Best Online Casinos for Estonian Players

Introduction

For a long while, over three decades actually, Estonia has been offering a regulated land-based gambling industry. In 2010, the country even introduced online gambling, initially allowing only local operators to apply for a license and offer their services to Estonian players. The next year, though, offshore operators were welcomed, as well, as long as they obtained a license from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, the country’s regulatory body.

Providing their services in Estonia through partnerships, many operators managed to legally access the market and offer their online gambling content to Estonian players; therefore, as one, you should not worry about casino sites options; you should, though, focus your attention on finding the best option for you. That’s where we come in. We’ll share with you some tips and tricks on how to find the top Estonian online casinos and how to choose the ideal site to join.

Tips for Online Gambling in Estonia

Considering you should have no problems with access to online casinos as an Estonian player, given the fact that the industry is legal and regulated in the country, you will be overwhelmed with options, sites that you could join. Now, the question is, how to know whether one online casino is the right one for you, over another?

Well, naturally, different online casinos offer different things, but you have to know how to recognize good from bad sites. Follow these tips to make your initial list of potential candidates to explore.

Read reviews on reliable reviewing websites

Here at WoO, for decades now, we have tried to give you the most honest and unbiased reviews on online casinos, games, and other stuff related to the online gambling industry. Casino reviews are our forte, but if you've been a fan, you know that we make sure to provide you with information on a lot of other aspects of the industry, to give you the clearest picture of what to expect as a player. Now, not all reviewing websites are as honest; some get paid by the casinos to promote them, which is not something that we do here at WoO. If we see that an online casino is not meeting a criterion, we call it out for it. That's why you can be certain that here, you'll get the truth and nothing but the truth. But the portals listed below are also trustworthy, so in case you wish to double-check a casino’s status, do not hesitate to check them out.

Trusted Portals

• Casino News Daily
• World Casino Directory
• LCB.org

Explore our blacklist

Assuming you've read some casino reviews and you have your initial list of potential casinos to join, put it against our blacklist to compare it. If a casino from your list matches a casino from our blacklist, scratch it right away and stay away from it. The blacklisted casinos at WoO have been flagged for a reason (or two, or more). Usually, these casinos have failed to meet the criteria to be considered safe and trustworthy to join, or we have been informed that they have wronged real players in one way or another. Trust our blacklist to provide you with sites that you will want to keep your distance from.

Check the T&Cs

The remaining casinos on your list of potential sites to join need to be further inspected. Sure, they've passed two levels of inspection, but you need to dig deeper and find out more information on their respective operators, withdrawal policies, bonus terms, game terms, safety and security, etc. And, you can get all of these pieces of information on one single page, the Terms and Conditions page. So, reading the T&Cs page is absolutely mandatory if you want to know your rights as a player. 

Licensed and Regulated Estonian Casinos

We already said that any operator, local or offshore, that has managed to obtain a license to operate in Estonia by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, is allowed to offer its online gambling content to Estonian players. Therefore, as an Estonian player, you have more than enough sites that are licensed to operate in your country, for which you'll get proper player protection from the authorities, should you decide to join them.

Now, offshore sites that are licensed in other jurisdictions are not off the table entirely, either. If the casinos on your list of potential sites are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, Curacao, Gibraltar, or the Malta Gaming Authority, for instance, you can join any of them. These are proven tough regulators that have been monitoring operators for years, suspending and even revoking their licenses should they cross any line. So, you can put your trust in sites that are licensed by any of them, and join any that you like.

Casino Trust and Security

Continuing your exploration, you will need to check the casinos you’re interested in joining for certain certificates that ensure trustworthiness and safety. First, you need to check whether the casino has a valid RNG certificate. If yes, it means that it has had its games tested and approved by an auditor; if not, it means that you cannot trust the games on its site to provide you with fair and random results. The Random Number Generator, an algorithm that delivers fair and random game results, must be checked by a respected auditor, and the casino must have a certificate that proves that the games have been approved.

