Online Gambling Licenses

A fundamentally important issue in selecting an online sportsbook, casino or poker room is where the operation is licensed.

For an Internet Casino to be legal, it should be licensed in the country where it or its' web servers physically reside in, and have to report to the local government to some extent.  The majority of these gambling sites are are to be found outside the U.S., though there are still a great number of companies, running casinos and sportsbooks offshore, that actually operate from the U.S. and it is only their servers that are located offshore.

The actual license to operate an Internet casino and/or sportsbook is issued by many governments worldwide, the first coming from the Caribbean and Pacific Island Governments such as Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts, Dominica, Curacau and Vanuatu.  The reason behind allowing Online Gambling operations to set up in these small, undeveloped countries, is that it helps to boost their economy, as the Gaming companies pay anything up to $100,000 to gain a gaming license in these countries, and thereafter pay ongoing taxes to the local Government.

More recognized jurisdictions have also started issuing licenses; such as Australia and the Gaming Commission of the North American Indian territories (Kahnawake Gaming Commission).  Reputable Online Casinos will always display the logo of their license, and a player should always check it against the licensee list - as listed below. ( List includes a few jurisdictions with an existing or pending Internet gambling licensing regime.)  For a comprehensive list of licensing jurisdictions, visit GamblingLicenses.com.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission was founded in 1996, as an independent, 3rd-party interactive Gaming License provider, comprising of 3 members appointed by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, Canada.  The Mohawk territory became popular in the Online Gaming Industry, as it is the only Jurisdiction which has servers in North America that host real-money Online Gambling sites.

The Gaming Commission accepts any applications from Gaming businesses and then evaluates and certifies the standard of its applicants' Gaming equipment/software, solvency and continuing ability to meet its obligations to players, reviews applicants' software and control systems to ensure their fairness, accuracy and reliability.

A list of all licensees to date is available at their website.

The Gaming Commission works closely with the auditors - PricewaterhouseCoopers, in conducting its monitoring activity of licensed businesses. Any complaints about a casino licensed by the Commission, can be made here:

Antigua and Barbuda - The Directorate of Offshore Gaming

Established in 1999, the "Preferential Seal" is issued to qualifying offshore Gaming entities, licensed under the laws of Antigua and Barbuda by the Directorate of Offshore Gaming. 

The "Preferential Seal" means that:

• The company operating the Gaming site, and shareholders holding 5% or more of the shares in the company, have passed personal and corporate due-diligence screening.
• The software, making the odds for games played on the Gaming site, meet internationally recognized standards for fairness.
• The company has its physical corporate headquarters and primary server in Antigua and Barbuda. The primary server in this case is that on which the transactions are conducted.

A list of all licensees to date is available at their site.

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