Many countries in the world are actively involved in increased regulation of the gambling industry especially in terms of online operations which has grown rapidly. Countries are taking great steps to further regulate the industry when it comes to online casinos and sports betting. These two are the most popular and have millions of gamblers taking part actively every day.
The internet has made gambling so much more accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds across the world. This can have both positive and negative impacts on the lives of many gamblers hence the necessity of strict regulations to manage the industry. The fact remains each country is left to formulate its laws when it comes to online gambling. There is no set of laws for all as each is a sovereign state.
Local authorities are important for establishing rules and regulations that these online gambling websites must adhere to. If a company wants to operate within the UK, they have to go to the UK Gambling Commission to acquire the necessary licenses for these operations. To obtain that, there are requirements that must be met in full. This plays out in each and every country the site wants to establish operations in.
It’s vital for such platforms to keep up to date with developments in all these different countries when it comes to online gambling regulations. Governments are changing legislations regularly to ensure more stringent measures are put in place to protect their citizens and have them engaged by fair companies. The first step is to familiarize themselves with the laws of a country then consult the local authority. Also, it’s important to know what aspects of online gambling are legal and whether it’s permitted at all.
Online Gambling Regulation
Online gambling is not legal everywhere as there are some countries that don’t permit it at all. For those that do, the local authorities have put in place very clear regulations that each site has to know and follow to the letter. Each site requires licensing to operate within a country, failure to which it’s found in violation of that country’s laws. This is the case in all of Europe especially in the main countries with the most online gambling traffic like the UK, Sweden, Denmark, among others.
Every country has an organization that acts like the authority charged with the mandate of overseeing all gambling activities including the issuance of official licenses. Such authorities include the Danish Gaming Authority in Denmark and the UK Gambling Commission in the UK. Each online gambling site that wants to run legal operations needs to pay a visit to the respective authority and seek an audience. A license is issued once proper procedures are put in place and the review by the authority is satisfactory.
Stringent measures in many countries that some gambling sites can’t meet have led to the surge in illegal sites that operate in various parts of the world. Local authorities strive to pinpoint those sites and uproot them but this is not without its challenges. One main criterion that local authorities use to ensure all companies are legal is to require the website to have an office within the country. This is mainly for accountability purposes and for a place consumers can reach the site in case of any concern or question.
Online Gambling Jurisdictions
The concept of online gambling jurisdiction is one that you must understand to get how gambling regulations work. You might see that some sites have licenses from specific countries in the world. This is important and it serves a purpose. This is one way of identifying if you’re dealing with a legal company or one operating illegally.
These jurisdictions have some of the most stringent laws that online gambling sites must know and follow to get relevant licenses issued to them. This also permits them to operate within those countries as well. Across the world, there are several key jurisdictions that you must know for your safety when gambling online. Some of them have very good reputations and are highly respected. They include:
- Malta (MGA)
- Curacao
- Isle of Man
- Alderney
- Panama
- Antigua and Barbuda
Even with these top jurisdictions, enforcement of these regulations is still not perfect and more needs to be done.
Combating Unlicensed Online Casinos
This is still a tough battle for many authorities since the loopholes on the internet are too big. Still, many countries are taking a step to sensitize their citizens on the effects of gambling on illegal sites. Even when they strive to block these sites, more still crop up swindling many unsuspecting people. This is why informing them on how to decipher legal casinos from illegal ones is very important. I.e. online casinos without license in Netherlands are getting more and more popular. Kansspelautoriteit, the local gambling regulator, advised The Senate to approve on 19 February 2019 the Draf Bill on Remote Gambling – https://kansspelautoriteit.nl/english/remote-gambling/ – Target date for entry into force of Remote Gambling Act: 1 January 2021.
Conclusion
Much more needs to be done when it comes to regulating the online casino markets. Since there are no blanket laws that cut across all countries, it’s important for every country to play its part. Some are going to the extent of educating their citizens on online gambling laws and which sites are legal or illegal.