A licence is mentioned at the bottom of the pages of almost every online casino. It is useful, provided you know what it covers, can verify it and do not confuse it with permission to play from your country. This guide covers these three points.
What a licence guarantees
A licence is an authorisation to operate gambling, issued by a public authority or an approved body. To obtain it and then keep it, the operator agrees to be subject to a framework of rules. Depending on the authority, this framework may cover:
- identification of the company and its directors;
- anti-money laundering and customer verification obligations;
- requirements on the fairness of games and their random number generators;
- player protection rules, such as deposit limits or self-exclusion;
- a complaints procedure, or access to a dispute resolution body;
- the powers of the authority to supervise and impose sanctions.
A licence thus gives you an identifiable point of contact and possible recourse in the event of a dispute.
What a licence does not guarantee
A licence is not a quality label. It does not guarantee:
- that the bonus terms are fair;
- that withdrawals will be processed quickly;
- that support will respond satisfactorily;
- that a complaint you file will be decided in your favour;
- that the casino is authorised in your country of residence.
Standards also vary widely from one authority to another: checks on entry, ongoing supervision, protection of player funds, complaint handling. Two “licensed” casinos can therefore offer very different safeguards.
The main authorities
The overviews below are deliberately general; the rules of each authority change over time and should be checked at the source.
Malta Gaming Authority
The Maltese authority issues licences to many operators active in Europe. It keeps a public register of licence holders and has a complaints procedure for players.
UK Gambling Commission
The British commission regulates operators offering gambling to players located in Great Britain. It imposes detailed player protection requirements and publishes a register of licence holders.
Curaçao
For many years, Curaçao operated a system of master licences, under which numerous operators worked. The island has undertaken a reform of its framework, based on a new national ordinance on games of chance known by the acronym LOK, which entrusts licensing and supervision to a new authority, the Curaçao Gaming Authority. During this transition, the words “Curaçao licence” can cover different situations: check what type of licence is involved and whether the operator appears in the register of the new authority.
Anjouan
Anjouan, an autonomous island of the Union of the Comoros, issues online gambling licences to international operators. Its supervision and redress mechanisms are less well documented than those of the main European authorities: check the complaints procedure in place before you deposit.
Kahnawake
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, based in a Mohawk territory in Quebec, has been issuing authorisations to online gambling operators for many years.
How to check a licence
A proper check takes a few minutes:
- Note down the information shown on the website of the casino: the name of the authority, the licence number, and the name and address of the operating company. These are usually found at the bottom of the page and in the terms and conditions.
- Go directly to the official website of the authority, by typing its address or using a search engine, rather than clicking on the logo displayed by the casino.
- Search the public register for the licence number or the company name.
- Compare: the company name, the number, the licence status and, where listed, the domain names covered must match what you noted down.
- Check the status: a licence can be active, suspended, revoked or expired.
If the number is missing, the company differs or the casino does not appear in any register, treat the licence as unverified.
Licences and legality in your country
A licence issued by an authority allows the operator to work within the framework set by that authority. It does not make its offer legal everywhere. Each country sets its own rules: some restrict online gambling to operators holding a national licence, others prohibit it wholly or partly, and others still have no specific framework.
Wherever you live, it is up to you to check the law in your own country before playing. Using a VPN to get around a geographical restriction generally breaches the terms of the casino and can lead to your winnings being confiscated.
Our licence data
For each casino we track, the declared licence and the result of checking it in the register of the authority are shown in its review, with the verification date. The catalogue lets you filter casinos by licence, and the methodology explains when a licence is considered proven. The guide to warning signs, in the guides section, complements this check.