Everything about the Casino Licensing

If you’re familiar with the online gambling industry, to just a casino sector in general, you have probably heard about casino licensing at least once. While the term might strike you as too professional, it is actually a very graspable and important part of the gambling experience and it provides a safe space for gamblers and holds the casinos accountable. As one would be able to guess from the concept of casino licensing, there are casinos that are licensed and there are those who aren’t. In order to run a legal and orderly casino business having a gambling license is crucial and draws the most definitive line between doing good proper business and entering a very sketchy territory.

As a consumer, you always want to play with a licensed casino that will be held accountable for its actions and the one that has actual tools and guidelines for handling its customers and their wins or deposits. But to have a better understanding of what casino licensing means and how it could affect the reputation and the customer experience of every casino, let’s go into a little more detail

What is a Casino License

Casino license is issued by every county individually, there is no universal casino license since jurisdictions vary from country to country. In order for a casino to operate in a specific country, be that online or offline, they have to have the license to do so. The casino license serves as proof that this particular gambling venue operates in accordance with the country’s regulations around gambling. When a casino applies for licensing, the regulatory body responsible for gambling licensing will likely perform some background checks, and detailed observations surrounding the casino’s systems, their ability to protect customer data and they are looking for a guarantee that the customers who choose to play at this specific venue are protected at all costs. This means that their information is handled appropriately and that their finances are safe.

Most importantly the casino licensing ensures that when there is a win, the client will get their winnings and there won’t be any major misunderstanding or uncertainties when it comes to payouts. This is why you should always play with a licensed casino instead of risking losing your money and persona information to a scammer.  Casino licensing also looks at the casino’s ability to prevent fraudulent activity and the proof that the system is equipped enough to handle any possible threats like that. When issuing a license the regulatory body will also look at every single possible document on the casino owners to make sure that their past experiences don’t suggest any chance or situation getting out of hand. This way casino licensing can be called one big background check for a casino that aims to provide the safest experience for the consumer.

How do licenses differ?

Since most countries tend to have varying regulations, the licenses are also different. There are markets that have highly regulated gambling systems and they still require licensing and then there are countries where gambling is pretty much unregulated but there also want to ensure the safety of their customer so they issue casino licensing anyway. For countries like UK and Spain, it is necessary that any casino that wants to offer its services to people living in these countries have its own base inside the country. That is the only way they will offer licensing to casinos.  This increases the safety of the gambling experience, ensuring that in case of a misunderstanding the gambling regulators have the access and the ability to hold these casinos accountable for their actions and to bring justice to their citizens.

When the gambling regulations are stricter this generally means that fewer casinos will want to try and offer their services to these countries. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Malta where the gambling industry isn’t regulated but they still issue licenses for safety purposes, but they also allow casinos from other countries who don’t necessarily have the Malta gambling licenses to offer services to their customers. Of course, the casino still has to have a proper license.

Should You Care about licensing?

Any player that wants the security of knowing you’re playing with a legitimate casino needs to pay attention to the licensing of any gambling venue. This is one of the most telling things about whether or not you will have a good experience with a casino. Licensing process takes a while and is usually extremely thorough, so when you are playing at the licensed casino you can be sure that you will get our payouts, or in case of a mistake, you will be able to request your money and demand the correction of the mistake. On the other hand, if you are playing with an unlicensed casino in case you don’t end up getting your earned wins, you won’t be able to do anything about them, having lost your deposit money and your winnings as well. As an aware customer, you should always look out for whether or not the casino is licensed in order to avoid getting yourself in trouble and losing money unnecessarily.

Other benefits of having the casino license

With a license, the casinos are able to offer a reliable selection of safe and trusted payment methods that are risk-free and provide high-quality services. The casino also gets a chance to work with much more confidence, knowing that they are operating a good and honest business that can then collaborate with other leading companies and providers to create the best gambling experience for the customers. The truth is that all casinos operating without the licensing are doomed to be called out sooner or later and will face the consequences, if only from their very own customers. Creating an honest gambling environment for the players is the best marketing tool and will always prove to be successful, no matter the hardships of getting licensing in the first place.

Who is responsible for controlling these casinos?

We’ve talked at great length about regulatory bodies, ut that is quite a vague concept. The legal names for these bodies vary from country to country. in the UK,  both  Gambling Commission and Curacao e-Gaming Licensing Authority control the gaming scene licensing. In each country, the game for these regulatory bodies will vary, for example, the gaming association or the gambling board. And in order to get the casino licensing the operators need to contact these regulatory bodies that will conduct the background check and eventually grant the license to the casino.

Of course, there is a price to pay for earning the licensing and you should look into that before making any decisions regarding the licensing, but it is nevertheless a worthy investment. With the licensing also comes the responsibility of promoting responsible gambling and making sure that the casino doesn’t support gambling addictions and puts all the resources to fight the addiction on their website. There are responsibilities and duties that come with a gambling license but there is also an increased trust and loyalty from the customers, which is the prime goal of every online or brick and mortar casino alike.

FAQ on Casino Licensing