Why is it so important that your online casino is licensed?

Online casinos are big business. And, as with all high-profile money-transacting businesses, they can be risky.

There are the obvious risks. The opportunity for fraudsters to access your personal and financial information to con you out of your cash.

The risk that your transactions are going to an unauthorised destination rather than your casino account. The risk that your casino is actually a very well-designed scam that will take your money and not give you the winnings that you played for.

These are all very obvious ways that the online casino industry does its best to shut down through the licensing process. Whenever you sign up to an online casino, this is one of the most important things you need to do before hitting the sign-up button: is the online casino registered and licensed?

It is impossible to set up a legitimate online casino without a valid bank account, and it is impossible to open a valid bank account without a proper gambling license. The gambling license indicates that the casino is transparent in terms of its business operations, has the required level of security (for financial transactions and for its gaming software) and is committed to a fair gaming policy.

These licenses are only available from a select few countries and territories around the world, ones that have a legal framework for online casinos. These jurisdictions like Curacao, Malta and Gibraltar (there are others) will only issue a gambling license once they are certain that the casino can and is abiding by their specific gambling laws. These laws can change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Once the license is approved and the accounts are opened the casino is regularly audited to ensure it is compliance and is blacklisted or shut down if it is not.

By making certain that you are signing up and playing with a licensed and registered online casino you are protecting yourself and your hard-earned money from unscrupulous operators.

But even more concerning than the financial risks is the growing horror of human trafficking and slavery. There are an increasing number of news stories about online casino staff and even live dealers being held in inhumane conditions and against their will while they work for online casinos that are, at best, criminal organisations.

This is not a con game; this is a crime against humanity that is raising warning signals across the world. It is very much focused on the Asian markets and on Chinese players in particular. China has outlawed online gambling, so those who want to play tend to have to go the underworld, illegal route – opening up a market for the exploitation of humans in the quest for profit.

This is what licensing and regulating does for us, the genuine players: it allows us to play in comfort and with peace of mind that we are partnering with an online casino that is trusted, reputable and there for our fun and enjoyment – and, hopefully, the big wins.