Pin Up Casino: What It Is and What to Know

Pin Up Casino is an online casino and sports betting brand that has been advertised heavily in India, Latin America, Eastern Europe and parts of Africa. This page used to explain how to register an account. We have replaced it with a neutral explainer on what the brand is, who is behind it, what its licence means, where it is restricted and what the law in India now says. We do not explain how to sign up or deposit, and there are no links to any gambling site.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Gambling law depends on where you live, so check your own local rules.

Quick Facts

Item	Detail
What it is	Online casino and sportsbook brand
Operator named on brand sites	Carletta N.V.
Licence shown	Curacao Gaming Authority, issued June 2025
Group behind the brand	PIN UP Global, renamed RedCore in August 2025
Status in India	Online money games banned since 1 May 2026
Restricted in	Many countries, including the US, UK and Australia

What Pin Up Casino Is

Pin Up Casino is a gambling website and app. It offers slot machines, table games such as roulette and blackjack, live dealer games and betting on sports and esports. The games are mostly made by outside software studios and rented by the casino, which is normal across the industry.

The brand uses a retro “pin up girl” style in its adverts, which explains the name. It runs many local versions of its site, in different languages and currencies, and its adverts often appear on social media, video platforms and messaging channels. That spread of mirror sites and local domains is one reason the brand can be confusing to research.

Who Is Behind the Brand

The Pin Up brand grew out of a holding company called PIN UP Global. In August 2025 that holding announced it had become a wider business group named RedCore, which says it builds technology for fintech, marketing, customer service and other digital markets as well as online gambling. Its founder and chief executive is Marina Ilina.

The casino sites themselves name a company called Carletta N.V. as the operator. This kind of setup, where a brand, a technology group and a licensed operating company are separate entities, is common in offshore gambling.

The Curacao Licence and What It Means

Brand pages and a public licence register show Carletta N.V. holding a Curacao Gaming Authority licence, issued on 24 June 2025. Curacao, an island in the Caribbean, reformed its gambling law in recent years and moved from a system of master licences and sublicences to direct licences issued by the new authority.

We could not independently confirm which Pin Up domains are covered by this licence, and the brand runs many of them. Readers should treat any single site’s claim with care and check the register themselves.

The more important point is that a licence only counts in the place that issued it, and for the markets it allows. A Curacao licence does not give a casino permission to take customers in India, the UK, the US or Australia. For a player in a country where the site has no local permission, the licence offers little practical protection if a dispute arises.

Where the Brand Is Restricted

The brand’s own terms list countries where it does not accept players. These include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia, along with countries under sanctions. In July 2024 the holding also announced it would stop the use of its trademark in a further group of countries.

Restricted lists change, and a site that blocks one country may still be reachable there through a virtual private network. Using a VPN to get around a block can break the site’s own terms, which gives the operator grounds to close the account and keep the balance.

The Law in India Since May 2026

India passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act in August 2025. It received presidential assent on 22 August 2025, the rules were notified on 22 April 2026 and the law came into force on 1 May 2026.

The Act bans all online money games, whether they rely on skill or chance. That includes online casinos such as Pin Up and sports betting apps. It also bans advertising them, including through influencers, and bars banks and payment apps from processing money for them. Reported penalties reach three years in prison and a fine of up to one crore rupees for offering such games, and two years and up to fifty lakh rupees for advertising them.

A challenge to the law is before the Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear the case in full. As of October 2026 there is no ruling, so the ban stands.

How Other Countries Treat Offshore Casinos

• United Kingdom. Only operators licensed by the Gambling Commission may serve British players. The Commission keeps a public register.
• United States. Online casinos are legal only in a handful of states, such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and only through state licensed operators.
• Australia. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 bars offering online casino games to people in Australia, and the regulator ACMA blocks illegal sites.
• Canada. Ontario has run a regulated online market since April 2022. Other provinces mostly offer government run sites.

How the Games Are Priced

Every casino game has a built in advantage for the operator, called the house edge. On a European roulette wheel with one zero, a single number pays 35 to 1 while the true odds are 36 to 1, which gives the house about 2.7 percent. Slots express the same idea as return to player. A slot with a 96 percent RTP is designed to pay back about 96 units for every 100 staked, averaged over a huge number of spins. Over time the player loses money, even if short winning streaks happen.

Welcome bonuses do not change this. They usually come with wagering requirements, meaning the bonus must be staked many times before anything can be withdrawn. Terms such as maximum bets, game limits and time limits often make a bonus hard to convert into cash.

Risks for Players

• Weak protection. If a site has no licence in your country, there is no local regulator to hear your complaint.
• Payment risk. Deposits routed through personal bank accounts, payment links or crypto wallets are hard to trace or reverse.
• Withdrawal problems. Players of offshore sites often report long delays, repeated document requests or closed accounts after a win.
• Data exposure. Casinos collect identity documents and bank details, which can be misused or leaked.
• Legal risk. In India, the operator and advertisers face the main penalties, but money linked to banned games can be frozen by banks.

Warning Signs to Watch For

• The site changes its web address often or asks you to follow a new “mirror” link.
• You are asked to install an app file directly from a website rather than an official app store.
• An influencer or chat group pushes a promo code and promises easy profit.
• Adverts claim the casino can improve your finances. Gambling is entertainment that costs money, not income.
• A withdrawal is held until you pay a “tax”, “fee” or “verification charge”.

Gambling Harm and Where to Get Help

Gambling can become hard to control. Signs include chasing losses, borrowing to play, hiding it from family and feeling restless when you try to stop. Help is free and confidential:

• United Kingdom: GamCare, 0808 8020 133.
• United States: 1 800 GAMBLER.
• Australia: Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858.
• India: Tele MANAS mental health line, 14416, and the cybercrime helpline, 1930, for fraud.

For more background, read our neutral guide to online betting and casino laws, our explainer on the 1win app and its risks, and the story of the Lodha verdict on the 2013 IPL scandal.

What We Changed From the Old Post

The old post was a registration guide that praised Pin Up, suggested it could improve readers’ finances and linked to a sign up page. We removed the sign up steps, the outbound betting link, the marketing claims and an unrelated internal link. In their place we added who runs the brand, its Curacao licence and what that does and does not mean, restricted countries, India’s ban that took effect in May 2026, how the games are priced, risks, warning signs and help lines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pin Up Casino legal in India?

No. Since 1 May 2026 India bans online money games, including online casinos, along with their adverts and payments. A court challenge is pending but has not changed the ban.

Is Pin Up Casino licensed?

Brand sites show a Curacao licence held by Carletta N.V. That licence does not allow it to serve players in countries such as India, the UK, the US or Australia.

Who owns Pin Up?

The brand comes from the PIN UP Global holding, which renamed itself RedCore in 2025. The casino sites name Carletta N.V. as operator.

Where can I get help with gambling?

Use the help lines listed above, talk to someone you trust, or speak to a doctor or counsellor.