Casino licenses help players find trustworthy online casinos and ensure that they’ll be protected when playing online. In most cases, the license a casino holds will affect whether players from certain countries are allowed to use the site or not. In this guide, we’ll be covering what a casino license is, the different licenses to look out for, and why casino licenses are so important.
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What is an Online Casino Licence?
Most countries have restrictions on gambling, often making it so that minors can’t gamble and also setting limits on how gambling can be advertised and promoted. The organizations in charge of the rules surrounding gambling are known as gambling authorities. These government bodies set the rules on how services such as online casinos are allowed to operate.
Country Specific Licences
If an online casino wants to accept players from a particular country, it will have to ensure that its site follows the rules set by the gambling authority. These rules help to ensure that games are fair, players aren’t taken advantage of, and that their funds are kept safe.
Ultimately, it allows players to trust an online casino and know that they’re not going to be scammed or lose their money when making a deposit. It helps keep online gambling, fair, fun, and safe and prevents scammers from taking advantage of people.
How Casino Licences Work
Once an online casino proves it has followed all of the rules, it’s awarded a specific casino license which then lets it operate and accept players from that country. The casino needs to provide lots of documentation and verify the identity of the casino owners and management, those who have worked at shady casinos before won’t be allowed to obtain a new license. The online casino will also have to continue to follow these rules, otherwise, it can face serious fines and potentially lose its license.
Why Are Casino Licences So Important?
In short, casino licenses help to keep online casinos accountable and stop them from taking advantage of players. These licenses also provide a way for players to easily see which casino is likely to be trustworthy and safe to play at, helping them make an informed decision over which casino to sign up to. There are dodgy casinos out there which only exist to take your money, if you want to stay safe and only play at fun and exciting casinos, you’ll need to check for a license first.
Keeping Players Safe
When you sign up to an online casino, you’re entrusting the site with your personal details including your full name, address, and contact details. Unless you want to end up a victim of identity theft, you need to keep your data safe and stop it from falling into the wrong hands.
You’ll also be entering your payment details when you open an account and make a deposit. Gambling authorities check that the site uses proper encryption and that player funds are kept separate from the casino’s operating funds, this way, even if the casino enters bankruptcy, player funds are protected.
Keeping Casinos Fair
Lastly, a casino license also ensures that the games on the site are fair. Gambling authorities audit the games to check that they use random number generation (RNG) and that outcomes are random and not influenced by the casino. If you’re playing at a casino, you’ll need to know that the games are fair and aren’t rigged in the casino’s favor.
The best way to check this is by looking at which license a casino holds and whether it’s also been audited by an independent third-party testing service. Services such as eCOGRA provide reports on the randomness of casino games and provide certificates for casinos that feature fair and random games.
Types of Online Casino Licences
There are lots of different casino licenses that you’ll come across when playing online casino games. Knowing which ones to look out for and which you can trust is important.
The reason for so many different casino licenses and gambling authorities is that many countries have regulated gambling markets. This means that casinos can only accept players from that country or region if they have the required license.
There are some countries that are much more relaxed about gambling licenses, and casinos are allowed to operate there provided they have a gambling license from a trusted gambling authority.
Major Casino Licences
If you want to know some of the most trusted online casino licenses and the key points about each, take a look at our list below. Remember that you’ll need to find a casino that accepts players from your country, state, or region, and this will change depending on where you live.
Check before you sign up, as you’ll find you won’t be able to legally register with some casinos, and remember that casinos will often hold multiple licenses to let players from lots of different countries play.
- UK Gambling Commission – An online casino must have a license from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) in order for players from the UK to sign up and play. This gambling authority has a great reputation for making sure that casinos follow strict rules to protect the players. If you’re looking for a fair and trustworthy site, making sure it has a license from the UKGC is a great step. Of course, if you live in the UK, you can only play at sites that are licensed by this authority.
- Malta Gaming Authority – Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean but has become one of the most important countries in the world when it comes to online gambling. The Malta Gaming Authority is very strict and rigorous in its process of awarding licenses. So much so that players from all over the world can often play at casinos with this license. Malta awards five different levels of gambling licenses for different types of gambling sites, but all of them require the site to pass stringent checks.
- Curacao Gaming Control Board – Curacao is an island nation in the Caribbean in what used to be part of the Netherlands Antilles. The Curacao Gaming Control Board was established to regulate casinos on the island but has since started licensing online casinos around the world. A casino with a Curacao license is able to accept a lot of players from across Europe, although it isn’t quite as encompassing as a Malta or UK license.
- Kahnawake Gaming Commission – The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is a tribal gambling commission formed in Canada that licenses and regulates online casinos for Canadian citizens. It’s responsible for ensuring that Canadian players can use online casinos without issues. While it isn’t required for a casino to accept Canadian players, it does show that a site is safe and trustworthy. Canadian players can also play at casinos licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority and UK Gambling Commission.
- Gibraltar Gambling Commission – Gibraltar is another small island in the Mediterranean. As with the Malta Gaming Authority, this organization is responsible for regulating and licensing online casinos for European players. The Gibraltar Gambling Commission license is one of the cheapest to attain for European casinos, but it still requires a casino to abide by strict rules and keep players safe.
- Division of Gaming Enforcement – State of New Jersey – For players in the US, online casinos have to be licensed by the specific state in which they’re playing in. You don’t have to live in New Jersey to play at a casino licensed by the state, but you MUST be in New Jersey when you use the casino. The Division of Gaming Enforcement makes sure that casinos operate legally and helps to keep players safe from unfair practices.
- Nevada Gaming Control Board – Like the Division of Gaming Enforcement for New Jersey, players who are currently in Nevada will need to play at a casino specifically licensed by the state. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has plenty of experience licensing brick and mortar casinos and now uses that experience to help online players be safe too. Some casinos may require you to download location checking software to prove that you’re in Nevada before you can play.
If you still have questions about online casino licenses and how they work, you can take a look at the frequently asked questions below. These answers should help provide more details about online gambling licenses.
Online Casino Licensing FAQ
Can a gambling authority help me get back the money that I lost?
If you lost your money to a fair game at a licensed casino, you won’t be able to get it back. However, if you suspect that a game might be rigged, you can file a complaint against the casino and potentially get your money back. Just remember that frequent losses don’t prove that a game is rigged.
Is a casino safe to play at if it holds a gambling license?
Yes, provided the casino has a license from a gambling authority that imposes strict rules. Licenses from the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, and Division of Gaming Enforcement for the State of New Jersey are all examples of gambling authorities that are strict on online casinos.
Can I play at a casino that doesn’t hold a gambling licence?
There are online casinos out there that are unlicensed and generally, it’s not advised to sign up and play unless you can see a license. If gambling is restricted in your country, however, you may not have a choice. Anonymous casinos can be a good alternative to regular, licensed casinos.
The online casino I want to play at doesn’t accept players from my region, how can I get around this?
In most cases, you won’t be able to get around it. The majority of online casinos block the use of VPNs and will close your account if you’re accessing the site from a restricted country. For most European casinos, you’ll also need to verify your address to open an account, you can only play at certain casinos.
Can an online casino lose its licence?
Yes, if an online casino is found to be treating players unfairly or breaking the rules of the license, it can be punished. Punishments usually begin with fines but repeat or serious offenders can lose their license. This way, casinos are careful to adhere to the rules.
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