Nationality, Citizenship or Residency?

[loganberry]

I apologise if this has been discussed elsewhere in the forum, but I have not been able to find any related threads.

When casinos ban players from certain countries, do they mean all nationals, including citizens, of that country, or anyone who happens to be a resident?

There is a world of difference between the terms nationals/citizens and residents; although nationals/citizens can be residents of a country, residents are not necessarily nationals/citizens. And don't even get me started on domicile!

To clarify:

Nationality usually refers to the country of birth.

Citizenship is usually granted by a government to a national of another country who wishes to make that country their home, usually through immigration.

A resident is someone who lives in a particular country, but may or may not be either a national or a citizen.

Therefore if a casino is banning all US players, (and using Bryan as an example here), does that mean he does not have the right to play at any casino on his accredited list, even though he is now a resident of Germany, rather than the USA, although he still (presumably) retains US nationality/citizenship?

Another example: BlueSquare are banning Australians, but does this mean all Australian nationals/citizens, irrespective of the country of residency, or anyone who is resident in Australia, irrespective of nationality/citizenship?

In either case, if the exclusion is based on nationality/citizenship, then that means that foreign residents in those countries are eligible to play, while their next-door Australian/USA neighbour cannot. And Australians/Americans who have not darkened their country's doorstep for years, and who are resident in other countries, are also banned, while their next-door neighbours can play.

This all seems rather nonsensical.

Is anyone out there able to clarify the position?

[babs7262]

It means that Bryan cannot gamble online legally if he lives in AZ or 12 other states, but since he lives in Germany, he can gamble.

It is where you live, not where you're born. Do you know how crazy that would be for the govt to determine where you were born in order to find out if you can gamble? Think about it!

Hope this helps

Here is just another example: At one time drinking age in NJ (USA) was 18, In PA (just over the bridge is 21 to drink) People in PA could drive over the bridge to NJ at age 18 and drink (they could get arrested once they drove back over the bridge and get pulled over by a cop) BUT...NJ residents could not drive over the bridge if they were 18 and drink because the drinking age is 21 even though it's legal for them to drink at 18 in their own stare

[ssgtsnelly]

i would have thought that if you are a US citizen but live in say the UK or Germany as descrivbed then you are no longer governed by US gambling laws and should be free to play, i dont think ive played a casino where it has asked for a nationality or citizenship proof s part of the sign up. id see it as if you are American and you live in Germany and you commit a crime then you are punishable by German law and not American law (unless its treason or whatever)
i thionk your only barrier may be if you are tryng to draw funds from a US bank or othger funding option, but i would imagine that if you live abroad chances are you have a bank account in that country anyways so you should be fine.

[loganberry]

Originally posted by Babs7262:
It is where you live, not where you're born. Do you know how crazy that would be for the govt to determine where you were born in order to find out if you can gamble? Think about it!

Hope this helps

Sorry, but no, it doesn't. You have missed the point.

Originally posted by ssgtsnelly:
i dont think ive played a casino where it has asked for a nationality or citizenship proof s part of the sign up

No, but you will have seen a list of banned countries!!!!

My question has nothing to do with the government, or US gambling laws - I am not American - but the way in which casinos themselves decide what are the criteria for banning players. Nationality? Citizenship? Residency?

What I am trying to ascertain is when they ban players from certain countries, are they banning the country and everyone it in, or only the citizens/nationals from that country.

Another example....players from Denmark. Is that players from Denmark, or players in Denmark.

And the reason behind all of this? Cashouts. My country is banned from gambling at a certain casino, but I gamble there because I don't live in my country. However does this mean that when I present my passport as ID I will be told....sorry, but you are a player from a banned country, so we will confiscate your winnings as you should not have been playing!

[babs7262]

It makes a huge difference. If they ban Denmark, they are banning the country not the person. I understand what you are saying but I am right.

If gaming is illegal in Denmark and you have an Italian citizenship, it doesnt matter, you cannot cash the check in Denmark. It has nothing to do with your nationality. It has to do with where you reside at the time you want to gamble and withdrawl.

Infact, If Im right, Let's say I take my laptop to Singapore to visit my brother and it's legal there but not where I live in the USA. My bank is located in the USA where I reside and I still could not cashout unless I change my resident status and banking info to Singapore and can PROVE that I live there

[loganberry]

Originally posted by Babs7262:

If gaming is illegal in Denmark...

Gaming is not illegal in Denmark. For some reason, it is regarded as a hive of fraudulent gaming activity, which is why many casinos ban Danish players.

Hmmm. They all seem like such nice gentlemen, too.

It has to do with where you reside at the time you want to gamble and withdrawl.

Thanks for that clarification. Phew!

This is what I also believe it should be....it's just that Bryan's blanket statement about BlueSqCasino not accepting any Australians rather threw me, which is why I began this thread, as I didn't want to end up in the position of being regarded as a national from a banned country, rather than a resident of an unbanned country. And I'll leave the semantics of that to some-one else this time.

Cheers.

[vinylweatherman]

Casinos seem to regard the ban in the widest possible sense.
While a player from a banned country can play when resident in another country, the trouble starts when they are asked for documents. This has already happened. Most likely, the casino will believe fraud has been attempted to enable a banned player to play, and will still seek to confiscate winnings.
Initial detection is by IP address, and registered address. If these seem OK, then play will be allowed, but when they ask for ID at cashout, they will suspect fraud if this ID shows the player is really a CITIZEN of a banned country. A Passport is the one that causes most trouble, as these are usually issued from the country of origin, usually where a player was born, and even when someone becomes resident elsewhare, they retain this passport until they are granted full citizenship of their new country of residence.
Players in this situation are prone to trouble at casinos, depending on how uptight their security people are, and rogues will happily use such circumstances to withold payment.
Such players are probably better off getting their full documentation pre-approved by the casino BEFORE playing, and get it in writing.

[spearmaster]

Residency is what counts.

For example, smoking pot is illegal in most cases in the US. It is not illegal in Holland if you are smoking in a licensed coffeeshop.

Another example - it is illegal to gamble in Utah, but it is not illegal for a person born in Utah to gamble in Nevada.

[dazlazz]

Hi folks,

Just picking up on one of the points re: not including Danish players. I think what you will find is that Danish players are generally accepted in online casinos, but are not eligible for any deposit match bonuses - the thinking behind this, is that the players are actually too good at clearing the bonuses!

It started about 5-6 years ago, and as a lot of online casinos simply copy their content / T&Cs from other sites, they have simply continued with this ban, with a few other countries i.e. Ukraine, China etc.

As regards residence - it is actually the country which you are registered living in which applies to bans etc

Regards,

Dazzla

[happygobrokey]

what if you live in an allowed country but play from within a banned country while on vacation? would you have to go home to initiate the cashout?