Estonia

Online Betting in Estonia

When Estonia gained independence from the USSR in 1991, the country took gambling legislation matters into its own hands. First, the state lottery was established, with lawmakers also voting in favour of legalising offline gambling. It wasn't until the introduction of The Gambling Act in 2009 that online gambling regulation was addressed. This act provided the framework for the legal online betting industry. Today, tens of legal betting sites operate in Estonia, with both Estonian-based and overseas brands permitted to provide digital gambling services to the residents of Estonia. The industry is governed and regulated by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board.

The Estonian government has been very vocal about its plans to invest in its igaming industry. From promising lower licensing fees to give way to new operators to investing money into safe gambling initiatives, the future of Estonian online betting is looking incredibly bright!

It is estimated that 70% Of adults in Estonia partake in online betting at some capacity. This proves the huge appetite for great quality, entertaining online betting sites. At betting.bet, our sole mission is to serve Estonia’s ever-growing betting community. 

On this page, Estonia’s bettors can access the best betting sites available to them, learning of the latest betting offers at the same time! 

Sports to Bet on In Estonia 

Estonia is a force to be reckoned with when discussing sport, especially basketball. With a globally recognised national team, basketball is commonly known as the "national sport of Estonia". Due to this, Estonians enjoy betting on basketball games and tournaments at both a national and global level. Other popular sports to bet on via Estonian betting sites include football, baseball, cycling, cricket, and beach volleyball, amongst others. In order to engage in online sports betting activities, players must be at least 21 years of age. This is stipulated by the Gambling Act and the Lottery Act.

How to Place an Online Bet in Estonia

The process of placing a bet online is simple. Here are the instructions to follow:

Choose your betting site: The first step to placing bets online is choosing your betting site. A great deal of thought needs to go into this to ensure you are betting with the right operator to cater to your needs.

Create a betting account: Once you have found the right bookmaker, register an account. To do this, you will need to provide some details. These will include your name, address, date of birth, contact details and more. As part of the registration process, you will also be asked to read through the betting site’s terms and conditions. These will state various details including withdrawal processes, bonus restrictions and so on. 

Add funds to your betting account: Adding funds to your betting account is straightforward. On the betting site, you will see a “Deposit” option. Hit this and follow the instructions. Most Estonian betting sites will give players the option to deposit using debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay as well as E-wallets such as  PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller.

Build your bet: Now that you have a betting account, it is time to build your betting selection. First, navigate to the sport that you want to bet on. This will be in the A-Z of sports usually featured on the left-hand side of the betting site. Once you have selected the sport, find the event you wish to bet on and place your prediction from the bet types available. Hit “Place Bet” and wait to see if your bet is a success! 

Top Tips for Comparing Estonian Online Betting Sites 

One of the best pieces of advice we can give to Estonian bettors is “choose your betting site wisely”. With so many options available, comparing your options is paramount. By ensuring your betting site has the sports, offers and features you value, you can ensure you are getting the most from your online betting sessions. Here are some of the important factors to consider when looking to register with a betting site.

Legal Status: Betting with a licensed bookmaker is always advised. Legal betting sites adhere to strict safe betting regulations set by gambling authorities, which means processes are in place to keep players protected from gambling-related harm.

Welcome Offer: A betting site’s welcome offer says a lot, signalling how generous the betting site is and the kind of terms that they attach to their promotions. Be sure to focus on the site’s new player offer when looking at your betting options.

Existing Customer Offers: Although a betting site’s new player deal is what draws players in, the betting offers for existing customers are what keeps them playing. By looking at the promotions tab, you will see the deals that players who are already registered can claim.

Sports and Bet Types: Most Estonian betting sites carry the same sports and bet types, with the conventional list of sports found on the left-hand side of the site as standard. However, in recent years, we have seen various niche betting sites launch, for instance, esports-only sportsbooks. By researching the available markets and bet types before registering, you will ensure you are not left disappointed when going to place your bets. 

Customer Support and Security: A betting site needs to have a robust customer service offering for it to get any credibility from us at betting.bet. If you are at the stage where you are comparing your options, ensure you look into the customer support features. Having options such as live chat and telephone support is always a benefit. Also, it is advisable to look at what security measures are taken on the site, for instance, does it use SSL encryption technology to keep your data safe?

Bonuses and Promotions for Online Betting in Estonia

With such a huge selection of Estonian bookmakers, most will offer attractive bonuses and promotions to help them stand out. These offers are used to both attract new players and keep existing bettors engaged and feeling valued. However, some betting offers may seem more advantageous than they actually are. This is why reading the terms and conditions of all offers is essential. This way, you will know exactly what the offer entails when it comes to deposit requirements, eligible betting markets and other important factors.

Here are some of the most commonly offered betting promotions features on Estonia betting sites:

Welcome Offers: 99% of betting sites will offer players a welcome promotion of some sort. This provides a warm welcome to the site and enables players to essentially try before they buy. The most popular option is a welcome bonus, or a free bet as they are commonly called. These bonuses give players a free token to place their initial bets with. In some cases, the bettor will need to deposit their own money to unlock the bonus. Other stipulations can apply. This is why reading through the terms of any welcome offer is necessary.

Accumulator Bet Insurance: Accumulator bets, or “accas'' as they are commonly referred to, are bets that encompass a variety of selections. For instance, a football team to win their respective game, a certain player to win a golf tournament and a specific player to be sent off in a rugby match. All of these predictions need to be correct for the bet to be a winning accumulator. Due to the level of risk that an acca bet holds, many betting sites promote acca insurance. Acca insurance is a promotion offered by certain bookmakers that refunds accumulator bets if one selection loses. The refund is usually given as a free bet or cash.

Friend Referral Offers: Estonian betting sites are always looking for new players and use various tactics to keep new customers registering. One of the most effective is a friend referral scheme. This is when a betting operator rewards an existing player for recommending the betting site to their peers. If this results in a new registration, the initial player will receive a bonus.

Loyalty Rewards: It pays to be loyal to your betting site…literally! Most top betting sites will run loyalty schemes. These give users various incentives to bet regularly, rewarding them for doing so. Rewards can come in the form of free bets, giveaways and various other prizes.