Which Gambling Licenses to Trust?

The online casino industry is growing rapidly and with all those new online casinos that are coming on a daily basis, players feel quite overwhelmed with the offer.

The main issue is trust. The world of the internet is full of scams and online gambling is one of the most representative examples.

That’s why a proper casino website has at least one of the world’s most renowned licenses. Simply, that’s the best way to prove to a player that a certain house is a safe place, where players can place their stakes and enjoy casino games with fair chances of winning.

Furthermore, these licenses guarantee high standards of convenience and playing experience in general, whether it’s about paying methods, customer support, website speed and layout etc.

The world of online casino licensing is also growing. More and more countries are regulating this field, with their own legislation and their own regulatory bodies that issue licenses.

However, most of the world is still in a grey zone, where players still have to rely on off-shore houses. The only way for them to feel secure and protected is to pick an online casino that poses a reputable license.

That’s why we’ve decided to present you with some of the highest reputable licenses in the world of online casinos, which are the best guarantee of safe and secure betting.

Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)

The Malta Gaming Authority is one of the first regulatory bodies that come to mind. It was established way back in 2001 when online gambling wasn’t that popular at all. Originally, this body was known as Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) but it was rebranded as Malta Gaming Authority in 2015.

During these two decades, the MGA has always been one of the leaders in the field of online casino legislation, primarily known for setting new standards in the industry. Even today, it is one of the most trusted licenses in the online casino world, which guarantees that a certain casino provides fair gaming to players, protects vulnerable groups, prevents corruption & crime, promotes responsible gaming in a safe environment etc.

There are four Classes of MGA licenses, which cover different fields of online gaming:
The Class 1 License regulates lotteries, slot machines, skill games, table games and casino games in general.

On the other hand, the Class 2 License is mostly about sports betting, including fixed odds and spread betting.

The Class 3 License covers player vs. player gambling operations such as gaming and betting exchanges.

Finally, there is the Class 4 License, for software vendors who plan to host and manage remote gaming operators.

UK Gambling Commission

After the 2005 Gambling Act, the UK Government established a new body called Gambling Commission, with the task to regulate the complete gambling industry. Since then, the body issues licenses, which require a lot of things to be met, as a guarantee of fair and crime-free gambling, without slot manipulation and illegal gambling in general.

Since 2005, things evolved a lot and today’s license covers much more than it used to do. One of the most specific things is the field of safe gambling and player protection. Standards are pretty high, particularly in terms of preventing gambling addiction.

There are different levels of UK Gambling Commission operating licenses, including the ones that cover Casino Games, Betting, Lotteries, Gaming Machines, Bingo, Gaming Software etc.

Gibraltar Regulatory Authority

When an online casino poses a license that’s issued by Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA), you can be sure that’s a highly trusted website. This regulatory body was formed way back in 2000 and it’s always been a gold standard among gambling regulatory bodies. This body is responsible for various fields of betting, including online casinos, sports betting, brick and mortar facilities etc. There are 7 types of licenses this regulatory body issues:

• The license of a bookmaker
• The license of a gaming machine
• The license of a lottery promoter
• A remote gambling license
• A gaming machine license
• The license of a betting intermediary
• The license of a gaming operator

Curacao eGaming Licensing Authority

The government of Curacao has been issuing licenses for a full 22 years and it is still one of the highest reputable regulatory bodies in the online casino world. Moreover, we are talking about a body with the biggest number of licenses granted. So far, this regulatory body issued nearly 500 licenses for online casinos from all over the world.

What’s interesting about this license is that there is just one, comprehensive type of it, which covers all aspects of online gambling, including different games, providers, players’ security, fair chances of winning etc.

Other Reputable Licenses

Those would be the highest reputable licenses an online casino can get but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t many others that can be trusted as well. For example, licenses granted by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and The Isle of Man Gaming Commission are also some of the biggest names in the business.

Furthermore, we should mention licenses from Cyprus National Betting Authority, The Philippines Gambling Commission, Antigua & Barbuda Directorate of Offshore Gaming, Canadian Kahnawake etc. All these licenses are a strong guarantee that an online casino meets the highest standards of the online betting industry.

This article has been written by Hector Brown from Foxbonus.com. For feedback or questions, please refer to hector.brown@foxbonus.com.