Complaints & Claims

A sad fact of the online gambling industry is the number of complaints made against the gambling websites. Some unjustified, some justified.

If you feel harshly treated or if you have have a serious claim of wrongdoing against a gambling site then what can you do? Here we will detail the steps you need to take as well as providing the contact information you need.

Online casino complaints procedure:

  1. The first thing you need to do is get your story clearly written down. You will need to clearly state the gambling site in question, your email address and username.
    You need to write out your complaint clearly and concisely. Preferably using a timeline including dates of deposits, value of deposits, when and what went wrong, etc, etc. Do not waffle, be very detailed and precise.
    Write down how you think your complaint or claim should be resolved. Be realistic in your claims.
    Try and gather all your gaming logs for the period in question.
    If you have any correspondence (emails, phone calls, live chats with an agent) then gather all of these as well for reference.
  2. Your first port of call is to then submit a formal complaint to the gambling website in question.
  3. Should your issue not be resolved satisfactorily by the gambling website then you should take all of the information gathered in point 1, along with the result of point 2, and make a formal complaint at the gambling licensing authority where the site is licensed.
  4. Should your complaint or claim be rejected by the licensing authority then you need to think long and hard about the result and the reasons you lost your claim. If you still feel badly done by and think you still have a legitimate case then your last port of call is to go to a 3rd party mediator. Many gambling sites refuse to deal with 3rd parties however many do because of the bad publicity they receive otherwise. However it should be noted that these third parties hold no legal authority at all.
  5. After this step your choices become much harder and more complicated. You may take legal action (expensive and risky) or you may go to the Ombudsman relevant to your situation (free if you handle the case yourself, I myself went to my national financial ombudsman for a case against my mortgage company (which I won in the end) and as I represented myself the only cost to me was lots of stress, lots of reading and preparation and having to take one day off work for the hearing).

The reality: All being well if you have provided a very clear, concise and detailed case with the facts laid bare and supporting screenshots and game logs then you should have your case resolved in step 3 if the gambling site in question has not already backed down in step 2. Things may not always go in your favour. There is common sense at play when you get to the licensing authority but I must remind you once again that it is imperative to read the terms and conditions carefully at any online gambling establishment. I just cannot emphasise that enough. Take the 5 minutes to read through before you start playing, it may save you months of hassle somewhere down the line!

Contacting Yes No Casino:

If for any reason you need to contact us please visit this page for our contact details: Contact Yes No Casino

casino-complaints

The online gambling licensing authorities/regulators contact info:

Australia

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra Nara Centre
1 Constitution Avenue
CANBERRA CITY ACT   2601

Phone Number: 61 2 6207 0359

Website: http://www.gamblingandracing.act.gov.au/
Email: [email protected]

Australian Northern Territory

Level 1 Enterprise House, 28-30 Knuckey Street DARWIN NT 0800
Postal Address: GPO Box 1154, DARWIN NT 0801

Phone: (08) 8999 1800
Fax: (08) 8999 1888

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nt.gov.au/justice/licenreg

Vanuatu

Manager, Licensing Review and Audit
PO Box 124
Port Vila
Vanuatu

Tel: +678-25243
Fax: +678-2563

Website: http://www.vanuatugovernment.gov.vu/cyberspace.html

Asia

Philippines

First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corporation
26th Floor West Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Center
Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Philippines 1605

Phone Number: (632) 638-55-56

Website: http://www.firstcagayan.com
Email: [email protected]

Europe

Alderney

Robin Le Prevost
Director of E-Commerce Development
States of Alderney
PO Box 15
St Anne’s
Alderney, GY9 3HT
British Channel Islands

Phone Number: +44 1481 825500

Website: www.AlderneyGambling.com
Email: [email protected]

