Online casinos accepting players from Aland Islands

The gambling industry generates billions annually. People just love gambling and the industry does everything in its power to respond to their demand. Now, many gambling companies tend to give some of the money they generate for good purposes. Some are required to do so by the gambling laws and regulations, while others do it on their own will. 

A charitable, non-profit gambling company called PAF (Play Among Friends) belongs in the second group of operators. PAF is the only licensee in the jurisdiction of the Aland Islands (Åland Islands).

Aland Islands…

… is the autonomous region in Finland, which is located at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. It is a province where gambling is regulated, legal and where all the money generated from its one licensee goes to the public community. 

PAF, being the only licensee, is a company founded in 1966 for fundraising by four non-profit organizations Dagens Barn, Rädda Barnen, Folkhälsan på Ålan and Röda Korset. When it first started operating, it used to offer its services abroad car ferries registered in the province. In fact, PAF holds the exclusive rights to offer gambling on land and cruise ferries across the Baltic Sea. 

Similarly to mainland Finland…

… therefore, the Aland Islands also have a monopolistic gambling regime. Considering that although an official territory of Finland has its own government, taxation system and local policies, it also has the rights to make its own decisions on the matter of gambling. As such, the Aland Islands does not issue licenses to other gambling companies aside from PAF and wants to keep gambling under control. 

However…

… PAF still has to operate under strict rules. In fact, considering it is owned by the regional government of Aland Islands, its operations must be administered in a socially responsible way. The operator, however, is well-respected in the gambling industry, as one of the longest-standing and largest gambling companies in the business. Its reputation in terms of responsible services has been awarded multiple times by the industry. In terms of licenses, PAF holds a single one that covers all categories of games, which expires annually and must be renewed for a fee of €70,000. At the end of the year, its business plans, commercial performance and financial reports are re-evaluated by the Aland Provincial Government. 

Legal Online Gambling in the Aland Islands 

PAF started offering online casino games back in 1999, way before most operators in other regulated markets. And while before it was allowed to offer games on land and abroad cruises, since 1999, it is also permitted to offer games of chance and skill online. 

As a turnkey casino solutions provider, PAF is also allowed to offer online betting and casino games to players from all across Europe. This means that the games available on its site have a big fan base. As a matter of fact, when mainstream Finland first regulated online gambling in 2010, at a monopolistic level, PAF was the only non-local monopoly operator to join the three operators RAY, Veikkaus and Fintoto licensed to provide gambling and betting services in the country. But PAF allows players from other jurisdictions to join and gamble, too, as it has acquired a license by Sweden, and several other countries in Europe. No matter what, though, it distributes all the revenue to fund humanitarian organisations, social, environmental, cultural and other beneficial groups in the province. 

Online gambling…

… in the Aland Islands, therefore, is completely legal and regulated. Players from the Aland Islands can enjoy all kinds of games, have fun and at the same time invest in the future of their community, as all the money lost goes to good causes. 

Responsible gambling…

… is at PAF’s core, though. Before players join, they need to go through thorough identification verification. Depending on players’ country of residence, PAF makes sure they are of legal age, either 18 (which is the legal age in most countries) or 21. 

In addition, according to the Finnish Personal Data Act, PAF keeps a central player registry, to meet the player-specific requirements and safety and protection measures. Other measures include a self-exclusion system, which allows players, those who feel the need to, to self-exclude themselves either from the entire website or from specific games. 

What’s more, players dealing with addiction problems get to receive gaming insurance, believe it or not. PAF makes sure that players who have been registered for at least a year and deposited at least €120 during that time, can visit a certified therapist and seek professional counselling of up to €2,300. 

Software providers…

… who wish to partner with and offer games at paf.com, are required to present a Random Number Generator certificate, to ensure that the games’ results are completely fair and random. Developers must have their games audited and classified as fair by a reputable third-party auditing agency such as eCOGRA or iTechLabs before they even consider offering their games on the Aland Islands market. 

Aland Islands Online Casinos

Considering PAF is the only operator permitted to offer online casino and betting in the Aland Islands, there’s only one online casino players in the province can access. But, luckily, it is the only casino they need. 

PAF.com…

… is an all-inclusive online casino site. Aside from a massive game choice, the casino offers a Helpdesk, or a Customer Support team available from 09.00 to 24.00 CET via phone, chat and email. A Play it Safe facility where players can get informed and get help with learning how to play safe is also available. Moreover, at the bottom of its homepage, you can notice the eCOGRA logo, which means one of the most respected auditing companies has tested its software and approved it for randomness and fairness. 

Believe it or not, PAF even offers bonuses, promotions, tournaments and competitions where players can win casino spins, cash prizes, cruise packages, bingo tickets, cashbacks, among other freebies. 

