Casino Licenses

What’s a Casino License?

In simple terms, a casino license is a seal of approval for online casinos. It’s proof that the casino is trustworthy and conducts its business in a safe and regulated environment. Only a licensed online casino should be trusted. The market is oversaturated by scam casinos which will rob you of your money and exploit your personal and financial details. That can be quite unpleasant.

All governing bodies have a certain set of requirements a casino must fulfil – only then will the licence be issued. The requirements vary from one country to another, but in general, the casino must provide proof of identity, pass a security test and provide proof that it protects customers from fraudulent behaviour. Failure to comply with any of the minimum requirements will result in a denied or revoked license, throwing a shade on the business.

Why Should Players Care?

When registering at an online casino, you should be aware that you’re providing it with personal information regarding your identity and financial details as well. These will most definitely include your birth date, name and surname, address, number of credit or debit card, etc.

In short, all this information can be easily collected by hackers online and misused. Identity theft is becoming a serious problem nowadays, and don’t even get us started on stolen credit and debit card numbers. That’s where casino licenses come in – they ensure players that their casino of choice is completely legal and safe to play at, shielding them from potential theft.

Plus, a casino operating without a license is breaking the law, and you surely don’t want to start a career in organized crime, right?

Different Regions, Different Licenses

Casino licenses are issued by different governing boards, also known as gaming control boards, casino control boards or online gambling commissions. These government agencies regulate different types of gaming including casino gaming in a certain geographical area, also known as a jurisdiction. There’s no single governing body that covers a whole continent, for example – all the gambling commissions or boards come from different states.

In most cases, the gaming boards enforce the rules and regulations they’ve created. In some cases, however, they have separate divisions or bodies that enforce the rules. These bodies can bring civil cases before the board, who has full authority to investigate the matter. Depending on the region, there are different casino gaming boards.

If you find a casino licensed by the MGA or the UKGC, you can rest assured that it has passed rigorous tests and is as safe and secure as possible.

Remote Operators

The UK Gambling Commission licenses and regulates gaming businesses in the UK. However, in some cases, the gambling commission can issue a license to remote (foreign) operators that are allowed to conduct their business in the UK. These operators are put on a so-called ‘whitelist’ and work under the framework of the UKGC.

The whitelisted countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Alderney, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Tasmania, and countries from the European Economic Area (EEA). Under the Gambling Act 2014, all remote operators need to have at least one piece of equipment or a facility in Great Britain in order to be allowed to conduct their business.

How to Tell if a Casino is Licensed?

Finding the casino’s ‘seal of approval’ is easy – most online casinos display a badge of their certifications and licenses in the footer (bottom of the page). If you can’t find the badge anywhere and the casino claims its licensed, you can simply go to the UK Gambling Commission’s website and search for the casino yourself. If it’s not on the list, stay away from it.

How Important are Casino Licenses?

Very. We just can’t really stress the importance of casino licences. Without them, organized crime is just around the corner. Illegal gambling is a serious offence, not to mention quite a dangerous one.

On the other hand, licensed casinos are an embodiment of a safe and secure playing environment, giving assurance to players that they can play without fearing that their personal and financial data might be stolen.