Top Casino Online Portugal 2024 Guide ▶️ Safest PT Games & Bonuses

While the primary focus of our attention over the course of this article will be Portuguese online casinos, we will also take a glance towards the best land-based casinos that the country has to offer a little further on, which we invite you to check out at your leisure. For now, though, we will start with the best online casinos in Portugal, as tested by us.

The Top 3 Trusted Online Casinos in Portugal

During the research required for this article, we thoroughly tested not only the huge choice of games and bonuses available but also examined the software they used and what safety features were offered as a result. After much consideration, these particular casinos were inevitably our top picks for the best online casinos in Portugal.

Apart from achieving the highest scores in our rigorous testing criteria, what each of these top online Portuguese casinos have in common is that they all offer massive and high-quality game libraries, great bonuses and promotions as well as the latest encryptions and security software that insist you will be in very safe hands when playing online.

Which Is the Best Portuguese Casino Website?

Picking the right casino online Portugal site can be a difficult process. There are many operators out there, each with specific strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, we find it useful to rank gaming platforms by categories. Here are the top online casinos Portugal has to offer in 2024:

Each of our chosen online casino Portugal sites has proven to be a reliable gaming platform. They are managed by trusted and respected companies in the online gambling world. What’s more, they have been active on the PT gaming scene for years. As such, they have a positive track record with Portuguese players.

Best Online Casino for Portuguese Players at a Glance – 2024‘s Test Winner

While all of our recommended sites greatly impressed us; there was one that stood out among the rest. This casino online Portugal site displayed all of the finest qualities desired from an operator: sophisticated security measures, a diverse games selection and fair payouts. We could not imagine a better casino.

In the table above, you will find some basic details about the operator along with a direct link to the casino’s welcome offer. If you would like to look at more options, you can always check out our recommended casinos list for more excellent Portuguese online casinos.

A Guide to the Best Casino Sites in Portugal

Any online casino salt worth its salt should always prioritise the vital need for player security in its guides. Here at Scams.info, we promise to never recommend a site unless we have tested it ourselves and found it secure.

As scams and online fraud are an ever-present threat these days, we hold strict requirements in terms of player safety. If we may, we’d like to share with you an overview of the guidelines that we set ourselves in order to find the best, legal and most trustworthy Portuguese gambling sites on offer.

While each of the above-mentioned guidelines contributes towards a secure gambling experience, we at Scams.info always stress safety as being of the utmost importance. This is something that every operator should, at the very least, guarantee to you as a player. It is always worth checking that your chosen casino acts in accordance with Portuguese gambling laws.

1. Safety and Scam Protection When Playing for Real Money

When playing with real money in online gambling markets, it is incredibly important that you stay vigilant to ensure your safety. There is often much more at stake than losing a deposit or your winnings before you can cash them in on time, for instance, your personal data and banking information can also be stolen by those seeing an opportunity for online scams and fraud.

To assure a positive experience with safe online casinos in Portugal, there are many simple measures that you can take in order to find a safe, reliable and certified online casino that complies with Portuguese gambling law, which we have happily listed below.

It should come as no surprise, that the first crucial step to take is to only deal with fully licenced and regulated gambling companies when using any of the online Portuguese casinos. Start by scanning the bottom of websites for licence numbers as any legit casino will display these gladly for gamblers.

Fortunately enough, The Portuguese Gambling Regulatory Authority [Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos of Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ)], has overseen and regulated online casino gambling in its many digital forms since 2015. Thereby maintaining and protecting online security for all players.

A second important step that could also take would be to ask yourself about the other various safety elements available on the site. For example, are they using established payment methods? By using these, casino sites therefore will utilise secure online forms of banking. Below you can find a list we created of the most popular and safest casinos in all of Portugal.

Safest Online Casinos in Portugal:

• Pokerstars
• Solverde
• Casino Portugal
• 888casino
• Betclic
• Betano
• Nossa Aposta
• Bwin
• Placard
• Bacana Play

As we’ve previously mentioned, we hope that you can place your trust in our recommendations as it is incredibly important to the integrity of our site. This is the reason why we have already offered a look at the best casinos in Portugal for you to enjoy simply. However, it is always important and worthwhile to take the time to check online casino safety practices yourself, which is an approach that we’d also like to recommend.

2. Secure Payments – Depositing and Withdrawing Safely

Choosing an online Portuguese casino that uses the most trusted and well-established payment methods with certificates from trusted encryption software services is a wise move to make. Underneath you will find a selection of some of the most well-known and secure payment methods available at the top online casinos in Portugal.

