Does a Casino License Matter or Not?
Is a casino license important? We took a closer look at what this is and why you need to make sure that you are playing at a well-regulated casino here.
When you head online to a casino to play some
There are occasions when we here at ReadyBetGo want to bring you interesting facts about the gambling industry When something catches our eye, we will publish it for your enjoyment. 
Source PixBay games, it is incredibly important that you find a licensed and well-regulated place to play. Any casino with this licensing will display it front and centre for you to see. Can you try risking playing at a casino that does not have a license? We took a closer look at why this might not be the best idea.
What is a Casino License?
A casino license is granted by certain governing bodies from around the world. In most of the places where you find legal gambling, you will often find that there are regulatory bodies offering licenses. These need to be given not just to online casinos but to land-based ones too.
Common regulators include the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority, to name but two of the many around the world. The first of these offers licenses for any brand that wishes to operate within the UK. The second is one of the many that offers licenses for mainland Europe.
A casino license means that the regulators of the country think that the casino is safe and a great place to play. They are going to be held to a certain standard compared to unlicensed casinos, and they need to meet the regulations set by governments if they want to keep these licenses.
What Does a License Do?
A license has several purposes. First and foremost, it often represents a contract between the casino and the nation that the casino is operating in. Some countries or districts might only have a certain number of licenses that they can give out. This means that a bidding war can erupt over the licenses when they first appear on the market, if it is an area that the industry has had their eye on for some time.
Included in the terms of the license will often be the rates of taxation that the casino has to pay. Though casinos have to pay all the same business taxes as any other company in that area, they sometimes have to pay tax on top of this connected to the revenue they earn from the bets. This can then be put back into the local community to help with various projects. License holders are accepting this as part of operating in a certain area.
They are also going to have to subscribe to any local laws that might affect the way they run the business. Every area of the world that permits casinos, whether they are online or land-based, is going to have different rules. Just because a casino is able to offer a certain service in London does not mean it will be the same if they open a branch somewhere in Canada. Getting a license from the local government to be able to operate shows that casinos are willing to work with these local regulations to deliver a fun yet safe experience in the eyes of the law.
Do All Casinos Have Licenses?
Trustworthy casinos have licenses. Whether you are playing at a smaller place like the Carnival room or at a big name brand, you are going to find that they will most likely be licensed by several gaming authorities. If they are available in multiple countries, it is almost a given that you can find multiple gaming licenses to a brand’s name. For example, if a casino that is based in Europe wants to offer play to the UK, it has to obtain a license from the UKGC. It is not good enough to have a license from Malta or Gibraltar. If a casino wants to be able to offer its services to UK players, it needs that UKGC license.
With land-based casinos, they need to have licenses to be able to open their doors. Many places around the world take a dim view on backstreet casinos, even if they allow gambling legally, and so casinos will be required to obtain commercial gambling licenses before they open shop.
If you want to play at a casino, you need to make sure that it is at one that has a license. The links to the relevant gaming authorities should be prominently displayed at a casino’s website, and you should also be able to find a reference number for their license with that gaming authority. If you search for the reference number at the gaming authority, you should then be able to find a copy of it.
Can I Play at Casinos Without Licenses?
No, you should never play at an unlicensed casino. There are many online casinos out there that claim to offer a back-door to players in countries where gambling is not permitted. For example, online gambling is very slowly being introduced across the US, though some states are still adamant that they will never allow it. However, you do find casinos that claim to offer play for American players, even if they are located in a state that bans online gaming.
Such sites are not safe to play at. The license represents a willingness by the casino to follow laws and deliver a safe gambling experience. Without a license, there has been no contract made and no official terms or protections put in place for the benefit of the customer. There is a chance that your private or financial information could be leaked or sold to some nefarious party, and you will not have the protection of a gambling authority to turn to for help.
As a result, you should only ever choose to play at casinos that have licenses. If you live in a country where gambling is well-regulated, it is something that you will rarely have to think about as most casinos will have a license of some sort. However, it should also be something that you have at the back of your mind, especially when trying to check out a new place for you to play. Never spin at a casino that does not have some sort of license.