Gibraltar is classed as a British Crown Dependency and is a self-governing country, which means it has control over its own laws and regulations. Similarly, gambling is regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, as opposed to the United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission.
About the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner
While regulation of online gambling in Gibraltar can be traced all the way back to 1998, it’s only recently that the Gambling Commissioner was given legal power to regulate gambling companies online, with the introduction of the Gambling Act of 2005 providing a foundation for regulation of casinos offering real-money gaming to players online. The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner is extremely highly-regarded, and just like the UK’s Gambling Commission, they are known for performing stringent checks on new casinos wishing to apply for a license, as well as regularly monitoring the status of current license holders.
While the Gibraltar Gambling Commission is the main body in charge of gambling, it’s actually the Gibraltar Licensing Authority that hands out licenses, and at the time of writing, there are seven different licenses they can give. These include: a bookmaker’s license, a betting intermediary’s license, a gaming operator’s license, a gaming machine license, a lottery promoter’s license, a pools promoter’s license, and a remote gambling license. The type of license required depends on the services the casino plans on offering.
Casinos Regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner
There are hundreds of casinos currently licensed by the Gibraltar Licensing Authority, and one of the benefits of being licensed, is that the UK Gambling Commission view the casino automatically as ‘white-listed’. This means they are able to offer gaming services to players from the United Kingdom – though the casino in question does still require a UK license. Some of the bigger name companies to hold a Gibraltar Casino License include Party Casino, 888 Casino, Bet365, Foxy Casino, 32Red, Slots Heaven, William Hill and BetFair. In fact, many companies choose to run their businesses from Gibraltar in their entirety, due to the relaxed taxation laws.
Rules, Regulations, and Provisos of a Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner License
The Gibraltar Licensing Authority enforces strict requirements for license holders, and if an operator is found to be breaching any of these rules at any time, they can be fined, and/or have their license immediately revoked.
One of the main requirements for casinos wanting a license, is the secure collection of customer data. The casinos are required to ask for information, such as full name, address and date of birth. They are also required to do ‘due diligence’ with all their players, ensuring underage, or self-excluded players are unable to play. This is generally through the industry standard know-your-customer (abbreviated to KYC), and this means players may often have to send ID scans, and proof of address in order to confirm their identity.
There is also a large emphasis placed on responsible gambling, and any casino applying for a license from the Gibraltar Licensing Authority must have rigorous measures in place to help those who are unable to control their gambling. This includes all staff being fully-trained in helping problem gamblers, as well as website-functions, such as setting deposit limits, self-exclusion and ‘cool-down’ periods being readily available to players.
Complaints Procedure
Another requirement of gaining a Gibraltar Casino license is a fair complaints procedure in place for players to use when they feel unfairly treated by the casino. Unlike many other regulators, the Gibraltar Licensing Authority take a keen interest in dealing with players complaints themselves – although they do stress players should try to resolve problems directly with the casino first, and contact them as a ‘last resort’.
Checking if a License Is Valid
A casino which has been granted a Gibraltar Casino license will display a small logo at the bottom of their home-screen, as well as displaying their license number, so that players can check the license for themselves. If you want to manually check whether a license is valid, you can search the official Gibraltar Licensing Authority’s website by clicking here, where you can manually search and verify casinos.
Contact Details
- Address: Gambling Division, HM Government of Gibraltar, Europort, Suite 603, GX11 1AA,Gibraltar
- Phone: +350 2006 4142
- Fax: +350 2006 4150
- Email: gamblinglicensing@gibraltar.gov.gi