We’d also like to forward the possibility that not every single payment method will be accepted by each and every casino online Portugal site. This is a factor worth considering when choosing an online operator that fits. The good news is that many of the best Portuguese casinos will offer a wide array of deposits and withdrawal methods for their customers, ensuring you have many options at your disposal.

However, it is worth noting that some casinos may not accept particular types of payments for some of their available offers. To find out more about these terms and conditions, check out what we have to say in our section on casino bonuses.

2.1. e-wallets: Our Recommended Payment Method

If you’ve checked out some of our content before, you may be aware that we usually champion the use of e-wallets as something to consider when taking the risk to gamble online with real money and this article will be no different in this regard. In particular, we like to recommend e-wallets as they are a payment method that is not only very convenient to use and secure but because they also offer easier transaction management and richer payment histories for players.

Our recommended choice of payment method for Portugal is Visa which, from our experience, offers a great sense of security to online players.

When dealing with deposits and withdrawals, Portugal’s top casinos accept most of the well-known payment methods, with most deposits (except bank transfers) often being deposited instantly regardless of which payment method you decided to use. Withdrawals, however, can take a bit longer to process; e-wallets, such as PayPal offer options for withdrawals within a 24 hour time period.

2.2. Limits and Fees

A thought worth considering in your choice of payment method before you play would be towards the differences that exist within limits and fees. Different payment methods will have individual differences between their processing times and limits as well as possible limits on both the minimum and maximum amounts that players can deposit or withdraw. We’ve made a table below to highly just some of these differences.

Through examining the data above, one would gather that low rollers in Portugal have the most options available as there are a couple of options available with unlimited amounts on how much you can bet (Debit Card, Payforit), with other options even allowing them to go as low as €5.

High rollers can also benefit from this option of unlimited deposit limits to bet as much as they would like.

In summary, we can see also that nearly every option apart from bank transfers allow instant deposits and most e-wallet choices offer the quickest withdrawal time of up to one day.

3. Reliable Customer Support Service

Whilst the top online casinos Portugal should offer security and transparency to ensure success, issues can from time to time inevitably arise. Therefore, customer service is incredible importance should things ever go wrong. Should issues arise whilst you are playing, it is perhaps comforting to know that a professional will assist you with any issues that you may have.

Through our rigorous research into Portuguese casinos, we have carefully compiled a comprehensive list of the best quality customer service of the top online casinos in Portugal. We invite you now to consider this and review it so that you can solve any queries or issues you may have quickly and easily, should they arise.

The Portugal online casino sites with the best customer service:

• Pokerstars
• Solverde
• Casino Portugal
• 888casino
• Betclic

Nobody wants to experience serious technical issues when they are seeking entertainment, but if they do occur, you can find comfort in the fact that the safest online casinos are more than happy to help. By including this list, we hope to have offered some reassurance should something ever go wrong.

4. Transparent and Fair Casino Bonus Terms for Portuguese Players

Portuguese casinos often entice newcomers through the many bonuses that they have to offer. If taken advantage of, bonuses offer the player the possibility of increasing the money they can make. However, bonuses often contain within them terms that should be well understood before playing in order to avoid problems.

When researching bonuses and their terms, it is important to understand some of the terminology that is often used and exactly what it will mean for you. Two important factors to consider are wagering conditions and validity periods. Wagering conditions are how many times you will have to wager the value of your deposit and/or the bonus pot before it can be withdrawn. Whereas a validity period is the time limit in which you can earn your winnings before the offer becomes void. This applies to all the top Portuguese casino bonuses.

5. Rich Casino Games Selection

Be it on land or online, a top-quality casino is only really as good as the game selection that they afford their players. A quick glimpse at the game catalogues available to most Portuguese players shows the impressive variety of games that the best online casinos in the country have to offer.

We offer you now an overview of the various types of games in the table below.

PokerStars, which we gave a formidable five-star rating, is our supreme casino of choice as it had the highest-quality game selection of the many sites we tested. We felt that this was the casino that would give players the best online experience in all of Portugal. Find more information below.

A List of the Best Online Casino Games in Portugal

Another attribute that all the top online casinos in Portugal have in common is that they understand the importance of variety in game selection for online players. It’s not just slots anymore, even if the top PT slots sites are still top-notch. There are many types of games out there to suit all players of individual desires and tastes. You can find out more about them in the list of all the top casino games in Portugal below.

