmark. When you see the label you know that the operator is legally licensed and that they are under the supervision of the Danish Gambling Authority.

It is illegal for online operators to offer services in the country without being properly licensed and supervised. However, enforcement of that part of the law is usually done by government orders to block unlicensed websites, payment processors, or advertising. There are no laws against players accessing offshore sites.

Some well-known sites that display the DGA seal as of the time of this review include, among many others: 888, Mr Green, bet365, Betfair, Bethard, Betsafe, Betway, BwinParty, Casino Action, Casumo, Comeon, and LeoVegas.

Since government consumer protections only extend to players at licensed sites, it becomes very important to learn all you can about any operator who has chosen not to obtain a license - whether to avoid taxes or for another reason.

One way to learn about operators who are licensed in other jurisdictions is to read independent, unbiased, and critical reviews of those sites.

Players should also read and understand the terms and conditions of any site they play at, wherever they are licensed. Another way to find the worst of the worst is on blacklists like the one you'll find on our site.

It must be kept in mind that reading a glowing review on a popular website found near the top of your search engine results is not always a guarantee of the truth. Some review portals will accentuate the positive and ignore the potential problems with a site that pays them for a referral.

There are enough excellent operators out there today that even the hungriest need to compete for a quick payday without caring more about their readers than profits.

In addition to our reviews, you will find the following to be well-established and trusted review sites:

• Key to Casino
• Latest Casino Bonuses
• World Casino Directory

Live Dealer Options for Players in Denmark

Nearly all online gaming sites now offer live streaming feeds for games like roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and many more games.

When visiting a gaming portal you can simply click or tap on the Live Casino link to see the available options.

Evolution Gaming is the undisputed world leader in providing live streaming table and card games. While the Playtech studios may be larger and offer a more imaginative experience, Evolution provides more games, more native language tables including Dansk roulette, blackjack, and other games, and their games have been deployed on hundreds of sites.

There are many other excellent providers as well. Some will beam live games from casino floors in Belgium, Malta, or even Foxwoods in the USA. However, most of the games come from dedicated studios with the majority of those being located in Eastern Europe.

LeoVegas and 888 are a couple of operators that have full Dansk websites as well as Dansk dealer tables, but there are many more as well.

The website you visit to play at will almost always have a clickable link to their license in the footer of the landing page. If the chevron is for Malta or Great Britain (MGA or UKGC) you will be able to examine the licensing registration and sometimes the software providers such as Evolution, Ezugi, Authentic, or LuckyStreak that are also licensed in that jurisdiction.

Caribbean, Gibraltar, or Alderney licenses may not list the individual software providers but the game developer’s official websites should list any and all licenses they hold to supply certified and regulated games.

Licensed and Regulated Danish Casinos

The Danish player's best bet is to look for the DGA label on any website that offers gambling services or products. You can also check the complete list of Spillemyndigheden license holders by visiting the DGA website.

A facility to print the entire list of licensed operators is also available on site and you can quickly determine if an internet gaming center is licensed for online casino, betting, or both. Those with Limited licenses (lim.) are simply smaller companies with less total annual revenue - they still must provide all protections and submit to complete supervision by the DGA.

DGA supervision ensures that you may only consume gambling services moderately; the vulnerable and young are protected from harm; the services are transparent, fair, and responsible; no criminal actors are involved in the supply; public order is maintained; the self-exclusion database will be checked on your behalf, and cooling-off periods will be provided.

Offshore Licensed Sites

In order to protect a taxation monopoly and encourage residents to only gamble at DGA licensed sites, the Authority may use any number of enforcement mechanisms. These can include internet blocking of the site or payment processor blocking as well as advertising bans.

As long as a gambling game provider is not on Danish soil or otherwise subject to Danish law or in violation of unfair competition or other EU trade laws, they aren't likely to suffer any consequences for providing extra-legal services - especially if they are licensed elsewhere in the EU.

We're not aware of any enforcement action that's ever been taken against players directly except for the inconvenience of having a payment temporarily blocked or access to a site restricted. It is not illegal to bypass DNS blocking or to collect winnings another way.

Many of the offshore sites that have been serving Denmark for years are simply licensed elsewhere. An online site can also have several different licenses such as from the Gambling Commission in the UK, the DGA, Malta Gaming Authority, ONJN (Romania), Isle of Man, Curacao, Sweden, Germany, or elsewhere.

The most important thing is that the site is licensed and regulated. Playing at sites in some jurisdictions (Curacao) takes increased due diligence on the part of players because those regulators provide little or no consumer protection services.

Again, a Dane's best bet is always to go with a DGA licensed site.

Casino Trust and Security

Online operators have many bulwarks in place against theft or fraud. In addition to secure servers behind digital and physical firewalls, security is always at work behind the scenes.

