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How To Get An Online Gambling License

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Rules on Getting a License. Getting an online gambling license has to be your priority as it's a direct pass into the business. Nothing happens without a gaming license. You'll need it to open bank and merchant accounts, work with electronic payment system providers and buy legal gaming content. A reliable online casino business starts with obtaining an online gambling license. It allows running a legal casino online and warrants the casino operator's trustworthy behavior and commitment to a fair gaming policy. A license is also an indicator of transparency in business operations and security of the gaming software offered to customers.

How To Get Gaming License

When starting an online gaming business, you have several important steps to accomplish. Let's see what you will need to build a powerful gambling business:

  1. Professional igaming software
  2. Betting and gaming company
  3. Gambling license
  4. Merchant account

All of them are equally important, but many people face more difficulties when choosing a gaming license that will meet their business needs. As you already know, our today's goal is to understand which gambling license to choose. The growing demand for a trustworthy licensed operator creates incentives for liberalizing the online gaming market. That's why it's challenging for today's operators to comply with these regulations. This has caused many obstacles for small gaming companies to obtain and uphold a gaming license.
Today, there are the following frameworks in the gambling industry:

  • Countries/states that regulate online gambling within their territories;
  • Countries/states that regulate, but provide exclusivity to public/private monopolies;
  • Countries/states that ban betting activities within their jurisdictions;
  • Countries/states that lack regulations on gambling activities.

There are a lot of gambling laws and jurisdictions. Of course, among the most popular ones are Alderney, Malta, Curacao, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, etc. Today, we will draw your attention to two of these gaming jurisdictions: Malta and Curacao. We are going to weigh up the pros and cons of each license.

Malta VS Curacao gambling license

Curacao (Netherland Anthills) is considered one of the most popular online gaming licenses as it has quite favorable gaming jurisdiction. The tax service is quite affordable and usually, master licenses are packed with a license and hosting services for newbies as well.

Curacao is a small island on the north coast of Venezuela. The gaming industry has been expanding in Curacao since 1966. Curacao gaming license offers only one type of permit to operators and software providers for sports betting, games of skill and chance.

Malta is a Mediterranean island, which is also a member of the EU. Malta has a long history in gaming legislation. In 2009 the island generated 52.5 million euro tax revenue from remote gaming.
Maltese gambling system is governed by the Malta Gambling Authority and a lot of laws and regulations have been created to form the regulatory framework. Malta gaming license has a high repute thanks to anti-money laundering standards and financial laws and regulations.

Malta gaming jurisdiction

Malta is the first member of the EU to regulate Internet gaming since 2000. A year later, the Malta Gaming Authoritywas formed. According to the latest update of the framework, Malta offers licenses of the following categories:

  • Gaming Service license: a business to consumer license to offer or carry out a gaming service;
  • Critical Gaming Supply license: a business-to-business license to provide or carry out a critical gaming supply.

The authority issues a variety of gambling licenses and drafts relevant regulatory frameworks to cover the following game types:

  • Type 1

Games of chance played against the house which result is determined by a random generator and it includes casino type games such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette, poker, slots, etc.

  • Type 2

Games of chance played against the house such as sportsbook which outcome is decided by the result of an event or competition and the risks are ruled by the operator himself by managing odds offered to a player.

  • Type 3

Games of chance not played against the house, where operators generate revenues by a commission or other charge based on stakes or prizes, it includes player vs player games such as poker, bingo, etc.

  • Type 4

Controlled skill games such as fantasy sports where the outcome is determined by the aggregation of statistical results of the performance based on skills and knowledge of a number of individuals competing in actual sporting events.

By the way, the Maltese government is building a Smart city which will be a hub for online companies in the country.

Pros and cons of Malta gaming license

There are both advantages and drawbacks of Malta gambling license. Among the pros are:

  1. Stable regulatory framework

Malta has a powerful regulatory system for igaming. As mentioned earlier, it is regulated by a special governmental body, which ensures efficient and pragmatic gambling regulations.

