Best online casinos in Malaysia (2023)
Tracking the best online casino Malaysia offers is a difficult task. Malaysia isn’t a gambling-friendly country in terms of allowing gambling services on its soil (except for a land-based casino). However, that doesn’t keep locals from trying their luck at online casinos. Malaysia legislation hasn’t been on terms with online gambling even before online gambling existed. The country has a harsh approach to most forms of gambling, effectively pushing Malaysians towards international casino sites. In this article, we will clarify the laws and rules that define the online casino landscape in Malaysia. We will also explain why international online casinos are your best chance for unhindered playing in this region.
Trusted online casinos in Malaysia
Even though online gambling is considered illegal in Malaysia, playing overseas isn’t. Many offshore casinos accept Malaysian players, and some even facilitate MYR deposits. We understand that the casino industry sometimes is overwhelming. There are so many online casinos available for registering, so many welcome and no deposit bonuses looks promising. No player can know how to handle the ropes at each site. This need urged us to create a list of the most trusted online casinos Malaysia offers that feature special welcome bonuses, free credit offers and, of course, (some of them) deposits and withdrawals in Malaysian Ringgit.
Trusted Casinos Accepting Malaysians
How we rate an online casino Malaysia
If you are to understand why to select a specific online casino Malaysia over another, you should get familiar with our process. When we rate a Malaysian casino site, we set some standards to help us decide whether this is worth investing in or not. Let’s take a look at the most important ones.
License reputation
The local gambling regulator, Unit Kawalan Perjudian (Betting Control Unit), which belongs to the Ministry of Finance, has never issued a single online license since gambling has been banned in Malaysia. So, it would be best if you turned to international casinos that hold respectable licenses, such as MGA or the UKGC. Another jurisdiction that supports Malaysian online casinos is Curacao. In addition, many locals opt for the nearby PAGCOR-licensed casinos. If you aren’t familiar with this acronym, it refers to the local regulator of the Philippines, which licenses casinos that accept Malaysians, too.
Welcome offers & free credit no deposit bonuses
Malaysians love to receive no deposit promotions. Whether you are a new member looking after free MYR no deposit bonuses in Malaysia or a loyal player who wants to be rewarded for their devotion to the brand with some free credit, international casino sites have got you covered. Usually, they start with a welcome offer that can be a standard matching bonus of 100% up to $100, but it can reach much higher amounts such as welcome packages of up to $1,000+ in bonus funds. Top MYR casinos usually licensed by PAGCOR even offer free credit no deposit bonuses for verifying your email or phone number.
Live casinos Malaysia
The presence of just one land-based casino in the country means that you need to travel to the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur to play a Blackjack hand or a Roulette spin with real money. If you don’t have this convenience, you shouldn’t worry because almost all the international online casinos in Malaysia that we recommend support a live dealer’s section. With a bit of browsing on our site, you can identify which online live casinos Malaysia feature titles from Evolution Gaming and other premium providers and which of them accept MYR.
Websites optimized in Malay
Not all casinos online Malaysia offers are locally optimized, but we certainly give a higher grade when we spot one that pays extra attention to these details. What does ‘locally optimized site means’? Suppose we are talking about a Malay-friendly casino site. In that case, this means that it is translated in Malay, offers local payments, hires customer support agents that speak the language and could also accept transactions in MYR (although not so common). You can expect the above mostly in Asian casinos, European operators won’t offer these perks.
How do casino websites operate in Malaysia
Despite Malaysia being one of the leading economies in Asia and excelling in many professional sectors, online gambling isn’t considered a legitimate activity. The reasons lie mainly behind the religious background of the county. Malaysia is a mix of different ethnicities, but most of them are Muslim Malays, which means that gambling is off their limits. Sharia Law demands Muslims to avoid participating in gambling activities of any form. If they do, they will be subjected to trial by Sharia courts, which the Malaysian state also recognises.
Not only the Sharia but also the secular legal system restricts gambling by law. The Betting Act and the Common Gaming Houses Act, both issued in 1953, clearly outlaw all types of gambling. For rules that are already over 65 years old, they do an excellent job at covering today’s online gambling landscape as well. There is no margin of interpreting the Acts differently; Malaysia casino websites are deemed illegal, plain and simple. Besides, if you are reckless enough to start a betting company on Malaysian soil, you will face legal consequences of hefty fines or even imprisonment penalties that can go up to 5 years.