Games at Aland Islands Online Casinos

The best feeling you’ll get when you load paf.com is when you see the games selection. Even though an only online casino available to players from Aland Islands, PAF really knows how to deliver its players an incredible experience. 

The operator is licensed to provide the following games, all available at its website:

• Progressive jackpot slots;
• Video slots;
• Fantasy sports;
• Video poker;
• Sports betting; 
• Table games;
• Poker;
• Live Casino;
• Lotteries;
• Bingo.

But the fact that you can access all these games is not the most exciting news you’ll learn today. Go to the Slots or Jackpot Slots page, for instance, and you’ll see all your favourite titles, developed by giants such as Yggdrasil, Red Tiger, Microgaming, Pragmatic Play and NetEnt! Go to the Live Casino games portfolio and you will see the best Live Dealer games developed by Evolution Gaming, Authentic Gaming and NetEnt Live!

Mobile Betting

Mobile betting and gambling have taken online gambling by a storm. Players no longer wish to be locked up at home in order to play their favourite online casino games on their PC or laptops. No, they want to go out in the open and relax on a park bench while playing their slots and table games on their tablets and smartphones. 

And while all of this is possible today, in the past, both operators and developers had to enhance their platforms and software in order for the games to be available across all devices. 

First…

… when mobile gaming was on the rise, developers and operators relied on Adobe Flash. To play at online casinos, players would need to download Flash and all of the plug-ins in order to be able to load the game and play it with no interruptions.

Later on…

… HTML5 technology stole the spotlight. In fact, today all online casino games are developed in HTML5 format so that they could be cross-device and cross-browser games, available on all Android devices, iPhones and iPads. Developers even relaunch their older titles into HTML5 so that players could load and play them in better quality.

Mobile gambling is the gambling of today, that’s for sure. It has replaced desktop gambling due to the convenience it provides, giving players the ability to play at their favourite casinos on the go. PAF knows this, and that's why in addition to enhancing its website to be available via any browser, it has also created a dedicated app for players to download if they wish to.

Aland Islands Online Banking & Casino Payment Methods 

When you go to PAF’s homepage, near the bottom, you’ll see the logos of Skrill and Neteller. This is because these are the two eWallets players can use to deposit and withdraw. In addition, they can always use bank transfer and the online and mobile service Siirto, which is part of Nordea. 

Bank transfers from and to the following banks are accepted:

• Osuuspankki;
• LHV Pank;
• Danske bank;
• Luminor;
• Ålandsbanken;
• SEB;
• S-Pankki;
• Swedbank;
• Pop Pankki via Trustly;
• Aktia;
• Handelsbanken via Trustly;
• Säästöpankki;
• Oma Säästöpankki via Trustly.

FAQs

1. How old should I be to join PAF?

- If you’re a player from Sweden, Finland or the Aland Islands, the legal minimum gambling age in these countries is 18, so you need to be 18 or older to join PAF. If you’re a resident from Estonia, you need to be 21, as that is the minimum gambling age in the country. 

2. Which browsers can I use to access the casino?

- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge are the recommended and supported browsers at PAF at the time of writing. Explore the Frequently Asked Questions page to double-check this before you join. 

3. How long does it take for withdrawals to be at the bank account?

- This depends on the payment method you choose to use. Withdrawals with eWallets and Sirrto are instant, the minute PAF approves them, while those via bank transfer take 1 to 3 days. 

4. How to be sure PAF is a safe and secure place to gamble online?

- Its reputation speaks for itself, for one. Two, it has its software checked and approved by eCOGRA. And finally, it has its website protected with an SSL encryption provided by CloudFlare.

5. Is there a No Deposit bonus offer that I can claim?

- At the moment of writing, no such offers were promoted. However, before you join the casino, make sure you double-check this fact. 

6. Is Mega Moolah available at PAF?

- Yes! And so are many other exciting progressive jackpot slots such as the mega-popular Mega Fortune by NetEnt, Empire Fortune, Joker Millions and many other titles. 

7. Are there poker tournaments I could participate in?

- Yes, and frequently, as a matter of fact. When one tournament is over, the casino makes sure to organize another one in the shortest time possible. 

8. Is PAF’s app available for both Android and iOS users?

- The app is for Android users only and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Whether the operator will develop an app for iOS users as well remains to be seen. 

9. Is the site available in Finnish only or other languages as well?

- Finnish, Swedish, Estonian, Latvian, Russian, English and Spanish are all of the language options available at PAF. 

10. Are the games translated in these languages as well?

- Well, the interface maybe, but the rules and instructions, as well as the layout of the games, hardly. You may find games where you can completely change the language, but you would have to dig deep to find them.