If you’re a fan of online casinos, you’re going to want to be vigilant when you’re choosing where to play online. It can be a dangerous place if you don’t know what to look out for. And one of the biggest red flags is playing at a casino that isn’t licensed or regulated. This isn’t to say with certainty that they’re going to be rigging games against you, but there is no way that you are able to reassure yourself that this isn’t the case.
Whereas if you play at an online casino that is licensed and regulated, you know that you’re being given a fair gaming experience. This is because the bodies that regulate them, such as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) or the UK Gambling Commission, are independent regulators, meaning that they’re wholly impartial.
First and foremost
For any online casino in the UK, regardless of size, to operate legally, as we’ve mentioned already, you need to obtain a license from the UKGC. This is vital so that they can demonstrate to the general public that they adhere to strict regulatory conditions and requirements, and that all games of chance are fair and not rigged.
Although it’s not as simple as that, in fact, there are different types of licenses. The foremost and most important one is the license from the UKGC. At its base, this means that your casino can operate legally online in the UK and is the fundamental license that you need.
Next up
The next type of license you’ll hear about is called a’software license’. As you may have guessed, this relates to the software/games that you’re running through your online casino. Although this isn’t so much for the casino to have, let’s say you run an online casino. You’re going to want to be advertising and installing reputable games. And so the companies that are developing and releasing these games themselves must hold a software license. The importance of this is so that they can demonstrate to you, and you can then subsequently demonstrate to your audience that the games are held to high standards.
And finally
Finally, looping back to the casino itself, the license that you need in order to allow financial transactions to be made on your website is something that is critical and core to any online casino. This is the last piece of the puzzle, and it means and illustrates that any transactions being made on the website are going through securely and that people’s financial and personal details are protected. Something that is very important as more and more people worry about data breaches and phishing attempts. And so demonstrating encryption is in place is key.
In Summary
Hopefully today, if you didn’t really have an insight into the world of licensing and online casinos, this has given you a clearer picture as to what the requirements are for online casinos to be able to operate legally here in the UK, and the same frameworks and requirements are very similar in many other countries where online gambling is permitted.
