Sometimes when searching online you come across discussions about illegality of playing on an online casino from your country. It might be the case that you are playing in what is called a grey market.
What are Online Casino grey markets:
To simply put it when you are playing from a jurisdiction in which gambling is not illegal and which is also not considered a regulated market, you can say you are playing in a grey market. It is fine to play in an online casino in this case but you should also have a look if the online casino is licensed either by Malta Gaming Authority or Curacao gambling authority.
Example of a Regulated Market:
For example, international casino operators who offer services in Sweden have as a requirement to be licensed by the Swedish gambling authority. To offer services in Sweden without the possession of a license as such is illegal. In the above example, there is no grey market. It is illegal to offer services without possessing a license from the Swedish gambling authority.
Countries in which Online Gambling is not Illegal:
But there are some countries in which online gambling is not illegal. Finland has a monopoly to provide gambling services within the borders of Finland but it is not illegal for services to be provided by igaming casino operators to gamblers. This means that players can play on an international operators’ website and enjoy his/her favourite slot games without issues.
License is Assurance of Safety:
As we all know though, having a license in one way or another is an assurance as well for players that the casino they wish to play is safe. This means that the casino has undergone a vetting process through a regulatory body and deemed to be a reliable operator in order to have been provided with a license. So no matter if you are playing from a country or otherwise market which you conceive is a grey market or not, a gambling license would be something we would advise you to have a look for.
Licenses to look For:
Some of the licenses that international operators operate under which would be good to verify before starting playing online would be either a license from the Malta Gaming Authority or a licensed from the Curacao Gaming Authority. All online casinos that are licensed, would usually operate under either one of the two above mentioned licenses. Both can be verified by just scrolling on the bottom of the websites footer in which case you will notice a license insignia from either one of the two licensing authorities. Clicking on the insignia, you will also notice the license number that the casino operates under and on which case you can be sure that you can safely play online. To this end, we have made available a list of top licensed casinos housing a Malta Gaming Authority license or a Curacao Gaming Authority license which you can find on our site.
Conclusion:
Either you are playing from a grey market or from a country that legally allows gambling, it is always best to check that license information exists on the online casino. If for example you are playing from am grey market and the casino has either a Malta gaming authority license or a Curacao gaming authority license, you can at least be sure that your gaming will be safe. Shall you wish to find out information about licensed casinos, you can click here to view a list that is made available on our site.