Belgium

Gaming Commission Belgium
Cantersteen 47
1000 Bruxelles
Belgium

Phone Number: +32 2 504 00 40

Website: https://www.gamingcommission.be

France

Regulatory Authority Online Games
99-101 rue Leblanc
75015 Paris
France

Phone Number: +33 1 57 13 13 00

Website: http://www.arjel.fr
Email:  [email protected]

Denmark

The Danish Gambling Authority
Helgeshøj Allé 9
2630 Taastrup
Denmark

Phone Number: (+45) 72 38 79 13

Website: http://www.skat.dk
Email: [email protected]

Gibraltar

Office of Financial and Development Secretary
5th Floor
The Haven
23 John Mackintosh Square
Europort
Gibraltar

Phone Number: (+350) 200072166

Email: [email protected]

Isle of Man

e-Gaming Development
Department of Economic Development
St Georges House,
Upper Church Street,
Douglas,
Isle of Man,
IM1 1EX

Phone Number: +44 (0)1624 682365

Website: http://www.iomegaming.im/
Email: [email protected]

Italy

Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli
Mastai Square, 11 – 00153 ROMA
Italy

Fax: 06 58572200

Website: http://www.aams.gov.it/
Email: [email protected]

Jersey

Jersey Gambling Commission
4th Floor
Jubilee Wharf
St Helier
Jersey
JE1 1BB

Website: www.jgc.je
Email: [email protected]

Malta

Malta Gaming Authority
Suite 1, Level 3,
TG Complex,
Brewery Street,
Mriehel,
BKR 3000
Malta

Phone Number: +356 2546 9000

Website: www.mga.org.mt
Email: [email protected]

Spain

Comision Nacional del Juego
(Spanish Gaming Commission)
Ministerio del Interior
Spain

Website: http://www.interior.gob.es/

United Kingdom

UK Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B2 4BP

Phone Number: 0121 230 6666

Website: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/
Email: [email protected]

North America

Costa Rica

Costa Rica Commerce
Industry and Economy Ministry
Edificio del IFAM
San Jose
Costa Rica 10216-1000
+506 235 2700

Website: www.meic.go.cr
Email: [email protected]

Kahnawake

Kahnawake Gaming Commission,
P.O. Box 1799,
Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake,
Canada
J0L1B0

Phone Number: (450) 635-1076

Website: www.gamingcommission.ca
Email: [email protected]

Nevada

555 East Washington Avenue
Suite 2600
Las Vegas, NV 89101

Phone Number: (702) 486-2000

Website: http://gaming.nv.gov
Email: [email protected]

New Jersey

New Jersey Casino Control Commission
Arcade Building
Tennessee Avenue & Boardwalk
Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401

Phone: 609-441-3422

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.nj.gov/casinos/about/direct/

Panama

La Junta de Control de Juegos
Avenida Perú,
Calle 35 Este,
Edificio antiguo “Hacienda y Tesoro”
Panama City
Panama

Phone number Economy: (+507) 507-7000 (+507) 506-6600
Phone number Finance: (+507) 507-7600

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://mef.gob.pa/es/Paginas/home.aspx

South America

Antigua

Financial Services Regulatory Commission’s Division of Gaming
2nd Floor – West Wing
First Caribbean Financial Centre
Old Parham Road
St. John’s
Antigua and Barbuda

Tel: (268)481-3300
Fax: (268) 481-3305

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.antiguagaming.gov.ag/

Curacao

Curacao eGaming
Pletterijweg Oost
Ara Hilltop Building
Curaçao
Netherlands Antilles

Phone: +5999 465 1134
Fax: +5999 465 1136

Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.curacao-egaming.com/

Online Gambling Licensing Jurisdictions

If you want to play at a safe and secure online casino, then you are going to need to ensure that you are playing at a casino which not only has top notch security, but also one which features a solid gambling license from one of the major licensing jurisdictions. If you were to take a quick look at your online casino (most of the time at the bottom of the lobby) you are likely to find just which gambling license or licenses your chosen online casino has. Whilst that may not concern you too much, it is still handy to pay attention to; but why?

