Licensed Bookmakers

In order for an online bookmaker or a casino to be considered legal, it has to have a valid licence. You can use the following ranking to get familiar with all licensed bookmakers in your country:

How important is the license for a given bookmaker?

A betting licence is a guarantee that an operator is regulated, and their products are monitored by gambling authorities. It is possible for a bookmaker to have a licence from more than one country as they fall under different jurisdictions.

When a bookmaker gets a licence, they are free to operate and offer all of their services and games online legally. Operators become legit and can now accept customers. The licence may be issued by various institutions and bodies. For example, some countries have something called the National Gambling Commission that issues licences to different bookmakers and monitors their activity.

Unlike legal betting sites, bookies without a licence in a given jurisdiction won’t be able to operate. There are exceptions, of course. However, punters need to bear in mind that if an issue arises between them and an operator without a licence, no authority will be able to help them resolve it.

All online bookmakers need a licence in order to stay in the gambling business. Some of them have only one licence, whereas others have valid documents from different countries.

Who grants the bookmakers licences around the world?

Each country has its own licensing commission that is responsible for issuing a licence and monitoring the activity of the bookmakers. Usually, bookies that have a permit from a given commission can be found on the commissions’ websites.

In order for a company to obtain a licence, 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 gets its licence, 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 licences, including Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, France, Finland, and more.

Why should we choose licensed bookmakers?

It is definitely not advisable to play on online betting and gaming websites that don’t have any licence whatsoever. This means that there is no authority to regulate and monitor their products. All top bookmakers need to be in possession of 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 licence 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 raise a complaint to if the bookie violates some of the terms and conditions that you agreed to upon registering.

At the end of the day, avoid betting on websites that have no licence because this may jeoperdise your betting sessions.

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