Online casino licensing should be the first thing all players think about when searching for a new platform, but unfortunately, not enough people are aware of its importance. Regulators all around the world are using considerable resources helping players enjoy the safest and fairest experience possible, running regular audits and stripping gambling licences from operators that don’t comply with the latest rules.
The importance of casino licensing should be abundantly clear right from the offset. It’s the single, most effective tool for keeping users protected against fraud, unfair gaming, data misuse and more. A licensed casino must follow strict regulations, and without these there can be no guarantees that operators are playing by the rules and keeping the player experience fair, secure and transparent.
But as we mentioned before, not enough players are aware of the concept and practicalities surrounding casino licensing. This all changes now, because we’re about to explore all the main reasons why licensing is so important while choosing a platform. Read on for everything you need to know.
What is Online Casino Licensing?
Before we get into some specific details regarding online casino licensing, let’s clear up exactly what is meant by online casino licensing. All legitimate and recommendable sites must have licensing from an organization tasked with establishing a framework for fair and safe online gambling. These bodies supply gambling licences for compliant sites, enabling them to operate worldwide in various countries, depending on the specific organization.
Selecting the best online casino in the UK is impossible without paying very close attention to casino licensing. In fact, it should really be the first thing on your checklist. In the next sections, we’ll check out a few examples of the most popular licensing organizations before looking at the benefits and how to verify valid regulatory licenses.
Some of the World’s Most Popular Licensing Organizations
The best way to understand the online casino licensing conundrum is to look at actual examples. We’ll tell you about some of the main players in the field below:
- UK Gambling Commission: The Gambling Act 2005 was the catalyst for the UK Gambling Commission’s inception, with one of the world’s most reputable regulators launching properly in 2007. The body has some of the strictest rules and most active audits, helping to maintain exceptionally high standards across the UK industry.
- Malta Gaming Authority: Known as a European tour-de-force, the Malta Gaming Authority is the most popular regulator on the continent and beyond. It was formed in 2001 and is well known for rigorous compliance standards and player protection measures.
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement: Arguably the largest and most established online gambling regulator in America, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement was founded in 1977 and expanded to cover online gambling in 2013. It has struck an admirable balance between strict rules and healthy operator flexibility, encouraging a competitive but well-regulated market.
- Curaçao Gaming Control Board: Widely regarded as slightly more lenient than the other regulators listed here, the Curaçao Gaming Control Board is a favourite among cryptocurrency platforms and internationally-facing platforms.
Why is Licensing so Important?
Are you still struggling to see the relevance of online casino licensing? Sure, it’s not as immediately exciting as looking at game libraries for bonus selections, but understanding the license situation at any given online casino is absolutely crucial for several reasons. Here are the main ones:
- Safety: Online casino regulators have very strict rules regarding player and data safety, so being licensed is key here. Bodies like the UKGC prohibit unsecure payment gateways or dangerous data processing policies, for example, keeping players much safer as a result.
- Game fairness: Most online casino games work using random number generators (RNGs), but this alone doesn’t guarantee fairness. Rogue platforms can easily rig games to beat the player more often, something that regulators are constantly trying to stamp out with surprise audits and other verification techniques.
- Responsible gambling: Part of the mandate to keep players safe also includes a commitment to promoting responsible gambling. This pushes online casino operators to work closely with responsible gambling organisations and offer helpful tools like self-exclusion.
Best Ways to Verify Casino Licensing
Now you’re aware of the importance and benefits of casino licensing, it’s time to look at some of the best ways to verify this:
- Check the official website: Scrolling to the bottom of your chosen online casino’s website should uncover vital licensing information. If an operator is making it inexplicably difficult to find this, you can be fairly sure there’s something wrong.
- Read the latest news: Keep up to date with the latest updates in the online casino licensing world to be the first to know if anything changes. Reading our news page is an easy way to do so and can really help.
- Verify licensing number: Once you’ve found an online casino’s licensing details, seek to validate the licensing number by finding it and running it on the relevant organization’s database.
- Look for player reviews: Feedback from other players can give you a vital indication of an online casino’s licensing and general user experience, since it’s often the first place people go to air any grievances.