• Video slots – Themes in the thousands with wonderful graphics
• Classic slots – The classic ‘fruit machine’ with 3 rows.
• Blackjack- The world’s most famous casino game
• Roulette – An irreplaceable casino classic, constantly unpredictable.
• Baccarat – A game that is quick to learn and exciting to play.
• Texas hold’em – The world-famous twist on casino classic
• Craps – Another classic true game of chance known worldwide.
• Three Card Poker – Perfect for new players, a simpler take on a classic.
• Video Poker – Another classic updated with modern graphics and diverse gameplay.
• Hi-lo – Beautiful and so simple that anyone can play.
• Bingo – an incredibly popular game all over the world.
• Keno – a different branch of the Bingo tree, with players matching chosen numbers
• Arcade Games – gambling games that focus more on graphics, fun and intricate gameplay.
• Scratch Cards – instant win games with prizes that excite

By giving you this holistic and multi-faceted list of online casino Portugal game catalogue, we hope to illustrate that there’s an incredibly rich and diverse library of games online in Portugal which we whole-heartedly hope you enjoy. If you are after the best odds, we suggest taking a look at the recommended blackjack casinos in Portugal. Next, we turn our attention to games from leading software providers.

6. Games from Leading Software Providers

Working with many different leading software providers often showcases the reliability of the top online casinos in Portugal. The result of these differences is that a prospective player will often find many of the same games on the various gambling sites they encounter. This is especially the case with some of the best roulette sites in Portugal.

Fortunately, with ever-accelerating advances in technology, many mobile apps and sites now offer an amazing assortment of games for you to choose from. On the unfortunate side, however, many of these top casino games are usually made without complete mobile compatibility, instead being designed with laptop/computer screens at the forethought.

What You Need to Know to Play Legally in Portugal

Every country has its own unique attitudes and eccentricities when it comes to gambling, with laws diverging between the worlds of land-based and online gambling respectively. We thoroughly recommend that you first take time to understand the legal situation before playing at any casino. Portugal online players don’t need to ask, ‘is this casino online legal in Portugal’ – because yes, it’s legal to gamble in Portugal – it’s important that you check out any good online casinos in Portugal you come across and ask yourself if they seem legit.

In Portugal, laws are in place so the Portuguese government can regulate the online gambling markets not only to protect players from illegitimate businesses but also to assist online tax operators in their calculations.

Gambling Laws and Authorities in Portugal

Portugal has an extensive history with its gambling laws, with its first gambling laws passing as far back as 1929, whilst online gambling first became legal in 2015. Since then, online casinos in Portugal must hold a valid licence in order to operate within the country’s borders. Both Portuguese and offshore online operators have to obtain a licence from the Portuguese Gambling Regulatory Authority [Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos of Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ)].

The SRIJ also works closely with other authorities such as the police in order to prevent and punish illegal gambling and practices across the country. Online they hinder illegal gambling by cooperating with internet service providers, notifying them about illegal activity, thereby halting the access and availability of outlets that break the law.

In Portugal, the regulatory bodies of the country haven’t set a maximum number of licenses that can be issued. Mainly there are four types of online gambling licence that an operator can apply for:

• Fixed-odds sports betting
• Totalisatior/paris mutual and fixed-odds horse race betting
• Bingo
• Games of chance, including many of the top casino games we mentioned earlier, such as slots, poker, roulettes etc.

Operators must have their tax and social security affairs in order either in Portugal or the state in which their main establishment is located. A licence application and its required supporting documents must be submitted on the standard form which will then be approved or denied by the SRIJ. Online gambling licenses are then valid for three years with the possibility of extension.

Gambling Taxation – Do You Owe Taxes after a Win

Online gambling in Portugal is subject to a special online gambling tax, a distinction in taxes exists between:

• Games of chance and mutual betting on horse races, these happen to taxed at a fixed rate of 25% of the operator’s gross revenues.
• Fixed-odds sports betting and fixed-odds horse betting. There are taxed with a rate of 8% over the amount of bets made.

Online gambling operators and players are however not subject to corporate income tax, personal income tax or stamp duty in regards to online gambling.

On the other hand, land-based casinos are subject to their own individual special gambling tax, which varies around the country depending on the particular province or area that the casino itself is located. For example, land-based bingo halls are subject to a stamp duty of 25% on bingo prizes.