Secure encrypted communications are just a part of it, whether it is SSL 128 bit or even stronger, data transfer is safe and secure.

Any modern browser should let you know, right in the URL field/address line, if you are not playing over a secure network.

In addition to a security certificate (HTTPS:// address), you should only play on sites that carry games with a certified random number generator. Any licensed game provider will have a certificate. It may be issued by TST, iTech Labs, GLI, Quinel, or BMM Test Labs.

Many gaming sites will provide a link directly to their certificate. Other certificates can include documents showing the actual return to player percentages (RTP) of the games like this one from eCOGRA.

Another important security consideration is the strength of the site's licensing jurisdiction. DGA labeled sites will provide all the protection you need.

The UKGC only helps players in Great Britain. Malta (MGA) has a robust regulatory framework as do the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Gibraltar Gaming Commission, and others.

Players at Curacao-licensed venues are pretty much on their own if they have an operator dispute - but help can be found here and elsewhere if you've done your homework and an operator suddenly goes bad. It's rare, but it has happened.

Banking Options for Danish Players

The government may direct banks to block payments directly to known unlicensed venues. Playing at a DGA site eliminates that interference.

The variety of payment methods is large and, of course, advanced in Denmark. From Dankort debit to mobile payments and e-wallets, payment processing in the country is as advanced or more advanced than anywhere else on earth. Some of the options include, but are not limited to the following:

• Bank Transfer
• Bitcoin
• Dankort
• Payz
• EPS
• Euteller
• MuchBetter
• Neteller
• Nordea
• Paypal
• Paysafecard
• Qiwi
• Skrill
• Sofort
• Trustly
• Visa/MC, Maestro, etc.

Many of the payment methods will work for deposits as well as withdrawals. If you are playing offshore you may need to chat with a customer service representative about the best options for your particular situation.

A quick visit to the casino cashier can sometimes tell you all you need to know.

Most methods will not have any fees added by the operator but your bank may charge a small fee for some wire transfers.

Depositing and Withdrawing when in Denmark

Many players find that eWallets offer the best of all worlds in speed, convenience, and security. It's also much more likely that you will be able to cash out with the same method you deposit with.

PayPal is a hybrid method, depending on how you use your account. The log will be available in the cashier if you can do direct transfers.

Bank Transfers

Within the casino cashier, you will be able to see available bank transfer methods. Euteller is supported by Danske Bank and by Nordea. Trustly and other options may be available as well.

Mobile Payments

MobilePay is the method of choice for most Danish players who prefer mobile payments. Your CPR Number or NemID is required, as is a bank account and credit or debit card to fund the method. Daily deposit limits are somewhat low and it only works at DGA-licensed sites.

Credit and Debit Cards

Payment cards, credit or debit, will most often only work with a DGA-licensed operation. However, that's not to say that creative payment gateways aren't available through some operators.

The government's approach to steering consumers to DGA licensed sites is three-pronged. They seek to block advertising, block payment processors, and finally, to block the site itself from Danish consumers.

It would stand to reason that in order to block payments to a specific operator they would have to identify the site. If identified as an unlicensed operation the process to block the casino DNS would work in tandem with the process of blocking payments.

Each process takes a different path through the system and payment blocking could occur first, but many internet users know that site blocking and payment blocking are easy to overcome.

The only way to know for sure which payment methods are available is to visit the site without using a VPN or any other masking technology and examine the options in the cashier.

The payment methods you see will often be tailored to your location based on the site's browser reading your IP address. Players who use masking can be at risk of not being paid if VPN or other masking is in violation of the terms and conditions.

Prepaid Cards and Gift Cards

If paysafecard is still available in your area, that or another prepaid card or voucher might be a good choice for a deposit method. Please keep in mind you will most likely need another instrument or method to withdraw. Licensed sites should have no problem paying out directly to your bank account.

Some operators sell virtual gift cards onsite. To deposit with this method simply go to the cashier section, choose Instant Gift Card or another descriptor for it, and follow the instructions on screen to complete your deposit.

Your statement for the method you use to purchase the card will not mention casinos or gambling. These are not offered everywhere.

Payment Vouchers

Online payment vouchers such as Neosurf can be purchased online in DKK, EUR, and many other currencies. As of this writing, it is not possible to purchase Neosurf vouchers online directly from the company but many online retailers offer the service. The code will be delivered instantly to your email and you can redeem it right away.

When Neosurf or another voucher payment method is available, it will be fully integrated into the cashier screen.

Simply visit the cashier section, click to make a deposit, choose Neosurf and a new screen will appear. Here choose the currency and amount to deposit - enter your voucher PIN and submit.