With such strict rules on online gambling, you would expect Malaysians to be super-cautious of breaking the law. The reality is a bit different. The local authorities don’t care about players’ activities. They will crackdown on illegal operators within the country’s limits, but they cannot do anything literally against remote gambling since the local law doesn’t apply overseas. Players can play at international online casinos that don’t reside in Malaysia without a second thought.
Locally licensed Malaysian online casinos vs International casino sites
As we mentioned, there is only one place where gambling is allowed, Casino de Genting. So, if you want to have a real gambling experience, you should travel to the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, where Genting Highlands Resorts are located. Yet, with international online casinos that accept Malaysian players, you are saved from the long drive and can play from the comfort of your couch. If slots and virtual games aren’t your best time ever, many Malaysian online live casinos can recreate the atmosphere of a land-based casino and promise great fun.
Where else do international online casinos perform better than Genting? But, of course, promotions. Malaysia casino bonuses are the extra boost to your play that you cannot find in any land-based venue. From lucrative signup bonuses to online casino Malaysia free MYR promotions for new members and loyal players, there is no way to compare internet casinos to brick-and-mortar ones in terms of promotions.
Apart from the land-based casino and the international casino sites, there is a third option available in Malaysia: unlicensed, local brands. We cannot stress enough how exposed you would be playing there. No license, no third party dispute resolution, pirate software, manipulated game RTP are only some of the problematic characteristics of those casinos. Should you proceed to register there, you will probably face unpleasant situations like seeing your account frozen, delayed or denied withdrawals and even unjustified confiscation of your deposited money. If we were you, we would stick to our list’s trusted Malaysian online casinos.
Deposits & withdrawals at online casinos in Malaysia
Which payment methods do locals prefer when playing on top online casinos in Malaysia? The answer isn’t simple as there are many tastes. The majority of players would go for bank transfers or credit cards. Common local banks supported by Malaysian-facing sites include Maybank, Public Bank, Hong Leong Bank, AM Bank, CIMB, RHB, HSBC or BSN.
E-wallet casinos in Malaysia are also popular, especially when they offer free credit or no deposit offers. E-wallets that focus on the Asian market like Alipay, Touch n GO, Sticpay or Grabpay, have the edge over international e-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller or PayPal. Another payment option gaining popularity lately is cryptocurrencies, which allow instant transactions.
What the future holds for casinos in Malaysia?
In late 2021, the government started a debate about legalizing online gambling. Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, stated that the country is losing a lot of tax revenue for not having regulated the online casino market. The fact that casinos online Malaysia are operated overseas from countries like India, Thailand, or the Philippines makes collecting taxes impossible if the jurisdiction doesn’t issue licenses.
So far, the only forms of legal gambling are limited to lotteries, horse racing and casinos. Sports betting and online gambling have been out of the question and it’s the first time in many years that a regulation debate has opened in the country. The reality is that full regulation is a ‘hot potato’ for a nation like Malaysia. Even if religious claims are put aside, the local authorities will still need time to pass the legislation, announce a period for casino operators to declare their interest in obtaining the license and hunt down the operators that refuse to comply. At the moment, such a procedure doesn’t seem in sight. So, as a player, you should continue to opt for trusted online casinos in Malaysia, which have been licensed outside the country.
With the exception of lotteries, horse betting and one land-based casino, any other form of gambling has been completely outlawed in Malaysia since 1953.
You have to be at least 21 years old to be allowed to enter the single casino of the country, situated at the Genting Highlands Resorts.
With such a harsh take on online gambling in Malaysia, there’s no talk about winnings being taxed. So, you can assume that winnings from online gambling, simply aren’t considered as a source of income by law.
The local authorities focus their efforts on restricting operators that offer their services in Malaysia and they don't pay attention to gamblers' activity.
Sure, you can. Almost all of the international casino sites that we propose to feature a live dealer’s section. It’s even possible in some places to place your bet in MYR.
Although not so common, it definitely isn’t improbable. You can expect to find MYR currency in Asian-friendly casinos, which hold the PAGCOR license.
Usually, Malaysian online casinos give away free MYR bonuses once you verify yourself by email or phone number.
While the authorities are intensifying their fight against illegal, local operations, there’s no blacklist on online casinos in Malaysia yet.