BGIn order for an online bookmaker or a casino to be considered legal, it has to have a valid license. You can use the following ranking to get familiar with all license bookmakers in your country:
How important is the license for a given bookmaker?
The online betting website’s license is extremely important for their existence. It is a guarantee that the operator is regulated, and his actions are monitored by authorities. It is possible for a bookmaker to have a license from different countries due to the fact that different jurisdictions have many laws that have various requirements.
When a bookmaker gets a license, he gets the right to operate legally and offer all of his services and games on the internet. Using a special license, a given operator can accept customers from different countries, however, there are countries where gambling is regulated by special commissions. For example, some countries have something called the National Gambling Commission that issues licenses to different bookmakers and monitors their activity.
Unlike licensed operators, if a bookmaker doesn’t have a license from the country where the market is regular, he won’t be able to operate there. It is possible that some bookmakers can work in a country with a different license, but this might lead to problems for the players. If there is a problem between them and the bookmaker, they won’t be able to ask their local commission for help because it is not regulating the specific brand. In this case, the player has to file his complaint towards the commission that issued the bookmaker’s license.
All online bookmakers need a license in order to do their business. Some of them have only one license, whereas others have valid documents from different countries.
Who grants the bookmakers license around the world?
Each country has its own licensing commission that is responsible for issuing a license and monitoring the activity of the bookmaker. Usually, bookies that have a permit from a given commission can be found on the commissions’ websites. What’s more, you can even find different articles that they’ve published there.
In order for a company to obtain a license, it has to fulfil certain conditions. In most cases, it has to file an application, provide the necessary documents, and pay the needed fees. Once the bookmaker obtains its license, apart from promoting its services in the given country, it can also sponsor teams and events.
There are many gambling commissions around the world. However, the most notable ones are based in Europe:
- United Kingdom Gambling Commission
- Malta Gambling Authority
- Gibraltar Gaming Commission
- Swedish Gambling Authority
- Curacao Gambling Commission
In addition to these, there are other countries that also regulate gambling activities and issue licenses, such as Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, France, Finland, and more.
Why should we choose licensed bookmakers?
It is definitely not advisable to play in online betting and gaming websites that don’t have any license. This means that there is no authority to look after the events that take place in it. A top bookmaker has to have at least one valid license. It’s even better if it is issued from a renowned commission.
The big plus of betting on a website that has a license from the country you’re in is that you can always ask the commission for help if there are any problems. This is great because you will have someone to complain to if the bookmaker violates some of the terms and conditions that you agreed to upon registering. However, if the company doesn’t have a license in the given country, your situation becomes more challenging to resolve.
At the end of the day, avoid betting on websites that have no license because this will put you in an uncomfortable position.