Registering with a fraudulent online gambling operator is one of the worst nightmares of every gambler. It usually translates to putting your financial information at risk, meaning you might lose your money, data, and undisclosed information without your consent. This is where licensing authorities come in.
Licensing and regulatory bodies have one major task; monitoring and regulating the activities of gambling websites. This extends to protecting players’ privacy against scammers pretending to be legitimate casino operators. Usually, the seal of a regulatory body on a casino website is a sign of relief for players.
To discover the best casino sites whose activities are regulated by the relevant regulatory authorities, many players may visit review sites or other authoritative sites that could provide them with such information. If you are in the United States and want to know how to find the best US online casino sites with the relevant licenses, you can visit sites such as CasinoUSA for insights.
However, there’s more to playing at licensed platforms; since some regulatory bodies are more prominent than others. You should familiarize yourself with popular and trustworthy regulatory authorities that can guarantee your safety. Fortunately, this article will discuss the top licensing and regulatory authorities for online casino gaming in the US, including offshore and local operators. The top names include:
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
While it was established in 1996, the Kahnawake Commission didn’t start its first operation until 1999. The commission is a North American establishment native to the indigenous Mohawk group of Kahnawake. It oversees all gambling licenses to online and offline casinos, and regulates providers under its licensing authority. This includes the operation of games, poker, lotteries, and raffle draw in a gambling house.
Kahnawake Gaming Commission has been able to keep track of its online gaming spectrum through the Mohawk Internet Technologies (MIT), a local data center that observes and manages gambling websites, supervises sites, and ensures they keep to assigned rules.
Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
The Malta Gaming Authority, formerly known as the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta, is a three-way organization that oversees licensing, auditing, and regulatory affairs of physical and online operators. It doesn’t end there; MGA’s functions also include the following:
- Licensing of casino gaming operators.
- Protecting vulnerable players from exploitation by operators.
- Guiding operators through the stages of company registration.
- Supervising gaming libraries to ensure they have been technically tested and fit to play.
- Intensive monitoring to regulate fair play.
- Acting as a badge of credibility for sites under its registration.
- Protecting players’ funds and overseeing financial transactions between the two parties (players and operators).
Of course, many of these functions tend to protect the players rather than the operators, which is why MGA released a new gambling law. “The Duty of Care for Operators” is a recent gambling law that ensures the commission monitors players with problematic gambling habits and mediates when necessary.
Curacao E-gaming Licensing Authority
Curacao E-gaming Licensing Authority is one of the oldest and largest online casino regulatory and licensing bodies. This body currently licenses over 450 online platforms. They provide an easy and simple registration process that usually only requires that you have the necessary capital and a gambling site (whether physical or online).
One of the advantages of this commission is its favorable tax laws that don’t drain the operator’s pockets; they only charge 2% on net profits.
Curacao is also popular for its flexible gambling laws that allow gambling operators to provide services through one license. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a sports betting site, a casino, or a dual-purpose site that runs both services; you only need one license.
However, while this is great for operators, it’s not so great for players. Its relaxed laws mean that anyone can register and get licensed under them. And the commission doesn’t intervene in disputes between players and operators, meaning that the commission doesn’t exactly protect the players.
Gibraltar Licensing and Regulatory Authority
The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) was established in 2000 to focus on electronic communications. This includes online casino gaming, sports betting, and other forms of online gambling. The Gibraltar Licensing Authority issues licenses for casino operators, sports betting sites, lottery promotion operators, and slot machines.
The commission has set the standards for other bodies through top-notch player protection services in the online gambling industry. It is popular for its protection laws and rules that restrict underage gambling in its registered casinos, that’s over 300 operators.
Besides being a regulator, they also host popular brands of operators, game developers, and sportsbooks to offer their services to punters. Some online platforms regulated by the Curacao Licensing Authority include 888 Casino, LeoVegas, 777, and DreamVegas.
The United Kingdom Gaming Commission
The UK Gambling Commission is a public executive body of the UK Government that’s not tied to any department. It monitors responsible gambling in Great Britain and other offshore operators. Its regulations cover gaming activities such as sports betting, lottery, slot machines, and other casino games. However, they do not support spread betting.
The commission isn’t only responsible for monitoring operators’ actions and discovering foul play; they also have the power to take regulatory actions against operators that break the law. These regulatory actions can range from a legal warning to placing fines on offenders.
While it has kept a clean slate regarding casino gaming, the commission has undergone criticism in the sports betting industry concerning its inability to monitor some bookmakers under its authority. Regardless, they remain one of the best and most reliable gambling regulatory authorities globally.
Conclusion
The importance of regulatory bodies in the online casino industry cannot be overstated. They keep online casinos in check and ensure players don’t sign up with operators that’ll steal their money and get away with it.
As a player, you should prioritize any platform licensed by these authorities when signing up with a gambling site. You can check a casino’s homepage for the logo of any of the authorities to ascertain if they regulate them.