Online Casino Licenses & Regulations In India That Everyone Must Know!
An Online Casino without a gambling license is of no use. It’s as simple as that! Casino holding licenses from the government-approved gambling authorities ensure your safety & privacy and provide responsible gambling environments.
Do you know you’ll find various attractive gambling or betting sites with generous bonus offers but no license? Yes, that’s one of the darkest sides of the online gambling Industry.
Well, that’s where casino licenses come into play and help you identify whether the site is legal or rigged.
Read this guide to find out about several trustworthy International casino licenses that accepts both local and international casino players from across the globe.
What is an Online Casino License?
All the casino operators who wish to provide interactive gaming services to online users have to seek approval from reputed gambling authorities. A casino license is a certificate that ensures the online platform is safe, and reliable to play real money casino games.
It’s not easy to acquire a casino license. The casino operators have to go through the documentation process, and pay the annual fees, taxes as well as renewal fees. The fee structure can vary depending on various gambling regulators.
The casino license application process may take a maximum of 6 months. Below is the criteria casino owners need to fulfill in order to obtain the license:
RNG-based casino games from legitimate casino software providers.
SSL-encrypted safe payment gateways.
Bonuses and promotional offers should not be misleading.
Safety against money laundering, hacking, and identity thefts.
Responsible and safe gambling environments.
24/7 Customer Support.
Why is a Casino License essential?
A casino holding a government-approved license ensures maximum safety of both the players as well as the operators. It prevents and alerts them if any suspicious activity like money laundering, or hacking is tracked on the site.
The casino license is the stamp that you are using the legal platform to play your favorite casino games. Another benefit is you are guaranteed to get your winning payouts from licensed casino sites.
Now you know how important casino licenses are.
Some Popular International Gambling Licenses
The Malta gambling authority (MGA)
MALTA doesn’t need an introduction to the online gambling Industry. You can easily trust a casino if it owns the license from Malta. It is considered one of the best international gambling licenses across the world.
Currently, MGA offers two types of licenses (B2B and B2C) that are valid only for a period of five years, and then operators have to renew the license.
Casinos with MGA licenses are even approved by the UKGC. That means British players can easily access all the MGA-approved sites.
Malta follows strict guidelines and protocols that casino operators have to adhere to. It includes filing financial statements, creating a responsible gaming policy, and ensuring players’ privacy & safety from money laundering and other fraudulent activities.
The authority takes 3-4 weeks to verify whether or not the casino operator is eligible to obtain the license. And, then a temporary license is issued for six months, and henceforth for 5 years based on the gaming services, and reputation.
CURAÇAO
If there is any other most popular and trustworthy gambling authority after MGA; it is none other than Curacao. If a casino is licensed by the Curacao government, that simply means you’ll get plenty of payment methods to deposit and withdraw money. You’ll easily find hundreds of casinos and sports betting sites with curacao gaming licenses. The terms & conditions are not that strict as compared to MGA. So it is easy for small casino operators to obtain this license.
Other advantages of obtaining this license are a fast licensing process (typically from 1.5-2 months), zero percent tax on casino profits, and low expenses. The maximum license cost is $150,000 with a 2% corporate tax rate.
There is a drawback that casinos with this license may not necessarily guide you during disputes. So you have to be careful when picking the casino site. But, don’t worry, all the casinos listed on our platform are safe, and reliable and also ensure maximum safety of players.
PANAMA
Formulated in 2002, the Panama license regulation authority is located in the US. So, it’s obvious that their primary focus is the US gambling market. You may not find many casinos with Panama licenses in India But still, the casino owners with Panama licenses are trustworthy. One of the major reasons why casino operators in the US opt for Panama regulators is the tax exemption. That means they don’t have to pay zero tax.
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
Established in 1994, Antigua and Barbuda is another US-based Directorate of Offshore Gaming authority with a major focus on the US market. The license is affordable, easy to obtain, and has low tax expenses. The casino owners with Antigua and Barbuda licenses are known especially for hosting online poker tournaments, and other gambling events.
Antigua and Barbuda gambling regulators are in MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
KAHNAWAKE
Established in 1996, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission is a popular gambling authority based in Canada. Almost similar to curacao regulators; the Kahnawake license is affordable, easy to obtain, and doesn’t charge any corporate tax from casino owners. Well, that’s an advantage that every casino operator in Canada is leveraging. Casinos with Kahnawake licenses are widely accepted in the US online gambling market.
At present, Kahnawake Gaming Commission offers four types of gambling licenses for casinos interested in providing interactive gaming services with the hosting facility in Kahnawake. The annual license fee for the Kahnawake license is $40,000 with the renewal fee of $10,000 per year, and software inspection costs $15,000.
GIBRALTAR
Gibraltar is also considered among the most prestigious and trusted gambling regulators around the world. The terms & conditions are quite different from those of other regulators. In order to acquire the Gibraltar license; the casino has to clearly mention the number of games, and the type of games they are providing to the players.
To acquire a Gibraltar license, online casino operators have to present their business plan, and financial solvency, and make online transactions solely through Gibraltar’s banks. Also, the license holders have to pay 1% of their annual profit which is a minimum of £85.000. The Gibraltar application and approval process usually takes 6 months.
So, which is the best license for Indian casino sites?
Based on our research, analysis, and expertise, we would suggest casinos with MGA, Curacao, the UKGC, and Gibraltar are best for the Indian audience. The best part about these biggest gambling authorities is that they not only accept Indian players but also offer reliable Indian payment methods to easily transfer and receive funds online.
So, log in, make deposits, and play your favorite casino games on our recommended casinos without any fear of legal repercussions.