Welcome to the most comprehensive sports betting guide in Croatia ever. The content within this page ranges from why one would want to use international bookmakers in Croatia, up to whether online gambling is legal or not in the land of a thousand islands.
It also discusses advantages of using international bookmakers, making deposits on Croatian bookmaker websites, popular sports for betting in Croatia among others.
Indeed, online gambling is allowed in Croatia. Yet Hrvatska Loterija, the national lottery that used to have monopoly on it changed the situation recently. Land-based and online wagering became officially allowed in Croatia since 2014 when ‘Zakon o igrama na sreću’ was approved by Parliament.
A single year costs a gambling license in Croatia 3,000,000 HRK and operators must retain the same amount as reserve. In addition to regular corporate tax, they must also pay taxes. These strict policies have resulted in only a few companies operating within the country such as Prva Sportska Kladionica, Germania Sport, and SuperSport.
However, there is another way out. Fortunately, in line with the country’s policies, Croatian sports gamblers can conveniently reach offshore websites.
Other persons in Croatia who would like to put their money on the line depend on betting websites from other EU. This implies that non-Croatian portals can be easily and legally accessed under the ‘open gambling’ policies. The majority of people in Croatia prefer using their mobile phones for gambling, meaning that top sports betting sites are those that can work with iOS and Android devices.
The stakes at these sites are much better than what is offered by the ones in Croatia. They also have a wider variety of games to bet on, including football, handball and e-sports among others. It is now even easier to place bets through mobile betting in Croatia since international betting sites have developed smooth online interfaces for their consumers.
The best Croatian online sportsbooks now allow for kuna, and even have Croatian customer support personnel. Additionally, there is no tax on gains from foreign sites. As would be seen later, local operators’ winnings are heavily taxed.
Here are the main advantages of international betting sites in summary:
In other words, what this means is that other gambling service providers can offer higher odds thanks to the economies of scale and the fact that non-Croatian operators are not burdened by high fees and taxes. This in turn means that Croatian players will get more returns on their bets and better value for money.
Additionally, various other online gambling websites in Europe and even further afield are meant for large numbers of players. Such websites have games from numerous nations. The giant Croat sportsbooks also offer more bets due to their size.
Online sports betting sites accept many currencies including, but not limited to, Croatian Kuna and Euro. Payment services on international betting platforms serve various countries, from credit and debit cards to popular e-wallets and local payment solutions.
The reason for this is that a lot of people in the country like to go for these international operators as opposed to the few local ones. These are some of the top sites where one can gamble, and they will usually have their customer support services provided by someone who speaks Croatian fluently.
Operators that are big have the capital for high-quality gambling applications to be built. In Croatia, most online gaming activities are mobile-based hence there is need for a reliable platform. Clients can use their smart phones to download betting apps so as to log in quickly and access deposits/bets on favorite sports games.
According to Croatian law, winnings from local operators are taxable but the rate varies depending on the amount of cash won. There is a tax of 10 percent for any win less than HRK 10,000 and if it falls between HRK 10,000 and HRK 30,000 then it will amount to 15 percent. The rest is taxed at twenty percent if it lies between this range of prizes i.e. HRK 30,000 to HRK 500,000 while winnings above this amount attract a thirty percent rate.
The tax is payable at source, therefore, the operator from Croatia reduces payments and pays tax for winners. Luckily, no taxes will be deducted from winnings of any individual gambling on international betting sites within the borders of Croatia; this makes them more affordable comparatively.
Croatian bookmakers provide various deposit methods that are commonly used. Among them, we have worldwide well-known cards, online wallets and local payment options accepted by popular gambling sites. Moreover, one should not forget about secure payment ways.
Credit and debit cards function in the same manner, perhaps making them the most popular methods of deposit. Virtually anyone with a checking account may have a Visa or MasterCard. It is easy, convenient and safe to use your card to pay at an online gambling platform. Almost every bookmaker in Croatia accepts these types of cards.
In the world of online sports betting, Skrill is a highly favored e-wallet. Users pay into their accounts and then send money to a gaming website without having to disclose any bank or card information. Depositing and withdrawing money via Skill happens almost instantly.
