Bangladesh is one of many nations where restrictive gambling laws do little to quell the demand for gambling among the population. Our gaming laws prevent Bangladeshi casino sites from setting up shop locally, but there are many international gaming sites that are happy to provide us with a wide range of gambling options.
Unfavourable gaming laws mean there are no online casinos in Bangladesh, but the internet makes it possible for us to access many large and well-known gambling sites headquartered in other countries. The legality of visiting foreign casino sites in Bangladesh is open for debate, but we do know that many people choose to play online and there have been no reports of individual people getting in trouble for doing so.
One other thing to keep in mind is that not all gambling websites accept Bangladeshi customers. Furthermore, those that do are not all of equal quality. We have confirmed that the following gaming sites cover both bases; each accepts players from Bangladesh and each is a safe, quality place to play for real money.
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Interestingly, our restrictive gambling laws do not present the greatest challenge to playing online. Our banking system is purposely designed to make it difficult to send money outside the country, which in turn can cause some difficulties in funding your online casino account and playing for real money.
This is a real challenge, but it is not insurmountable. First of all, you can attempt to make a deposit using a credit or debit card linked to your personal bank account. There is no risk in doing so, but there is a chance that the transaction is declined.
Your next best bet is to sign up for an account with Neteller. Neteller is an online payments company that serves as an online wallet in which you can store money, make payments and receive payments. The best Bangladeshi casino sites all accept Neteller, so this is a good option if you have had problems depositing with your credit or debit card.
Once you have an account with Neteller, the next step is to fund that account so that you can later move your money from Neteller to the gambling site of your choice. Once again, you may have issues funding your Neteller account due to our restrictive finance laws.
There are two methods to fund Neteller accounts from Bangladesh. One is to contact a friend or someone you trust who already has a Neteller account with funds or who lives in a different country. If your friend is willing to transfer money from his Neteller account to yours, you can ask him to do that and then you just pay him back in person.
The other option is to run an internet search for “Bangladesh Neteller” and you will find a variety of online services that allow you to send them money via a local intermediary in return for the service transferring funds directly to your Neteller account. There is often a fee associated with doing so, but the service works well. You need to keep an eye out for scammers, however, so it is best to start with smaller transfers to establish trust and limit your losses if something goes wrong.
Once you have a Neteller account with money, most of the trouble is over. You can then apply for a Net+ card which is just a debit card linked to your Neteller account. This card can be used to make purchases anywhere MasterCard is accepted and it can also be used to withdraw cash at local ATMs. So if you win money while gambling online, you can ask your online casino to send the money to your Neteller account. From there, you can withdraw cash at the nearest ATM.
Bangladeshi Casino Sites and the Law
The gambling laws of Bangladesh were written well before the advent of the internet, but authorities interpret the law to prevent anyone from opening an online casino in Bangladesh and accepting real money wagers. The laws may be dated, but police do make a serious effort to break up underground gambling rings that operate both in the real world and online.
We should note that local police forces tend to focus on the business of gambling rather than those who simply participate as individuals. While it would be very risky to open your own gambling business, there is very little risk in simply signing up for an account at an online casino and playing games from the privacy of home.
Although Bangladeshi casino sites and other forms of gambling may be prohibited on paper, many people across the nation participate in various forms of gaming every day. Our authorities simply lack the resources and willpower to prevent normal people from betting on everything from the next cricket match to the next spin of the spin of the roulette wheel.
If you keep your gambling restricted to the internet and you participate only as a player, the risk of any legal trouble is minimal. That being said, the Public Gambling Act of 1867 does make it an offense to be found in a “common gaming house.” Under this law, anyone found in such a house can be fined 100 taka or jailed for up to one month.
The Public Gambling Act in general is a very anti-gambling piece of legislation. In addition to traditional casinos, the Act prohibits all forms of wagering except horse racing betting and lotteries. Every form of gambling minus those exceptions is considered illegal by default.
It is also worth noting that although there are no reports of individuals being arrested for participating in online gambling, the police do occasionally arrest people for participating in real-world gambling. This is not particularly concerning for those who visit online casinos in Bangladesh, but it does set the precedent that individual gamblers can in fact be prosecuted for gambling.
Wes Burns co-founded OnlineCasinoSites.com with a mission to help gamblers understand and navigate the regulated online casino market in all countries around the world. Wes is a respected gambling journalist, working in the industry since 2008.