If you live or work in the Bahamas and would like to kick back and play a few hands of online blackjack but you’re not sure how or if it’s legal, read on to find out more. We’ve provided an overview of the online gambling laws in the Bahamas and detailed the best online casinos to play blackjack for real money bets.
Blackjack casino sites accepting Bahamas players
Is online blackjack legal in the Bahamas?
The gambling laws in the Bahamas are interesting in that gambling in the country’s land based casinos is allowed, but locals are banned from playing there. This is because the casino industry is aimed purely at tourists, with tourism money earned from gambling providing a hefty boost to the Bahamas economy.
Similarly, Bahamian’s (and foreign visitors) are prohibited from gambling online, making it illegal to play at sites operated from both within the Bahamas and offshore. Despite the laws, many people in the Bahamas continue to ignore the rules and play online, with many leading offshore casinos continuing to welcome players from the Bahamas.
The expansion of illegally run gambling “web shops” throughout the country sparked a 2013 referendum to legalise such shops and allow online gambling, but the plan was rejected. Online gambling regulation continues to be a hot topic in the Bahamas, with many seeing it as a way to profit from tax revenue and boost the economy, and others seeing it as problematic.
While Bahamas law prohibit online gambling, there is very little done to enforce the laws and no record of a player being prosecuted for doing so. Many locals continue to gamble online at illegal web shops in plain sight of authorities without prosecution, resulting in residents failing to take the laws seriously. Many of the best online casinos that are legally licensed overseas accept players from the Bahamas, making it easy to play real money blackjack online if you so desire.
Please note if you do decide to gamble online you are doing so at your own risk and it’s 100% up to you to understand the laws that apply to you and comply accordingly. We do not encourage readers to break the law. If you do make the decision to place real money bets online, make sure to use a VPN (virtual private network) for an extra layer of security.
Where to play online blackjack for real money
The online gambling laws are so loosely enforced in the Bahamas that many of the top-rated blackjack sites happily accept Bahamian players. While these sites are not legal under Bahamian law, they do hold legal licensing with trusted offshore gambling jurisdictions where they must adhere to strict rules and regulations when servicing players from all over the world.
If you’re looking for a safe, reputable online casino that offers a range of instant-play blackjack games, these three venues get our top pick:
1/ G’day Casino – G’day Casino has been our go-to site for real money blackjack games for years now, engaging players with a wide range of blackjack variants from leading software providers like Net Entertainment, Ezugi and Felt Gaming. If you want to branch out beyond blackjack, G’day also offers a wide range of slot games, table games and scratch cards. All games are available for instant-play directly over your Web browser with no downloads needed.
2/ All Slots Casino – All Slots is 100% powered by Microgaming, one of the leading and most trusted names in online casino software. Players have the option of using browser-based play, or downloading All Slots premium casino software. All Slots offers all of Microgaming’s most popular blackjack variants, with over 25 titles to choose from, with a live dealer suite that includes live Playboy Bunny blackjack.
3/ Guts Casino – Guts is one of the best multi-provider casino sites on the Web, with games available from hot game studios like Microgaming, NetEnt, BetSoft, Play’n Go and premium live dealer blackjack provider, Evolution Gaming. The mobile casino also provides a good handful of portable blackjack games. Guts also offers a great loyalty program and some fantastic one-off promo offers to registered players.
To play for real money at any of these casinos, you’ll need to first sign up for an account and then make a deposit to your casino wallet. Deposits using the Bahamian dollar (BSD) are not commonly accepted, but you can opt to deposit in USD, incurring minor currency conversion fees. Players from the Bahamas have limited deposit options, with web wallets like Neteller and Skrill or e-vouchers like Paysafecard providing your best bet when offered.
What online blackjack variants are available?
Bahamians are banned from entering land based casinos in the country, which is not a problem considering the wide range of superior online blackjack games that are available. Here are just some of the variants of 21 you’ll find when playing at an online casino:
- Classic Blackjack
- Atlantic City Blackjack
- Vegas Strip Blackjack
- Multi-Hand Blackjack
- Double Exposure Blackjack
- Pontoon
- Super Fun 21
- Downtown Vegas Blackjack
- Spanish 21
- Perfect Pairs
- Blackjack Lucky Ladies
- Pirate 21
- Live Dealer Blackjack
- And many more!
If there’s a certain blackjack variant you’re after, have a look through the casino’s game lobby to ensure it offers what you’re looking for. The top-rated casinos mentioned above also allow the option of playing for free in practice mode, so you can get the hang of a game without having to bet any real money.