  1. The protection of players and operators
    The license is awarded based on the proper operation of interactive games and many other factors. Thanks to a stable regulatory framework, Malta offers protection for both players and operators.
  2. Anti-money laundering
    When it comes to money laundering, Malta gaming jurisdiction is second to none, as it has implemented all EU Directives regulating the prevention of money laundering.
  3. Reputable license
    Maltese license is trustworthy and reputable because it is sanctioned by the EU which makes it meet all the standards of a high-class online gambling license.
  4. Multiple licenses
    Operators can apply for multiple licenses that are issued for ten years at a time.

Of course, with the advantages there are also disadvantages that make gaming operators to think twice before choosing Malta gaming license:

  • Taxation and license fees are higher than in Curacao;
  • Application procedure requires more time and is more complex;
  • A significant portion of a casino/sportsbooks operations must be located in Malta.
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The Philippines is an interesting market for online gambling.
The country is divided into two distinct regions for gambling
purposes. First, there's the majority of the country in which
gambling is tightly controlled by the state-owned Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). PAGCOR operates all
land-based casinos, and betting outlets across the country.

Locals are welcome to play at approved PAGCOR locations and
online for some forms of gambling. Filipinos can also visit any
of the numerous PAGCOR betting terminals across the country and
are free to gamble online at offshore websites.

The laws for online gaming in the Philippines are a bit odd.
In both regions of the Philippines, it's illegal for any
independent operator to offer online betting to locals. However,
offshore providers with no connection to the Philippines may
offer their services to the Philippines.

How To Get An Online Gaming License

In short, there are two different sets of laws (or lack of
laws) in play here. Citizens of the Philippines are not subject
to any laws that ban online gambling. There was considerable
debate on the legality of placing bets over the internet, but a
court ruling in 2012 found that there was no piece of language
in Philippine law that made it an offense to place bets. So,
citizens are free to play wherever they want.

Operators must play by a whole different set of rules. Any
online gambling site licensed in the Philippines is restricted
from offering its services to Filipinos. This has created a
situation in which PAGCOR has a monopoly on land-based gambling
but is cut off from its own market online.

Cagayan Freeport and Online Gambling License

The second 'region' is the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and
Freeport which most people just call 'Cagayan Freeport.' This is
the only area in the Philippines not under complete control of
the PAGCOR monopoly. In the Freeport area, there are numerous
independent casinos that are allowed to offer their services to
tourists only.

Cagayan Freeport also acts as an online gambling licensing
jurisdiction. In fact, it's the only such jurisdiction in all of
Asia. A Filipino gambling license is hard to get and does not
allow operators to accept wagers from Philippine citizens, but it's valuable nonetheless. A license there grants access to the
greater Asian area, which is a booming and untapped market.

PAGCOR issues the licenses and monitors all existing
licensees for compliance. Any limited company interested in
getting a license can apply for one. The application itself
costs $40,000 and then there's a $48,000 fee for the first year
once approved. Licenses are renewed each year after that for
$60,000 per year.

License holders can offer their services to anyone outside
the Philippines and may take advantage of the country's highly
developed internet infrastructure. The close proximity of the
Philippines to the rest of Asia and its high level of
development make it an attractive base of operations for any
company interested in tapping the Asian market.

All game systems must be tested and approved, and the company
must keep an adequate amount of cash on hand to cover all player
balances. The licensing commission is strict on these rules, and
it does a good job of enforcing the regulations.

Online Gambling License

If you are interested in more information about the licensing
situation in the Philippines or the different regulations set in
place you can always check out the website for the Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corporation. Also, if you want a direct
answer on a specific question you can contact them through phone
or email. All of this information can be found below:

How To Get Your License Online


Website: http://www.pagcor.ph/
Phone: (632) 521-1542 loc.577
E-Mail: [email protected]




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