There are many things you should look for when choosing an online casino at which to play, and one of these should be where exactly is the casino licensed and regulated.
There are many jurisdictions that can approve an online casino, however some are very stringent in terms of their rules and regulation and alas there are some which will simply give an online casino a license merely in exchange for their licensing fee.
Below you will find a list of each of the various licensing authorities, commission and agencies from all over the world along with a description of what they offer the player in terms of protection, and as you are about to discover, not all of them stand up to the closest of scrutiny and as such you are best avoiding some casinos displaying certain licensing approval.
UK Gambling Commission
One of the recent additions to the list of countries who can now license and regulate online casinos is the UK Gambling Commission. This was set up after a long debate on what their standards of excellence should be, and whilst the number of casinos currently licensed by them is minimal, they do have some very stringent rules and regulations in place.
As this Commission not only oversees online gambling sites they also strictly regulate all land based gaming operations in Great Britain and as such they do actually know their stuff in terms of what is acceptable and what isn’t! So should you come across a site licensed by them then you know that casino has passed their stringent vetting procedures and adhere to some fairly rigid standards of excellence.
Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
Another highly respected licensing jurisdiction is the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, who have many well known land based gaming groups operating their online gambling operations from within its boundaries. In fact Gibraltar is a major setting for many such companies and they have gained the respect of many players by there no nonsense approach.
The island of Gibraltar does have a lot to lose should their licensing authority not have the teeth to act when and where necessary, and should players have any problems with any of their operators then they do have a channel to turn to. You can play with confidence at sites licensed by the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority.
Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority
The fees charged by the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority are not cheap, and as such you would expect their service to be exemplary and one of the best available, however they have proven time and time again when players have a problem with any site they regulate they are totally on their own.
You would think that having been around for a great number of years now they would have perfected the art of closely monitoring their license holders and ensureing they adhere to the highest standards of customer service, and whilst a great many of them do there are some bad apples out there who tarnish the name of both themselves and the Malta Gaming Authority.
Alderney Gambling Control Commission
With over 12 years of experience behind them the Alderney Gambling Control Commission are one of the better licensing jurisdictions, and as such they completely vet their license holders and have in place a closely monitored set of codes and ethics which ensure players get the best levels of service and protection at any site they have approved.
If you, as a player, have any problems with an online gaming site which is regulated by Alderney then you can contact the Gambling Control Commission and they will investigate your dispute, many other licensing authorities could learn a thing or two from Alderney and you are assured complete piece of mind if you play at any site they license.
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
One gambling jurisdiction that have finally turned the corner from being one of the worse ones to finally making the grade is the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, they used to have a talk to the hand attitude when it came to player complaints and investigating them.
However they have recently taken a long hard look at how their licensing commission works and operates and have made plenty of changes, the main one being they have a dedicated communication channel for anyone wanting help or assistance with a dispute from any of their license holders, and this complaints channel has finally grown teeth and has been dishing out penalties on casinos who have been failing players.
Costa Rica
There is technically no gambling license you acquire in Cost Rica, you simply get a license to run a business from with in its shores, and as such players have no come back or help available should they run into any problems at a site located in Costa Rica, so be very wary should you be considering playing at any such site.
In fact if you search the web for online casino disputes arising from players playing at a casino based in Costa Rica, you will be amazed by the sheer number of them, and this should be a good indication of whether you should play at such sites, and the answer is of course no.
Netherland Antilles
Alas, here we have another practically toothless gaming authority, it is based in Curacao and as such they do appear to issue gambling licenses to anyone who happens to want one, that is as long as they can pay the fee that is. No real vetting or code of ethics and standards to adhere to, just pay your money and you are in! They offer no channels for communication between themselves and players who may be experiencing any problems, and a simple visit of their website will show you how unprofessional they are.
Having been around and issuing their licenses since 1996 you would have thought they would be at the top of their game, sadly nothing could be further than the truth, so playing at any online casino licensed by them means you are completely on your own if anything goes wrong!