Then, you need to check whether the casino has an active SSL encryption certificate. If yes, it means that all communication that goes between you two is completely secured and encoded; if not, it means that your stay on its website is not safe. You can check the SSL encryption certificate by going to the casino’s URL and clicking on the small lock symbol. If the casino is encrypted, the certificate should be valid and active.

Banking Options for Estonian Players

Given the fact that online gambling is perfectly legal in Estonia, you don’t need to use shady payment solutions and hide your online casino transactions. On the contrary, you can use any bank-related method, credit or debit card, or transfer solution, as you are allowed to make deposits and withdrawals to and from online casino sites.

Now, across the sites that you can access, you will see that the standard bank transfer is almost everywhere an option, as are credit and debit cards like VISA, AmEx, and MasterCard, for instance. These are among the most commonly accepted methods across online casinos. But, you’re in luck, because you will also have alternative local payment solutions to consider using, as several of them have managed to get listed as accepted across many Estonian online casinos.

Trumo is an open-banking solution offered in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, and Latvia; therefore, it is an option offered across most online casinos that target players from the region. It originates from Finland, and as you can see from its Terms of Use, it is monitored by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and implements next-level authentication to keep your funds safe, so it is one of the top options to use as an Estonian online casino player. Nexi, SkinPay, Nordea, PayTrail, and Zimpler are all nice options to consider using, too; each is offered in Estonia and accepted across a great number of online casinos that you can access.

Naturally, you will need to check all of these methods out individually, learn about the fees they charge and their processing times before you come to the decision on which one to eventually use. As soon as you have your decision, you can continue by making a deposit at your online casino. Keep on reading to figure out how.

Depositing and Withdrawing when in Estonia

One of the most important decisions you need to make when you join an online casino is which payment method you'll use. Now that we have covered several options, it is up to you to compare them and go with the one that offers the most effortless and cost-efficient transactions. Assuming you've got that covered, it's time to learn how to use the method for deposits and withdrawals across Estonian online casinos.

So, the first thing to do is to head over to the Payment Methods/Banking page and then find the Deposits section. Check it out and locate your payment method on it; select the method. Continue by entering the exact amount of money that you'd like to transfer, followed by the method's details (bank account number/card number/account login credentials). Authenticate the transfer, and the funds should be transferred to your casino balance in an instant. As you are probably aware, usually, deposits are processed instantly, but for withdrawals, things are different.

Once you use the money, win something, and then try to cash out your winnings, as you will learn, you'll need to be patient and go through several extra steps. For one, withdrawal processing times depend on the operator and the method you've chosen to use. The operator needs to take 24 to 48 hours to process the request, review it, and eventually approve or deny it, depending on its legitimacy. Two, the method you've chosen to use has its own processing times, which can vary from a few seconds to a few days, or even weeks. And three, you have to have your account verified in order to be eligible to request a withdrawal in the first place and get one approved. You need to provide the casino with a valid government-issued document to prove your age and identity, as part of the KYC (Know Your Customer Procedure). If you haven’t done this, it’s time to move it.

Assuming you are ready and you are eligible to request a withdrawal, you will need to visit the Payment Methods/Banking page again and then head over to the Withdrawals page. Once you locate your preferred payment method, select it and set the amount you wish to cash out. Enter the required method details and confirm your request. From here, wait as long as necessary to get your request approved and processed, to arrive at your payment method.

Best Casino Games & Software in Estonian Casinos

No matter the online casino you choose to join as an Estonian player, you will certainly be showered with game choices. The thing is, more than enough software developers have managed to penetrate the Estonian market, but offshore casino sites are powered by leading providers, too; basically, regardless of whether you’re playing at a locally-licensed or offshore site, you’ll be in for a treat.

Online Slots

Well-established slot developers Red Tiger, Games Global, and Yggdrasil are offering their slots in your country. But, rising stars among slot developers like Betixon made Estonian market entry, too; therefore, you can rest assured that you'll have hit titles and epic slots at your disposal.

Slots are players’ favorite types of online casino games; therefore, offshore online casinos are packed with them. That's why, regardless of the site you go with, you will certainly get to try Megaways slots, progressives, classic slots, differently themed slots, etc., as there are options for any type of player.