CorvusPay is a company based in Zagreb and regulated by the Croatian National Bank that enables customers to instantly transfer money to online stores, including leading gambling sites. Assuredly, swift and secure transactions are possible with the facility enabling it to grow into one of biggest local deposit and withdrawal options. As such, most of the top bookmakers in Croatia now use CorvusPay as a payment method.
Citizens of several local banks like Privredna Banka and Raiffeisen bank have to transfer their money straight from their account to various online gambling sites accepting HRK. It is fast and simple for most individuals as they have an online banking app on their mobile phones, although it could take few days before withdrawn funds re-appear in a bank account.
In Croatia, betting is a common hobby. Actually, the online bookmakers in our list of sites allow you to bet on major sports events or even national or local games among others political elections, Eurovision and Oscars winner.
There are four sports in Croatia that have the most betters on them.
In Croatia, betting on football is as famous as it is in many other parts of the globe. Gamblers who use Croatian top-rated online betting website can easily wager for local, regional and global games.
The Croatian 1.HNL and 2.HNL enjoy widespread coverage, with punters being able to wager on the outcome, first half result, number of corners and many other markets. Several websites have live betting available whereby wagers can be placed as a game proceeds.
One of the leading sports for online and mobile betting in Croatia is handball with 27 million registered players across Europe continents. While national clubs compete for EHF Cup, this high-scoring game is especially popular and rapid.
A number of betting markets are available from leading Croatian bookmakers for handball, including international games and national leagues. Among other things, customers can bet on the final scores, highest scoring half, winning margin and team totals.
Basketball is another game that is very popular for online betting in Croatia and it’s fast paced. NBA bets are concentrated on a huge market but many European teams as well as tournaments have great coverage.
The Croatian betting sites will provide you with a chance to stake on numerous markets such as game lines, point spread, race to 20 points and match result. Our suggested sites have competitive odds and many more betting markets.
The fastest growing gambling sector right now is esports betting, which involves players staking money on the results of video game contests. The industry has exploded thanks to over a billion individuals who play such games, particularly combat-based multi-player games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
Multiple events are available to bet on at the best CS:GO betting sites, and the teams involved have great odds. At the best CS:GO betting sites, one can also bet on national and international games from different parts of the world that can be streamed on twitch.
It was not until 1991 before any form of gambling was allowed to be provided for Croatian people but only by government-licensed casinos, shops and booths. The situation was changed in 2009 with the Games of Chance Act allowing bets where the profit or loss is based on chance. Furthermore, this act introduced famous high tax rates on operator’s profits from gambling.
The Croatian 2010 Ordinance for Interactive On-line Casino Betting sets out the terms governing online gambling in the country. This made it mandatory for gamblers to be 18 years and over, operational funds kept separate from deposits, and routine audits carried out on sites.
The Croatian market opened up in 2013 with EU membership. Operators within EU have been able to offer Croatian betting sites and the government has not done anything to stop them. This means that Croats can play on these international sites and get better odds, more markets and other benefits from the local operators.
Expecting that the situation will persist, especially since blocking EU based sites would violate European Union laws, it will continue like this. This has been tried elsewhere and failed so Croatian players can still go to some of the best international gambling sites.
Here is a rundown of the finest betting companies in Croatia. These platforms cover various sports, have numerous deposit and withdrawal methods, employ customer care professionals who are available all round the clock on any day of the week and finally winnings free from government deductions.
The Croatian kuna (HKR) is the currency that can be deposited and withdrawn by local punters at the best online bookmakers. Additionally, there are other variants of using HKR at their online sportsbooks and those who prefer to use Euro, for example, will find it widely accepted.
For one to gamble online in Croatia, he or she must be eighteen years and above. This rule is applicable to local providers and foreign bookmakers too; before becoming a member, you will have to send your ID so that they could verify the information given.
A. Regrettably, Bwin withdrew from the Croatian market in 2013. Perhaps mirroring this withdrawal trend, it also stopped its online gambling services to some other nations but with no sign of coming back.
