In Belarus, the home of tennis player Victoria Azarenka and MMA fighter Andrei Arlovski, online gambling and sports betting were always a no-no. We thought it would be cool to give you a list of the top sportsbooks in Belarus as there are now more options than ever before.
It is known that Belarus, as it is now, became independent in 1991. In contrast with the region’s historical view of gambling, Belarus has always had a soft spot for terrestrial casinos given the fact that there are currently 27 of them (majority located in Minsk).
The success of Belarusian casinos has been greatly enhanced with a lot of Russian tourists attracted by the country as they come in for gambling (tough gambling laws in Russia make it difficult). With loose rules, Belarus has been nicknamed ‘post-soviet Las Vegas’.
Effectuated in April 2019, the decree gave a chance for international operators to apply for licenses and legally accept bets from Belarusians. These licenses are issued by the Ministry of Taxation and Duties which last five years and cost around €4,500. However, according to gambling laws in Belarus, there is a requirement for operators to have physical presence within the country, host their website on .by domain and provide the Ministry with full remote access.
Belarus has seen around 50 sportsbooks obtain gambling licenses issued by a cheap licensing process. Nevertheless, plenty of international companies have not taken up this opportunity due to the government’s strict regulation of their operations. However, many still operate despite blocking orders from authorities that are often imposed on internet service providers (ISPs).
Why, then, given the number of legal alternatives open to them, do so many Belarusian bettors prefer placing their wagers with overseas bookmakers instead of licensed ones? In one line: They want to escape taxation.
If you bet at authorized sports gambling platforms in Belarus, then there is a 4% tax on your winnings. Due to the fact that international websites need not divulge your winnings concerning Belarusian government, all the money you win becomes yours alone.
Football and ice hockey are the most popular sports in Belarus. However, other sports are also being gambled on by Belarusians. Over one hundred and thirty sports are being supported by the government of Belarus while directing its attention on such Olympic disciplines as gymnastics and weightlifting.
The following is a summary of the most popular sports for betting online in Belarus:
Belarus is not one of the leading countries in FIFA’s World Ranking, but soccer is far and away the most favored game in their country. This has been a tricky midfielder with Arsenal in the English Premier League before he retired at various clubs including Barcelona- his star player for the past few years has been Alexander Hleb.
Belarusian Premier League is the major league in Belarus. From its inception, Dinamo Minsk and BATE Borisov have been the dominant teams where the latter is the first Belarusian team that has ever reached to Champions league group stages. Competitive odds are provided on all matches of Belarusian Premier League and other leagues in world by best sports betting sites in Belarus.
Belarusian Extraleague (BHL) was established in 2006 and is the highest ice hockey league in Belarus. This has happened several times when it has been an open championship welcoming teams from Latvia and Ukraine and a closed one. Before the start of the 2018-19 season, the league was divided into two leagues which included all Belarusian teams: the A Extra League consisting of eight clubs and B Extra League including nine clubs.
Ice hockey is played in smaller venues because the arenas’ capacities range from 1,000 to 3,000 in Belarus although ice hockey is a popular sport. In addition, you can bet on the winner of any match or league for both leagues through sportsbooks. The betting websites also provide competitive odds for KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), SHL (Swedish Hockey League) and NHL (National Hockey League).
You have heard about Belarusian Fighting Championship (BFC) if you live in Belarus and are fond of betting on MMA. This mixed martial arts promotion company is based in Minsk and organizes its events in such places as Chizhovka Arena and Prime Hall. It is where local fighters can display their talents, hoping to attract the attention of bigger corporations.
Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski is an American-Belarusian MMA fighter who has made a name for himself in Belarus. He has previously fought for Strikeforce, WSOF, Affliction, EliteXC, ONE FC and M-1. A majority of the best sportsbooks in Belarus will offer odds on nearly all MMA events; therefore you can gamble on your favorite fighters.
Being a past soviet country, it is not astonishing that Belarusians are fascinated by Olympic competitions like weightlifting, gymnastics, and wrestling. The first time Belarusian athletes took part in the Olympics was at the Summer Games of 1952 in Helsinki. More than two hundred sportsmen have become champions and won medals for Belarus in different kinds of sports up to now.
Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka were awarded a gold medal for mixed doubles at London 2012 Olympics. Sergei Martynov won the men’s 50m rifle single shots in the same Olympic Games. We cannot fail to mention Olga Korbut and Vitaly Scherbo, both successful gymnasts, and Alexander Medved, an outstanding freestyle wrestler. You are able to place bets on all your beloved sportsmen at the most popular sport betting websites in Belarus.
By now, Betting in Belarus has improved through changes in legislation. Cheap licensing process has been in place since Decree No. 305 took effect on April, 2019 and this means that there are more online betting options for the people of Belarusians than ever before. There is a complex process involved in the licensing and state’s strict supervision on how betting sites operate in Belarus scares away many companies from applying for licenses.
Because the government blocks many international betting sites, some bettors have found a way around this by using Virtual Private Network (VPN) and other means of payment that are non-attributable. Bettors say they prefer betting through international operators because they do not want to pay 4% tax on their winnings. Therefore, if the rules about online gambling tax remain the same, Belarusians will have no choice but to look for alternatives which can help them retain their gains privately.
It is difficult to choose a single website because there are so many great ones. For instance, at BetByGeo.com we have done hours and hours of research to come up with the best betting sites in Belarus to help you locate what you want. These websites propose decent odds on all games ever played, nice welcoming bonuses and much more.
Credit cards and bank wire transfers from for example, Belarusbank and Belinvestbank are some of the means of payment that licensed betting sites in Belarus accept. In case you want to deposit funds in international sports betting sites operating without a license in Belarus, we recommend using e-wallets or cryptocurrencies to ensure your commercial transactions remain confidential.
It is true that there exist numerous Belarusian casinos. The largest of all these casinos is Opera Casino in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus and its economic centre. Shangri-La casino launched in 2009 and was the pioneer to be given a license by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of Belarus.
A. By law, you cannot gamble in any Belarusian casino unless you have attained 21 years. As of August 2018 when Decree No. 305 came into effect, that limit was reduced to eighteen years old. This procedure requires all gamblers to fulfill an obligatory verification and checks the document with badged on entry for every holidaymaker who appeared in a local gambling establishment for the first time