Most Important Legal Texts

Online gambling in Portugal is defined, governed and applied by a small number of legislations. In general the Regime Jurídico dos Jogos e Apostas Online 2018) (RJO) provides the basic legal framework for online gambling and betting as well as a number of other regulations and instructions which can be found on the SRIJ’s website.

There are of course several other relevant gambling laws as well which apply also to online gambling. Such as Law No.83 (2017) ensures that all anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist measures are taken in financing, Law No.8 (2006) sets the conditions that information of the position of a bank casino professional can be accessed if needed.

What the Future Might Hold

During the fourth quarter of 2019, an incredible sum of €64 million amounted to the gross gaming revenue for the casinos Portugal online sector. According to the SRIJ a growth in all areas of the industry can be seen compared to previous years. The total amount generated by online gambling alone in 2019 was €122.million, a total 0.05% of the whole country’s GDP.

As the industry continues to blossom, we can reasonably expect more operators to get in on the action and join the Portuguese online market. We can also perhaps expect virtual cryptocurrencies to be integrated further into the top online casinos in Portugal, setting a new precedent for the online safety and security of players.

Comparison with Other Markets

The Portuguese Association of Gambling and Online Games (APAJO) released findings of a survey in 2019 that estimated local online gambling markets within the country had been used by somewhere between 4.9 and 6.9% of adults. This is a much higher incidence than Portugal’s neighbours, France (5.1%), Spain (3.7%) and Italy (4.3%) whilst still much lower in comparison to the U.K. which has a 17% rate.

According to the latest statistics, the average Portuguese player spends approximately 2.4% of their annual income engaging in online Portuguese gambling. These figures were equal to Portugal’s neighbour, Spain, and slightly more than France (1.8%) but still much lower than Italy (3.3%) and the U.K (2.8%)

Curious Facts about the Market

Over the course of our extensive research, we were able to collect some interesting trivia and info about the Portuguese market that may be of interest to you. In Portugal, the gambling industry goes hand in hand with the tourism industry as it directly contributes funds towards its annual revenue. Contributing larger and larger amounts of revenue each year, despite it being strongly prohibited to advertise or publicly market casino gambling in Portugal.

Another interesting fact to know is that most of the land-based casinos in Portugal are operated by two major casino groups, the Estril-Sol group and the Solverde Group.

Gambling Statistics

The gross gambling revenue generated by the casinos in Portugal has been growing consistently since first becoming legal in 2015. In the first half of 2020, this figure grew ever higher in large part due to the shutting down of land-based casinos due to the pandemic’s restrictions.

This unplanned exodus from the worlds of physical gambling towards digital gambling have seen online casino operators experience an especially profitable period as more players have flocked to the top casino online Portugal sites. According to the regulatory body of Portugal (SRI), the online gambling industry earned 69.8 million euros in revenue in the first quarter of 2020 alone. This is especially remarkable when one compares it to the starkly contrasting total revenue figure generated during the final quarter of 2019, which amounts to 5.4 million euros.

In the first quarter of 2020, 157,400 new accounts were registered by the SJRI, marking a rise of 25.8%.

From these above figures, we can surmise that the online gambling industry has had a huge impact on Portugal in recent years. Despite only being widely available since 2015, gambling markets have experienced a monumental rise in popularity. Contributions towards the total GDP of the overall country also seem to be increasing due to strengthened links with the tourism industry perhaps signifying a change in cultural attitudes and perceptions towards gambling throughout the country.

However, this data also suggests this online casino growth comes at the expense of a decline in annual turnover for the Portuguese land-based casinos options. As global uncertainties and rapidly changing regulations form our upcoming months, land-based casinos are due to face more uncertainty.

Gambling Resorts

As we just mentioned, the tourism and gambling industries of Portugal rely on each other so that the gambling industry can contribute to the whole country’s revenue, but also so that prospective tourists from all over will want to visit and generate income into the local economies. As such, each of the top land-based casinos that one will find in Portugal are situated within a hotel or holiday resort, providing people with a great opportunity to relax and enjoy some time at the tables.

We will now provide some examples of the very best land-based casinos that Portugal has to offer.

Casino Estoril

In January 1916, the third president of Portugal, Bernardino Luis Machado Guimarães, laid the first stone that would mark the beginning of the construction of a casino in the Portuguese civil parish of Estoril, thereby making the Casino Estoril Portugal’s oldest casino. Not only is it the oldest Portuguese casino, but it also happens to be the largest casino in Portugal as well.

