What Gamblers should Know about Casino Licensing

All reputable online casinos are licensed and regulated within their jurisdictions, and this is basically the location in which they house their player servers. Essentially, while a casino owner may live in one country, the servers that hold the player information may be located in another and this is where the online venue is required to be licensed. The countries that most commonly offer casino licensing include Malta, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Curacao, Antigua and Barbuda, the Isle of Man and Kahnawake, which is a small Indian reservation in Canada.

Now, since all of these jurisdictions are in different locations, it is important to consider that their levels of regulation are also different. However, this does not mean that a country is allowed to continue to provide casino licensing to a venue that is not operating fairly. There are international entities that help to monitor online casinos, as well. For instance, eCOGRA monitors all casinos who are interested in obtaining its seal to ensure that they operate fairly and within a certain set of stringent guidelines. Other companies like TST monitor software, random number generators and more for fairness.

When it comes to the individual licensing agencies, however, there are some that are stricter than others. It is generally known that Gibraltar and the Isle of Man have very stringent licensure requirements, so players who see these licenses on any online casino can feel fairly safe when depositing funds there. Some of the less stringent jurisdictions include Antigua and Barbuda as well as Costa Rica, but this doesn't mean that the casinos themselves are bad places to gamble. It just means that the guidelines for obtaining casino licensure are not as strict.

Each one of these jurisdictions still has its own way of handling things. For example, in Kahnawake, it is generally known that the security technology used here is some of the best in the industry, providing an excellent and safe casino experience. Furthermore, those who are responsible for overseeing the gaming commission here work hard to ensure that security breaches are handled promptly and effectively. However, the commission is also known for failing to prosecute -- or even address -- those casinos which fail to meet the guidelines once licensure has been provided. This can present serious problems for gamblers, and many gamers simply choose to avoid casinos that are licensed here.

The moral of this story is that gamers should always be sure to read reviews of online casinos regardless of where they are licensed. A safe casino isn't necessarily one that bears a license from a particular jurisdiction. Rather, it is one where a majority of the players who spend their money there feel safe and secure. While some complaints are normal for any venue, players should use common sense in determining trouble. If a large percentage of consumers complain about unfair payouts, then it is safe to assume that the casino should likely be avoided. Even if the venue has the eCOGRA seal, it never hurts to visit the eCOGRA website to make sure that the domain name of the venue is on their approved list.