Casino Withdrawals for Denmark

When choosing a casino for real money play, it's always good to see what the pending and payout times are. You can usually find this information right on the website.

If the site is highly rated on the lists of trusted portals, and it offers the games and payment methods you desire, the decision can often come down to how long it will take to get paid.

Some venues will pay you within minutes once your account has been verified while others may leave withdrawals pending for one or more days.

If you are the type of player that may be tempted to reverse a withdrawal or otherwise playback winnings while you wait for approval, then an instant-pay site may be where you want to play.

Bank Transfer/EFT

Bank wires and electronic funds transfers (EFT) are often the surest way to receive casino funds into your bank account because they are basically direct payments.

The transfers can work along with your NemLogin and NemID. If you withdraw to your designated NemKonto bank account you can confirm the payment on your end.

Danish players can expect to see their funds within the week in most cases.

Bitcoin Gambling

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may not be considered 'legal tender' in Denmark, but their use is accepted. Online gaming operators may offer special incentives for playing with BTC or alt-coins as financial processing is less expensive for them and payments are more secure.

Players can't go to their bank or other financial institution after a losing session and cancel or chargeback cryptocurrency payments, so the operator has less exposure to risk. This saves them operating costs.

While not all online casinos accepting players from Denmark accept BTC deposits or offer withdrawals in virtual currency, many do. The bonuses offered may be larger as well by several orders of magnitude.

Another potential advantage to banking with cryptocurrency is that payouts are nearly instant once processed whereas a bank wire can take several business days.

Responsible Gambling for Denmark

The Gambling Authority makes sure that all operators under its jurisdiction comply with rules for responsible gambling (RG). Most sites licensed elsewhere in Europe also provide RG services. However, if you don't use the tools at hand, most operators licensed elsewhere won't know you are having a problem.

When you play at DGA labeled sites you will have all the tools at your disposal. The government estimates that as many as 10,000 Danes have developed gambling addictions.

The national helpline for gamblers is called StopSpillet. If you or someone you know ever develop issues around responsible gambling, they are there to answer your call or to respond to a chat inquiry.

StopSpillet is staffed by professionals who understand gambling addiction and problem gambling. They can help with an overview of your situation and provide you with options.

Phones are staffed Monday through Friday. You can call 70 22 28 25 for a conversation. If you prefer to chat, that line is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

The Gambling Authority's Register of Voluntarily Excluded Players (ROFUS) is available to all players at licensed providers in Denmark on land or online.

Players who want to take a break can self-exclude for 24 hours, for 1, 3, or 6 months, or forever. They also provide an opt-out of advertising service so that no DGA-licensed operators will contact you with offers or other advertising.

Bonuses for Denmark Casinos

The Danish Gambling Authority has set out rules for bonus values, wagering requirements, and other elements of promotional considerations.

These are all in force at DGA labeled gambling sites. The intricacies can be a bit complicated for operators but on the consumer end, the scheme is quite simple.

The basic premise is that any bonus must be equal to the deposit required to activate it and that wagering requirements cannot exceed x10. However, the rollover/playthrough/wagering requirement can apply to the bonus amount only, or to both.

In addition, any game that can be played with the bonus must contribute 100% to the wagering requirements. This means that if blackjack and slots are allowed, the contribution is equal DKK-to-DKK for both games.

Lastly, the winnings from an offer cannot be subjected to rollover requirements.

Other Bonuses

Sites that do not operate under the supervision of the DGA are only bound by market forces for the range of offers they can make available. They must be competitive with any offers yet maintain the ability to remain financially fluid.

In the early days of online casinos, too many operators miscalculated that balance. While it may have been profitable for the first few players who came along, the ones who followed could not profit from a closed operation.

When choosing a bonus in the free market there are several things to consider in addition to the match percentage, game weightings, and rollover requirements.

Offers of far more than 100% often have higher wagering requirements and a maximum amount that can be bet per hand or spin. They can also come with a maximum cash out provision.

Players who choose to participate can either choose bonus offers based on their playing style or adjust their playing style to the bonuses offered.

As with any bonus, a thorough reading of the specific terms and conditions as well as the general terms and conditions is highly recommended in order to avoid any potential disappointment.

We have a page dedicated to No Deposit Codes for Players from Denmark

Related Articles

"The Gambling Law Review - Denmark", thelawreviews.co.uk, May 2020.

"Online Casino in Denmark (Spillemyndigheden)", spillemyndigheden.dk

"Denmark Online Gambling Market Impact Assessment - H2 Gambling Capital (.pdf)", egba.eu, April 2020.

"Danes Increasingly Gamble Online - European Gaming Congress", europeangamingcongress.com, October 27, 2020.

Written by: Michael Shackleford