A quick Google for casinos or gaming or crypto will lead you to thousands of search results. The challenge is that the internet – at least in those realms – is a bit of a Wild Wild West. The good news is that with online casinos, there’s an easy way to tell if they’re reputable: licensing.
If they’re regulated by a respected gaming body, you can trust that their books are audited, they’re running a clean operation, and everything is on the level. If you haven’t looked for licensed online casinos before, here’s why it’s important and what specifically to look for.
What Is a Casino Licence and Why Does It Matter?
One of the reasons you want the site you’re playing at to have a gaming licence is that it means there’s some oversight. With absent oversight, any Joe Blow can start up some phony website to reel in your money and do with it whatever they please.
They might let you deposit and gamble, but once you go to withdraw, you might not get your money out. Then, who do you turn to? With nobody checking in on the site, your funds could be as good as gone.
When there is a regulator who oversees a gaming area and hands out licences, the situation is very different. A regulated online casino that starts playing online games like keeping your funds can lose their licence.
You can complain to the gaming authority, and a case will be opened up. That type of punishment could shutter the casino’s business. That means there are repercussions for them if they try to mess around.
In this case, your funds are going to be much safer. More importantly, you’re going to have some recourse if anything goes wrong.
Is It Legit? How To Verify An Online Casino’s Licence
There are a number of different types of gaming licences, as companies can operate all around the world. What you want to do is verify that gaming licence to make sure that it’s legit.
Here’s what to look for:
| ✅ Step 1 | Checking the casino’s footer for licence information. | Look at the bottom of their homepage to see if you see a badge or logo. If so, you can usually click on that to go to the official licensing authority’s website. |
| ✅ Step 2 | Search the regulator’s database. | If there’s a company logo on the page, that doesn’t mean that it’s official. They could still be trying to scam you. Double-check on the regulator’s site (or database) that the information and licence is legit. |
| ✅ Step 3 | Look for red flags. | If the licence logo doesn’t look quite right or you can’t find them in the regulator’s database, those are red flags. Do your due diligence, as scammers will go to extreme lengths to trick you. |
| ✅ Step 4 | Verify with the community. | You can double-check with friends and your gaming buddies to see if they have a good experience with the site. You can trust our recommended sites, because we do our homework to make sure the licences are legit. |
Keeping online gambling safe: the role of major regulators
If you’re looking for gaming licences, some of the more reliable ones are Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Curaçao eGaming, and Kahnawake Gaming Commission (Canada). You can find their links here:
- Malta: Home – Malta Gaming Authority
- UK: Gambling Commission website
- Curaçao: Curacao Gaming licence Fees 2024 – GBO Licensing
- Kahnawake: Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission
All of these regulators are among the best of the best. If you have any issues with customer service, withdrawal delays, or gaming disputes, they’ll look into the problems and help you solve them.
They will investigate to make sure that the gaming company they have licensed is playing fairly. Otherwise, they can punish them and/or pull the licence.
Don't Get Burnt: Know the Risks of Playing on Unlicensed Casino Sites
If you’re not going to play at one of the licensed online casinos, you could be playing with fire. If there’s nobody overseeing their business, there are no repercussions for questionable behaviour. Most businesses will still be honest and fair, because otherwise – word will get around, and they won’t be operating for long.
However, some businesses will scam you, and they’ll do it until they can’t scam you any longer. They’ll eventually get busted, but in the meantime, they’ll hurt a lot of people. You don’t want to be one of them.
Always double-check that you’re playing at one of the safe online casinos. You don’t want the headache of getting burned.
Stay Safe Out There – Read our Maple Casino Reviews
Always stay vigilant out there when gaming. If a website is offering a $5,000 welcome bonus with a one-time rollover, or putting forth any other bonuses that sound outrageous, this is a sign you should be careful. If they do what they can to get your money in, but give you the runaround when you try to get your money out; that’s a big red flag.
To stay safe, always make sure that you’re relying on our reviews. We play at the sites, verify licences, and test out their customer service.
If a company is highly rated on our site, it’s because we have seen that through our own experience and have backed that up with community perspectives, too. With so many good gaming options out there, you’re better off staying with the reputable, licensed sites and avoiding any company that looks like it might be trouble.