Table Games

Table games are the second most popular games across online casinos, so you'll certainly get a huge variety of titles and variants to choose from and try, no matter the site you join.

American Blackjack, European Roulette, No Commission Baccarat, Craps, and all kinds of poker, including Three Card Poker and Texas Hold’em Poker will be at your disposal, for sure.

Live Dealer Options for Estonian Players

The best part is that table games have been boosted and are streamed live now, or to be precise, for over a decade now. Not only that, but they are a direct competition to slots when it comes to popularity across the industry and players' interest in them.

Therefore, you should not be surprised to learn that you will have more than enough Live Casino titles to try out, as well, delivered by the likes of Pragmatic Play, Playtech Live, Evolution, Ezugi, and Authentic Gaming, to mention a few.

No matter if you’re more into standard Live Roulette or Live Blackjack titles, or you’d want to try some more modern and exciting versions of them, like Lightning Roulette, Power Blackjack or Ultimate Texas Hold’em, or even better, try live game shows like Treasure Island, Crazy Time, Travel Fever or Monopoly Big Baller, you will have them all at your disposal at Estonian online casinos. 

Online Casino Bonuses for Estonian Players

Given the fact that you have access to thousands of online casinos, if it comes to that, you can choose the right site for you by checking which one gives the best bonuses. Of course, you will, once again, need to check out a few sites to compare their offers, but in the long run, you will be the one who benefits from the extensive research for the perfect online casino. Mostly because practically all online casino bonuses come with wagering requirements. Bonuses with wagering requirements of less than or up to 30x the bonus amount are considered worthy and claimable, while those with over 30x the bonus amount are to be avoided. Why? Well, because on a $10 bonus you get, with the former, you will need to deposit $300 or less, while with the latter $300 or more before you can cash out any winnings you made with the bonus.

Wagering requirements aside, all bonuses are attractive, of course. Depending on your preferences, you might be more drawn to one offer over another, but the idea is the same with all bonuses: you’re getting a freebie. Now, this freebie can come in the form of a Free Bet upon a deposit, a bunch of Free Spins for one, several, or all slots available at the site, or a simple Deposit Match on your deposit. Usually, your experience starts with the Welcome Bonus, which can be a combo of the three bonuses we just mentioned, or a match to your deposit only. Free Spins come individually, depending on whether the casino or some provider has a new slot to introduce, or a bunch of slots that need promoting, for instance.

As you start playing, you will notice that you can greatly benefit from the Cashback Bonus offer, as it serves as a safety net that gives you back some of the funds you lost. Loyalty Programs are great, too, as they reward you with all sorts of things for your loyalty: better deposit matches, withdrawal limits, processing times, trips, gadgets, and other presents, and even a personal manager for your account, to mention a few of the perks. The Birthday Bonus is useful, too, making your day on your birthday, as are all kinds of daily, weekly, and monthly offers that you should check out. Tournaments are awesome for competitive players who would like to turn up the heat, so check for those, as well, as soon as you decide on the casino to join.

Problem Gambling in Estonia

Playing across online casinos is all fun and games, until it isn't, unfortunately. Many succumb to addiction or simply start feeling like they need to quit gambling, and are in need of help and assistance with that. As an Estonian player, if you ever feel like that, you can get in touch with any of the organizations offered at the online casinos you’re playing.

Normally, operators build a Responsible Gambling page, informing players on how to safely gamble, but also giving them links to organizations and support centers where they can go for help. Links to the likes of GamStop, GambleAware, Gamblers Anonymous, GamCare, etc., are available across basically all online casinos, as is the self-exclusion tool, to stop gambling the minute you decide to.

Conclusion

As an Estonian player, you've got more options than you could imagine when it comes to online casinos to join. You have the freedom to choose sites based on what they have to offer in terms of license, certificates, games, bonuses, payment methods, and other stuff. So, just use our advice and tips and, in no time, you'll be able to narrow down the list of potential and get to the right online casino for you to join, where you will get a safe and fun gambling environment.

Written by: Michael Shackleford