For its time, it was in fact the biggest casino in Europe although nowadays the Casino Municipale di Campione d’Italia (in Italy), Le Casino de Monte-Carlo (in Monaco), and the two casinos, the Resorts World Birmingham and The Casino at the Empire in the United Kingdom have come to surpass it.

In the years since it has become a major cultural centre, enjoying ever-growing success. Interestingly it comes with its own folklore also. Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, is reported to have been inspired by this particular casino in his first novel of the series, Casino Royale, as it was an established where spies from many countries met, dined and gambled during the Second World War.

Perhaps it is due to the excitement generated by these stories of wartime adventures and espionage generated by the mystique of the casino that has led to this particular casino’s worldwide reputation for prestige.

Casino da Póvoa

The construction of the country’s second-oldest casino – Casino da Póvoa de Varzim – began in February 1930 before reaching completion in 1934 and finally opening its doors as a luxurious and renowned beach resort for the Portuguese upper classes.

It wasn’t long before this casino too became a widespread success. In 1977, the casino became one of Portugal’s official Monumentos Nacionais. Named by the country’s authority for national treasures, IGESPAR (Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico). In the years that have passed, the international reputation of the casino has only benefited from this high esteem held nationally, contributing to the town of Povoa de Varzim being considered an ideal seaside destination.

The casino itself covers 27,000 square metres boasting a grand total of 700 slot machines and 20 different table games to offer. On the first floor in the Joint Room, Portuguese gamblers and tourists alike can find baccarat, blackjack, roulette, Banca Francesa and Cussec. The casino is open 4 pm until 4 am in the summer months and 3 pm to 3 am weekdays and 4 am-4 pm in the offseason.

Players upon entry are also given a card that keeps track of rewards, discounts and opportunities that the ‘Casino of the North’ has to offer.

Casino Lisboa

Located at the Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations) in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, Casino Lisboa first opened its doors and welcomed the gambling public on the 19th of April 2006. As an attempt to revitalise Lisbon’s flailing theatre district, the casino was the first casino in the country to be built within an urban area, as opposed to a tourist area like the previous entries.

This casino also offers tournaments and case prizes concerning Texas hold ‘em and Omaha. These renowned ‘Big Lisbon’ tournaments are usually held the first Tuesday and Wednesday of each month with registration occurring at 6 pm. If you’re visiting, please be sure not to miss them.

Boasting more than 6038 square metres of the Casino Lisboa is also home to 1,100 gaming machines, 26 table games and a poker room, carving out its place as the second-largest casino in Portugal.

The casino itself operates 12 hours every day from 3 pm until 3 am, except on December 24th of each year when it is closed. Casino Lisboa also offers arena lounge parties from 1 am to 3 am offering an exciting, evolving entertainment program that’s hosts both Portuguese and international musical acts that is free to both attend and enjoy once inside. There is also no required entry fee which is good news for gamblers on a budget.

Famous Portuguese Gamblers

As we touched upon earlier, Portugal has a seasoned and dedicated history with its attitudes towards gambling, boasting its oldest casino to be over 114 years old. Despite being one of the biggest gambling hubs in the entire European Union, it is therefore a bit of a shock to find that indeed very few famous gamblers come from Portugal.

Of course, this is not to say that Portugal cannot boast an internationally regarded and respected gambler to call their own. The most famous gambler hailing Portugal would have to be Joao Vieira.

Through his beginnings as a prodigious teenager, he then went on to thrive and quickly become of the highest-class tournament players in all of Europe. With a huge number of accolades and achievements behind him, Joao Vieira is often regarded by many as the most successful Portuguese poker player of all time.

FAQ

If you’ve made it this far, we salute you! We hope that this holistic and comprehensive guide on the top online casinos in Portugal has aided you somewhat on your journey. Clarity, thoroughness and transparency are highly valued qualities here at Scams.info and we hope they came across.

We are aware however that by the end of such an extensive overview you may still have some unanswered questions or queries that you’d like answered. If so, our frequently asked questions section below should help clear this up.

Top Offer for Playing Real Money Games in Portugal

Just to summarise and conclude, this Scams.info review sought to give insight and guidance to the best of our ability because we want to assist you with all the knowledge you could ever need going forward so that you may enjoy to the full the best online Portuguese casinos out there on the market.

If you would care to indulge us in one final recommendation, click the link below to benefit from what we believe is the best online gambling offer to be found in all of beautiful Portugal. Boa soarte!