Bitcoin Casino Hosting

[chateaux]

I run a hosting company from Curacao and on a regular basis, we get inquiries from bitcoin enthusiasts who would like to start a bitcoin casino. We have no problem hosting them and to be frank, our company was setup to host gambling websites. We have seen our fair share of such casino's coming and going and so I am hoping this thread will help those who are considering starting a casino, bitcoin or not.

About me: I have been working in the online gaming industry since 2003 and in gaming in general (land based) since 1998.

So some answers to general questions:

Q: Is it legal to start a bitcoin casino?
A: I believe it is perfectly legal and I have never had a single inquiry from a local or foreign government questioning the legitimacy of any of our bitcoin casino customers.

Q: Where should I host?
A: My advice, host where no paranoid agency is going to yank your servers from their mounts or where laws are likely to be changed in a flash. My recommendation would be to host with us, in Curacao, since the entire point of what we do is to host casinos. Local government will not get involved in any casino that does not fall within its mandate... i.e. if you have a foreign casino hosted with us (i.e. bitcoin casino)... no one will ask any questions and no one will think it is out of the ordinary.

Q: Is it profitable to start a bitcoin casino?
A: This naturally depends on your marketing and the type of game you offer. Just because you use BitCoin, does not mean you are going to make a ton of cash. In fact, the odds would be in your favour if you were to run a normal casino.

What will it cost?
A: We can help you with a basic shared plan for 9.75 EUR per month.

Where can I get it?
A: Visit www.curacaowebhosting.com (could not find any policy on adding links on BitCoinTalk / Self promotion. Happy to include an affiliate link or to offer a hosting deal to the forum... just drop us a line, we support all sorts of initiatives).

Can I pay in BitCoin?
A: [EDIT] Yes you can!

Q: Anything else we should know in terms of running a casino?
A: Absolutely, I would honestly recommend taking a look at www.gamblingtec.com. They offer licensed and regulated casinos to startups and will be adding a bitcoin payment solution.

There are other locations where you can host your casino such as Costa Rica. My problem with Costa Rica is the language barrier and the fact that the market is unregulated. For me, this means too much uncertainty.

I like the privacy legislation in Curacao, its proximity to the US / SAM, as well as the fact that because they have a well established and regulated gambling industry, you know exactly where you stand and it is unlikely there will be any surprises on the horizon.

If you have any bitcoin hosting related queries, fire them my way and I will do my best to answer them.

[piloder]

What is the price for your VPS hosting http://www.curacaowebhosting.com/products-services/vps-hosting-curacao/
Price is not given in the site and does price depends upon the speed of the port.

PORT SPEED: Machines are sold based on port speed: 512Kbps – 100Mbps

[csmcanarney]

Q: Is it legal to start a bitcoin casino?
A: I believe it is perfectly legal and I have never had a single inquiry from a local or foreign government questioning the legitimacy of any of our bitcoin casino customers.

That assessment cannot possibly hold any value and is downright false and dangerous for many of the readers on this forum. That law enforcement doesn't care about your operation does not mean that it's legal for you (though it probably is) or your customers (for who it likely isn't).

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that you or your customers should stop. Just don't go around making bogus claims about legal questions, please.

[chateaux]

@csmcanarney
Thank you for your input.

If you re-read what I wrote, you will notice that I clearly stated: "I believe". I am most willing to change this belief if I am shown facts to the contrary.

My belief is based on the idea that BitCoin is unregulated (and impossible to regulate) and in most instances, is not recognized. No court of law can possibly make a legal determination on something they can not legally see. I would be interested to see case studies around this if any exist.

With a normal casino, in order to accept payments, you need a license, the license affords you acceptance by payment processors and banks. There is nothing wrong with this, we are licensed and regulated and we comply with many different jurisdictions. It also means our games are regulated for fairness and are rigorously tested.

With an unlicensed BitCoin casino, there is no regulatory body making sure that the software is fair. For a licensed BitCoin casino, the regulatory body will only allow games to be offered that have an RNG certificate.

In many instances, someone who has an interest in running a BitCoin casino will likely not be able to afford to be regulated and licensed. Let me give you an example. In Curacao, the monthly hosting cost for a regulated casino is anything between $750 - $1500 USD per month. And that does not take into account licensing, management fees, taxes, hardware costs etc. etc. So the barrier to entry is very high and this is what will drive people to set up unregulated casinos.

Most BitCoin casino operators can barely afford the 29 EUR we charge for a shared hosting account. While this may not be the case for all casinos, it does give an indication that the market is green. My suggestion is to work with www.gamblingtec.com who hold licenses and who are able to add your bitcoin casino to their license as well as to offer third party certified games. This, in my opinion, is a good entry into the market.

Our personal goals are to help grow the BitCoin casino industry by offering affordable hosting, by assisting with licensing and even getting your games into regulated environments. And, it does not have to be expensive.

[chateaux]

What is the price for your VPS hosting http://www.curacaowebhosting.com/products-services/vps-hosting-curacao/
Price is not given in the site and does price depends upon the speed of the port.

PORT SPEED: Machines are sold based on port speed: 512Kbps – 100Mbps

You can see the price of a VPS here: https://support.curacaowebhosting.com/cart.php?a=confproduct&i=0

They are based on port speed.

To give you an idea of the price disparity. In the US we will sell a VPS server for $75 with a 100Mbps connection. In Curacao, that same connection will cost us $7000 USD...

So it's a different type of business and to make it affordable means using resources smartly.

[chateaux]

Just to add to my previous comment, recently bandwidth prices dropped so we can offer significant discounts to our users. In other threads I have mentioned we will offer discounts and free trials to Bitcoin talk members, just quote any of the threads and we will help you out.

There really is no reason to host in a jurisdiction where the law is in a grey area.

Free trial promo: BITCOINTALKFREETRIAL use this promo to set up your VPS or Shared hosting plan to trial out our servers.