Online Casino Licensing Jurisdictions
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is recognized as one of the leading gambling licensing jurisdiction, with many big name casinos and sportsbooks being licensed there. Gibraltar licensees are considered some of the safest casinos online due to the stringent licensing requirements needed in order to obtain a Gibraltar Gaming License. Licenses are only issued to blue chip companies, who have a good trackrecord in the gambling industry, adequate financial resources and a realistic business plan. Licensing in Gibralatar is the mostdifficult to obtain, so you can be sure that any casino licensed there is sound.
Malta
As the first EU state to regulate remote gaming Malta introduced its Remote Gaming Regulations in 2004. At present there are four categories for which a gaming license can be issued. Class One gaming licenses cover operators managing their own risk on repetitive games – this covers casino games, skill games and online lotteries. A Class Two Maltese gaming license covers fixed odds betting, pool betting and spread betting. Class Three Gaming Licenses cover gaming companies who promote or receive commission for promoting gaming, this included p2p networks, poker netorls, betting exchanges and gaming portals. Finally, Class 4 Licenses cover operators who host or managed remote gaming operations, such as software vendors or gaming platform developers.
Isle of Man
Until online gambling exploded, few people outside of the UK and TT race fans had heard of the Isle of Man. This small island is situated off the coast of the United Kingdom, yet is self governing and not bound by the laws of the UK. Famous for its TT motorcycling races and the fact that racing driver Nigel Mansell was once a policemen there, this tiny island has become a leading force in the online gambling world.
Cyprus
The Lotteries and Gaming Authority established under The Lotteries and Other Games Act is the body responsible for overseeing gaming licenses in Cyprus. Remote Gaming is also regulated under the Remote Gaming Regulations which apply to all types of technology and games.
To hold a Cyprus gaming license, a company must be a limited liability company registered in Cyprus.
There are four different classes of license available in Cyprus.
Kahnawake
Kahnawake is an Indian reserve in Quebec Canada and part of the Mohawk Nation. It was one of the first territories to recognise the potential of gaming licensing, and the importance of protecting players from unscrupulous operations. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is now one of the most respected gaming licensing jurisdictions since its inception in 1996. The stringent licensing regulations and player dispute resolution service ensure that casinos licensed in this territory are some of the most respectable online.
Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda started issuing gaming licenses in 1994, and licensing is overseen by the Directorate of Offshore Gaming. There are two types of licenses issued – interactive gaming licenses for casino operators and interactive wagering licenses for sportsbooks. Properly licensed gaming operators are issues with a seal for them to use on their website and players can check that the license is valid by clicking on the seal. Correctly licensed operators seals will link to a page which shows they have a genuine license whereas fake licensees are directed to a warning page.
Costa Rica
Offshore gaming companies require little more than a business license in order to operate from Costa Rica. This costs less than $5000. There is no requirement for anyone other than a land based casino operator to apply for a gaming license and with the attractive taxation rates; Costa Rica has unfortunately attracted some of the less scrupulous operators.
Alderney
The Alderney Gaming Control Commission was first established in May 2000 with the intention of regulating online gaming licenses issued in the Channel Islands. Alderney is part of the British Channel Islands but does not come under the jurisdiction of either the UK or the European Union. There are several different gaming licenses issued by Alderney including Category 1 and 2 licenses, core services associate, foreign gambling associate, a hosting certificate, temporary eGambling license and a key individual certificate.
Netherlands Antilles
Curacao was one of the first jurisdictions to introduce gaming license back in 1993. In 2002, internet gaming licensing was separated from the Curacao Gaming Control Board and many online gaming operations sought licensing in the jurisdiction. CIGA - the Curacao Internet Gaming Association enforces a code of practice for all members licensed in the Netherlands Antilles. One of the benefits for gaming companies of being licensed in Curacao is that there is only one type of gaming license available – a single license covers all gambling activities including games of skill, games and chance and betting.
eCOGRA
eCOGRA is an organisation which ensures that casinos and gambling sites operate fairly and randomly through a system of testing and certification. They also mediate in player disputes with their accredited casinos and ensure that industry standards are maintained through a system of continuous monitoring.
Ecogra operate a rigorous testing regime to ensure all their accredited casinos are guaranteed to be random and fair. Each month the average pay-out percentages of the member casinos are published for all games, and independently for table games, slot games and poker. In addition tests on the random number generator used by the software are carried out biannually and include data on blackjack, roulette, video poker, poker, and bingo and skill games.
