Licensing and Jurisdictions

There are designated countries around the world that have laws in place that allow for the issue and regulation of licenses for online gambling. The terms we use to refer to these countries are licensing jurisdictions. In these jurisdictions there is a regulatory body that is responsible for the issuance of all licenses pertaining to online gambling. These regulatory bodies are known as licensing authorities.

If an online casino or betting site wants to offer a fully legal service to players, then they will apply for a gambling license from one of the many licensing authorities. In order to qualify for a particular jurisdiction, the operators will have to run part of its business from within whichever jurisdiction it applies for a license from.

Do Gambling Authorities and Jurisdictions affect you?

Most of the legislation put in place by licensing authorities directly relates to the operators that are providing the online gambling or betting service. While it’s extremely rare for countries to make it illegal for their residents to use these services, it’s always better for you to familiarise yourself with any legal information regarding the lawfulness of online gambling in your specific country. In this way you run less risk of committing a criminal act.

It’s also a good idea to learn about any laws in place within different jurisdictions. This is because in some jurisdictions the laws can be way more severe than in some others, leaving operators open to different levels of regulation. We would always suggest using operators that are located in the stricter jurisdictions because they are subject to more stringent regulation and you can be sure you’re playing at an online casino that has to adhere to a stricter code.

Gambling Licensing Authorities

Below is an example of a few of the Licensing Authorities that can be found in the various online gambling jurisdictions around the world.

Alderney - Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC)

The AGCC has been established since 2000 and Alderney is one of the UK Gambling Commissions white listed jurisdictions. Online gambling sites that are licensed through Alderney often host their businesses from one of the other nearby Channel Islands like Guernsey, which still falls under the same jurisdiction. They offer 2 types of license, category 1 for Business to Consumer and category 2 for Business to Business. The AGCC entered into an agreement with the Nevada Gaming Control board in 2011 with the hope to strengthen international gaming relations through mutual cooperation.

Antigua & Barbuda – The Directorate of Offshore Gaming

In 1994 Antigua and Barbuda was established as one of the first gambling jurisdictions in the world. Already a popular destination for offshore banking, they developed the Directorate of Offshore Gaming which is a division of the (FSRC) Financial Services Regulatory Commission. They offer 2 distinct licenses, one which is designed for interactive wagering and another which is designed for interactive gaming. In 2011 the FSRC entered into an agreement with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission allowing operators the opportunity to apply for authorization from either or both jurisdictions at once.

Kahnawake – The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

Kahnawake is a native Indian territory in Quebec, Canada. In 1996 the Council brought in gaming law that allows for the issuance of licenses by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. They’re also responsible for regulating all their licensees worldwide. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission are able to grant land based casino licenses also. In total they issue 4 kinds of license, one for interactive gaming, one for authorizing client provision, a third for authorizing secondary client provision and the last license deals with key people. In 2006 they entered into an agreement with the Malta Gaming Authority, ensuring better cooperation between the two regulatory boards. In 2011 they entered into a similar agreement with the Directorate of Offshore Gaming in Antigua.

Malta – Maltese Gaming Authority (MGA)

Malta is a little island in the Mediterranean that is both an independent country and member state of the European union. Previously the LGA and now the MGA, they are responsible for regulation of all gambling activities in Malta. It is a very popular jurisdiction for online gambling licensing as Malta is on the UK Gambling Commissions white list which means operators can market their online casino games to the UK market from Malta. They currently offer for classes of license; class 1 which is for casino games and lotteries, class 2 which is for sports betting, class 3 for p2p gaming and class 4 which is for software developers.

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