Best PNG Online Slots Sites
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The prevalence of Papua New Guinean residents who are turning to the Internet to try their luck at online slot games is growing, leaving many PNG players to wonder whether gambling online is legal. We explain more about the online gambling laws in Papua New Guinea and advise how to identify a safe online casino to play the best real money slot games on the Net. The best Papua New Guinea online pokies sites for December, 2022 are:
Best online slot sites for PNG players
What are online pokies?
When visiting our website, you will notice the word “pokies” being mentioned a lot. Pokies is an Australian slang term for slot machines, and as our writing team is made up of Aussies you will often see us using this word. To save any confusion, just remember that pokies and slots are exactly the same thing and all information provided on our website is completely relevant to both terms.
Best Online Pokies Sites
Papua New Guinea online gambling laws
Prior to 2007, all forms of gambling in Papua New Guinea were illegal. The Gaming Control Bill 2007 was then introduced by Prime Minister Michael Somare to allow both land based and online gambling in the Pacific nation, legalising casinos, lotteries, sports betting and poker. Under the Bill, the National Gaming Control Board was created to control all forms of gambling activity and to help promote community awareness of issues caused by problem gambling. The Gaming Control Bill was established in a bid to boost the country’s economy and its struggling tourism industry, with the hopes that construction of world-class hotels with premium gaming facilities would draw more visitors to the Pacific nation.
Under the new laws established by the Gaming Control Bill, each province in Papua New Guinea is allowed one land based casino license per every 10 years, with casino operators required to pay 20 per cent of all gross profit earned through gambling revenue. Five percent of profits must also go back into the community to help those experience gambling problems. The 2007 laws paved the way for a Korean consortium to build a multi-million-dollar casino complex in Port Moresby, but as of 2017 there are still no bricks-and-mortar casinos in PNG. Gambling remains a hot topic in the country, with many still stringently opposed to the Gambling Control Bill which has resulted in the PNG government of being accused of corruption.
Is it legal to play online slots in Papua New Guinea?
Before the Gambling Control Act was introduced in 2007, gaming machines were illegal in Papua New Guinea, with many underground organisations offering illegal slot machines and electronic horse racing machines linked to organised crime rings. Slot machines are now legal in PNG, although you will only find a handful of these machines offered in select hotels around the country.
Until recently, Papua New Guinea had a very low Internet penetration rate, and computer use within the country was low, so online gambling hasn’t been an issue. The Gaming Control Bill legalised online gambling, with the PNG government considering the option of issuing online casino licenses to offshore vendors as a way of boosting the economy while avoiding the social problems that gambling could bring to the local population.
While we have yet to see an online casino with licensing from Papua New Guinea, many of the world’s best offshore casinos continue to legally service the PNG market. As Internet penetration and computer use grows in the Pacific nation, more and more players are heading online to try their luck on the slots and it is perfectly legal to do so.
The Gaming Control Bill 2007 does contain wording that makes it possible for authorities to prosecute players participating in unlawful, unlicensed gambling activities, but these laws are mainly based at illegal vendors offering land-based gambling operations. There is no record of a player being prosecuted for playing at an online casino. For now, Papua New Guinean players can enjoy playing real money slots online, provided the casino is legally licensed by a reputable gambling jurisdiction and running completely above board.
Best online slot sites for PNG players
As long as players stick with reputable offshore casinos with legitimate licensing, you will have no issues when playing slots online. The best online slot sites are those that are certified by eCOGRA, offering games for instant-play from the leading game studios like NetEnt, Microgaming, BetSoft, Play’n Go, Quickspin, iSoftBet and Playtech.
Some of the top-rated slot sites accepting players from Papua New Guinea include:
It is important to note that not all online casinos cater to players from all countries. For a full list of the slot sites servicing the PNG market, refer to our casino table at the top of this page. This table has been geo-targeted to recognise your location and only recommend online casinos that accept players from your country. Use our table to read detailed reviews of each online slot site and sign up using our links to claim some exclusive casino welcome bonuses.
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How to play for real money using PGK
The Papua New Guinea Kina (PGK) is not a widely accepted currency at offshore casino sites, but that doesn’t mean PNG players will have any issues depositing cash at an online casino to play slots for real money. If a casino does not accept PGK, you will simply be charged a small currency conversion fee to exchange your money to a more widely accepted currency like AUD, NZD, USD, EUR, GBP or CAD.
The deposit and withdrawal options vary from casino to casino, so you should always check which options are available before signing up for an account. Commonly accepted payment methods include Visa, MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, Paysafecard and direct bank transfers.
All our recommended slot sites are protected by a minimum of 128 Bit (SSL) Secure Socket Layer digital encryption security which scrambles all financial information sent to keep your personal details safe. When playing for real money, we also recommend the use of a trusted VPN (virtual private network) to enjoy the peace of mind of an extra layer of security.