Understanding online casino game categories

Ensuring the fairness and integrity of online casino games is essential for maintaining player trust and satisfaction. As online casinos expand into new markets, the rules governing game testing, approval, and certification become increasingly complex.

From slots and poker to live casino games and sports betting, each product category may be subject to different technical and regulatory requirements. These requirements can also vary between jurisdictions and platforms, whether a player is using a traditional sportsbook, a dedicated casino app, Spin panda casino, or another online gambling service.

With input from our legal team, this blog outlines the certification requirements for different online casino game types across key regulated markets, including the UK, Ontario, Spain, and Greece. Read on to identify the jurisdictions most relevant to your business and learn which game categories can be certified in each market.

1. Great Britain

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification in this jurisdiction are:

1. Slots: Reel-based casino games, including those with non-traditional reels.
2. Peer-to-peer gambling: Games where customers compete against each other rather than the house, such as poker or peer-to-peer betting exchanges.

2. Ontario (Canada)

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification in this jurisdiction are:

1. Slots: Reel-based casino games, including those with non-traditional reels.
2. Peer-to-peer games: A lottery scheme where players compete against each other rather than the house.
3. Sports and event wagering: Bets on sports, competitions, or other events, excluding those determined by a random number generator or peer-to-peer play. This includes fantasy sports, esports, and novelty events (but not virtual sports), as well as single-game bets, parlays, in-game betting, and more.

3. Netherlands

The most common game types requiring pre-release certification in this jurisdiction include:

1. Casino games: Games played either against the licensee or between players.
2. Sports event betting: Wagers placed on the final outcome of a sporting event or on specific events occurring during it.

Whether users encounter these products through a major sportsbook, a dedicated casino app, Spinpanda, or another gambling platform, the applicable certification requirements depend on the game type and the rules of the jurisdiction — not on the platform name alone.

4. Denmark

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification in this jurisdiction are:

1. Online casino: Includes table games such as roulette, baccarat, punto banco, blackjack, and poker, as well as online bingo and slots.

5. Sweden

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification in this jurisdiction are:

2. Casino games: Includes roulette, dice games, card games, and similar games.
3. Online slots: Games where winnings are paid in cash and the probability of winning is determined by chance.

6. Spain

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification and regulatory pre-approval in this jurisdiction are:

1. Online slots: Games where players pay to spin for a combination of symbols or graphics that, according to the game’s rules, results in a prize.
2. Roulette: A game of chance where players bet against the house on the number, colour, or position where a ball lands on a spinning disc divided into numbered squares.
3. Blackjack: A card game where players compete against the house to reach 21 points without exceeding that total.

7. Greece

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification in this jurisdiction are:

1. Casino: Includes games typically found in land-based casinos, such as poker and its variants (Texas hold ’em, Omaha, etc.), slots, roulette, blackjack, keno, and bingo. These games may be conducted live without random number generators (e.g. live poker) or rely entirely on them (e.g. keno).

8. Switzerland

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification and regulatory qualification in this jurisdiction are:

1. Casino games: Includes table games such as roulette, poker, and blackjack, as well as automated gambling such as slots.

9. Italy

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification and regulatory pre-approval in this jurisdiction are:

1. Casino games: Includes slot and reel games, roulette, dice games, and poker.

10. Romania

The most popular game types requiring pre-release certification and regulatory pre-approval in this jurisdiction are:

1. Casino games: Includes standard games such as roulette, blackjack, poker, and slots.

Navigating online casino game regulations can be challenging, but compliance is essential for both suppliers and players. eCOGRA offers expert testing and certification services to help you meet the requirements of jurisdictions worldwide. Whether you’re launching a new slot game or an innovative sports betting product, eCOGRA can help you achieve regulatory compliance and build player trust.