Complete List of all Gaming Authorities in the World

List Gambling Authorities

One of the most important things about online gambling is finding an online casino that is reliable and where you can feel safe when making transactions and playing their games. Becoming reputable was always the main issue of online casinos back when the practice started in the 90s, but the problem has been all but solved in today’s modern world.

The introduction of online licenses by some of the world’s largest gambling commissions has made it much easier for players to determine which online casinos are reputable and which aren’t. Online casinos with a license are the ones you’ll want to visit when wagering online, whilst online casinos that lack a license are better off being left untouched.

Here, you’ll find all of the most important gambling authorities in the world so you can know which licenses to trust when gambling online. We’ll first introduce you to all of the jurisdictions before proceeding to break down each of them in detail to help you get a better grasp of what each of them offers.

The most reputable gambling authorities in this list we’ll be marked as “Star Authorities”. These sites license the best online casinos in the world.

Breakdown of the Most Important Gambling Authorities

We’ve created a compilation of all the most important gambling authorities in the world and broke down each one of them to help you get a clear idea of what they offer. Be sure to read this if you want to know all about them!

Star Authority: Alderney – Alderney Gambling Control Commission

Alderney might just be one of the smallest island-nations in the world, but it also provides some of the best online licenses for the casino industry on Earth. The Alderney Gambling Commission divides its licensing into two parts: one part gets licenses to operate the games, while the other part gets a license to operate online transactions.

Sites that hold the Alderney gambling license tend to be very reputable and offer fair gambling environments for players across the globe.

Antigua and Barbuda – Antigua Division of Gaming

Antigua and Barbuda were one of the first countries in the world to jump into the online casino bandwagon by providing specific licenses to online casinos that bought the rights. The rights themselves have to be earned, though, as “buying” the Antigua license simply makes the authorities of the country conduct a thorough investigation of the casino that requests it.

This license also grants each casino a monthly monitoring job, which ensures that the casino is up-to-date with all regulations.

Belize – Computer Wagering Licensing Board

Belize doesn’t really have any online casinos, but the small country does have a single license that is meant to be one of the best in the world. It might not be the most reputable one, but the fact that online casinos need to invest a decent sum of money represents how far each site is willing to go to get it.

There aren’t many online casinos with this license, but they all seem to be quite reputable.

Costa Rica – Government of Costa Rica

The Costa Rican license is probably the least reputable on this list, but we still need to mention it so you know better and avoid it. Any site can get a license by simply registering as an independent company at any Costa Rican local authority’s office. They only have to pay a small fee, and the online casino can then proceed to work as a “legal” institution, without being audited.

If you happen to come across any Costa Rican-licensed casino, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

Star Authority: Curacao – Curacao eGaming

Curacao is also a very reputable source of online casino licenses, which has been operating for well over 20 years. The Curacao eGaming authorities offer one type of license for online casino providers, which divides itself into various parts that range from constant audits to a thorough investigation of the online casino before the license is granted.

As one of the main providers of licenses in the world, Curacao is a good reference to know whether an online casino is reputable or not.

Cyprus – National Betting Authority

If you’re going to trust a Cyprus license, then we fully suggest you check out whether it was given to the casino before or after 2012. If it was given after that year, then you can trust it.

Back in the early days of online casinos, Cyprus tended to give licenses without conducting a proper background investigation on whoever was applying for the license. Furthermore, it was very easy to get these licenses and almost every single newcomer to the industry managed to get them in just a few weeks.

That changed after 2012, at which point the Cyprus license earned a better reputation. Shamefully, not many casinos are opting to get it now.

Star Authority: Denmark – Danish Gambling Authority

Denmark has one of the most reputable gambling authorities in the world. The country does have a few regulations that make it difficult for new casinos to flourish, but the Danish Gambling Authority is one of the strongest when it comes to regulating shady business practices.

From 2012 and onwards, the Danes took a much more modern approach to gambling, which has allowed the national industry to shine. The Danes have only issued a total of 47 licenses in the entire history of their iGaming commission, which makes it one of the less trigger-happy authorities in the world.

Star Authority: Gibraltar – Department of Finance and Gaming’s Gambling Division

Many online casino savants can agree that the Gibraltar gambling license is probably one of the best that any online casino can get in the industry. The small island has managed to become the best provider of licenses in recent years, with some of the strictest regulations out of all gambling authorities in the world.

Isle of Man – Gambling Supervision Commission

The Isle of Man has a very clear way of making sure that people respect the proper licensing process, which makes a good authority for online gambling practices. The GSC lists all of the sites that have licenses in the Isle as well as sites that have lost it so people can get an idea of who to trust.

Jersey – Jersey Gambling Commission

Jersey might be a very small island that could seem a tad irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but it does offer some very decent gambling regulations thanks to the JGC. It’s important for you not to mistake Jersey with New Jersey, as the US state does have a very reputable gambling commission that offers some of the best licenses in the world.

Kahnawake – Kahnawake Gaming Commission

Kahnawake is the most recognizable gaming authority that operates within Canada, as it is the main license provider from Quebec. One of the things that makes this one a fantastic provider of licenses is the fact that they enforce player protection like not many others in the world.

If you ever happen to enter a dispute with an online casino, the Kahnawake commission is sure to do its best to protect you from any wrongdoings.

Star Authority: Malta – Malta Gaming Authority

The Malta Gaming Authority has issued over 360 in its history, and it remains one of the main casino regulators in the entire world. Not many countries can get as close to being relevant in the iGaming industry as Malta is, and their licenses are just one of the many features that make it a reputable source of gambling goodness.

The country is known as the host of many iGaming companies, many of which are considered to be some of the best online casinos in the world.

Panama – Gambling Control Board

The Panama board might not be one of the most reputable out there, but it’s still quite difficult to get a license issued by the GCB. One of the main reasons as to why not many online casinos are registered in Panama is because they require a legal presence in the country, which discourages European casinos from attempting to get a license from the country.

Philippines – Cagayan Economic Zone Authority

The gambling commission of the Philippines, although not one of the most reputable in the world, does make the online casinos that want one of these licenses to undergo a strict process of testing that ensures the safety of every player that spends their time and money on them.

As such, whenever you see an online casino with a license from the CEZA, you can rest assured that it’s a safe place in which you can gamble with confidence.

St. Kitts and Nevis – Saint Christopher and Nevis Gaming Board

The gambling authorities from St. Kitts and Nevis are reputable. They require online casinos to pay upwards of €100,000 in fees to maintain an online casino license for over two years, so you can trust them to offer licenses worth your time and the online casino’s money.

Getting a license from the official entity is quite difficult, as it has a very long and tedious process that must be undergone by whoever represents the interests of the online casino.

Tasmania – Liquor and Gaming Commission

As a piece of advice from your friends at The Casino Wizard, we suggest you refrain from trusting any online casino with a gambling license from Tasmania. The country hasn’t had any recent changes to the legislation of how they regulate gambling, which means that they are very open to giving licenses to pretty much any online casino.

Star Authority: United Kingdom – United Kingdom Gambling Commission

The UKGC is, by far, one of the most reputable sources of online gambling licenses in the world. The UK is one of the leading first-world countries in the online gambling scene, closely following Germany. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission is also the most reputable regulatory entity in Northern Europe or at least the one that offers the most reputable licenses.

Online casinos that hold the UKGC license are sure to be places where you can play all of your favorite games in a safe and secure environment. Many of the online casinos that you’ll find at The Casino Wizard hold UKGC licenses.

Vanuatu – Global Gaming Regulators, Ltd.

Vanuatu bases its gambling licenses on an external company that deals with all the paperwork, so the local authorities of the country aren’t really responsible for issuing any gambling documents. However, the entity that handles it, otherwise known as Global Gaming Regulators, is a company that does put its fair share of effort into ensuring that people play in a fair environment for all.

You shouldn’t’ trust a Vanuatu license as much as one from the US or the UK, but they are still reputable licenses.

Star Authority: United States – Nevada Gambling Control Board

Even though each state operates as an independent entity in American, the Nevada Gambling Control board is one of the best in the world when it comes to regulating online casino activities and practices. It has been approved as an official online gambling authority since 2013, upon which point it quickly started growing towards becoming one of the best in the world.

Star Authority: United States – New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

Even though the Nevada division is one of the best gambling commissions out there, the New Jersey gambling authorities don’t fall behind. Some of the best online casinos in the world are allowed to operate within New Jersey, which makes this state’s authorities some of the most reliable that you can find.

Italy – AAMS Italy

Italy has a regulated state authority that deals with the assignment of licenses, which goes for AAMS as its initials in Italian. They are very strict when it comes to assigning gambling permissions to companies, and breaking the law could result in the prosecution of the transgressors.

Italian licenses are to be trusted, although they are very uncommon to be found in any online casino that operates outside of Italy.

Aaland Islands – Ålands Penningautomatforening

The Aaland Islands gambling market is mainly controlled by the state. The Ålands Penningautomatforening is a government organization that deals with issuing permissions for online casinos to operate.

However, on most occasions where you’ll come across a license from this organization will be in online casinos that operate directly on Aaland Islands’ soil.

Anjouan – Anjouan Government

Anjouan is very liberal when it comes to online gambling practices. You should be able to find many online casinos operating under this jurisdiction, which also means that licenses are pretty easy to get. There are over 100 online casinos that operate in Anjouan, so be careful if you find an international casino that only holds a license from the Anjouan government.

The Netherlands – De Nederlandse Kansspelautoriteit

The Netherlands is very strict when it comes to online gambling, so it’s a problem to get a gambling license from the official regulator in the country. However, players can still visit other online casinos from the EU and from other parts of the world by using VPNs and e-wallet services.

You shouldn’t be able to find too many online casinos with Dutch licenses.

Belgium – Belgian Gambling Commission

The Belgian Gambling Commission issues licenses and restrictions to online gambling sites from all over the world. If an online site is allowed and licensed by the BGC, then it’s highly likely that the site is as reputable as can be. Not many online casinos hold these licenses, though.

Montenegro – e-Gambling Montenegro

Montenegro is a good country to visit if you want to play in online casinos, but it’s also quite a reputable country to issue online casino licenses. If you want to play in online casinos and you live in Montenegro, you might want to see if the casino holds a license from the e-Gambling board first.

Only casinos with licenses from the e-Gambling entity of the country are able to operate in a legal manner within Montenegrin borders.

Estonia – Estonian Tax and Customs Board

The Estonian government has assigned all gambling licensing operations and legality to the Estonian Tax and Customs board. They are responsible for allowing or disallowing certain online casinos to be accessed in the country.

Their main focus is to offer licenses to casinos that wish to operate in Estonian soil more so than to give international licenses to casinos that seek to bolster their reputation.

Greece – Hellenic Gaming Commission

The Hellenic Gaming Commission takes charge of all operations that require investigating and granting licenses to online casino operators. It’s a very reputable entity that operates together with the Greek government, so you can trust any online casino that holds a license from Greek authorities.

Germany – Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Home Affairs and Federal Affairs

With the introduction of new gambling laws in early 2020, Germany has now become much more open to online casinos than ever before. The regulatory entity can now issue licenses much more freely, which will allow German players to discover new websites that are now fully legal to be visited and wagered on them.

Spain – Spanish Directorate-General for the Regulation of Gambling

Spain is very strict when it comes to issuing licenses. Most of the online casinos available to be played in the country need to be operating, in one form or another, within Spain itself. However, you can also find other international casinos operating in Spain – even though they can be blacklisted and you could get in trouble for playing on them.

If you’re Spanish, you might be better off visiting online casinos that have been duly licensed by the pertinent authorities.