Licensing jurisdictions are as varied from one another as online casinos, and knowing just which licensing jurisdiction your casino is under will help you understand the types of games your casino is able to offer. It will also provide you with plenty of information regarding what is kosher and what is not approved at your casino, and the terms and conditions the casino must offer players to maintain that license.

Over the course of this article, we will be looking at the major licensing jurisdictions in the online casino and gambling world. We will look at their perks, and more importantly, we will look at which top online casinos are able to offer you games under the terms of their licenses. It may just be that by the end of this piece, you may consider shifting to an online casino with an alternative gambling license for one of many reasons. So, without further ado, let’s start with one of the bigger licensing jurisdictions, Alderney.

Alderney

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) is based in Alderney, and began operations in 2000. Alderney (located in the British Channel Islands) strives to offer and protect fair play amongst its casinos. In the past, the licensing jurisdiction has revoked licences from operators who they deem to have acted unfairly to customers, or who the AGCC have deemed are operating outside of the terms of their license. To obtain an Alderney license, operators must have a large sum of money available with which to pay out winners and must be able to guarantee a player’s funds. By failing to live up to those terms, Full Tilt Poker had their Alderney issued gambling license revoked, proving to the gambling world that Alderney has what it takes to do what is necessary if operators aren’t living up to their expectations.

Leading online casinos which operate with licenses issued by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission include bgo Casino, Mr Green Casino, Red Bet Casino, and Vernons Casino. Smaller operators with Alderney licenses include the likes of Bell Fruit Casino.

Curacao

Curaçao is a major licensing jurisdiction and is particularly popular with operators aiming to act as offshore casinos for players based in the USA. Formerly a part of the Netherlands Antilles until 2010, Curaçao’s gambling license is recognised as one of the big ones, although their terms and conditions for obtaining a license are considerably laxer than many other regions. Playtech, RealTime Gaming, BetSoft Gaming and Rival Gaming are known to acquire licenses out of Curaçao. Known as the Curaçao eGaming IP Licensing company, they have been active in the industry since 1996 and offer all-in-one packages to operators seeking gambling licenses.

The number of casinos to feature Curaçao issued licenses runs into the hundreds, but some of the many bigger names to feature Curaçao issued licenses include Oshi Casino, Black Diamond Casino, Box24 Casino, Casino Ventura, Desert Nights Casino, Drake Casino, Miami Club Casino, Omni Slots, Play Frank, Bitstarz, Red Stag Casino, Slots Million, Thrills Casino, Uptown Aces, and Video Slots Casino.

Please beware that there are a lot of rogue casinos house under the Curacao casino licensing body.

Gibraltar

As one of the more popular gambling license jurisdictions, Gibraltar is a highly respected jurisdiction. Most of the major European online casinos strive to obtain a gambling license issued by the Gibraltar Gaming Commission. One of the main reasons for UK operators to jump aboard the Gibraltar licensing ship is the low tax-rate they are charged. This is starting to change, though, with the UK Gambling Commission requiring British companies to obtain licenses from them. Spain has tried to force Gibraltar to move their servers into Spain (so they would be liable to pay Spanish taxes) but their relentless bullying of Gibraltar has not succeeded.

Some of the most respected online gambling enterprises have obtained licenses out of Gibraltar as well as a lot of rogues. Among the companies (and subsequently their casinos) with Gibraltar licenses include the blacklisted Cassava Enterprises, Ladbrokes, bwin party, WHG (William Hill Gaming), Gamesys and Nektan as well as the far more respected IGT, Tombola, EU Lotto, Scientific Games, Realistic Games, Net Entertainment, NYX Gaming, Greentube, Boyle Sports, Pariplay, 32Red, Mansion and Yggdrasil.

Top online casinos operating with Gibraltar issued gambling licenses include Casino.com, Mansion Casino, Mr Green Casino, 32Red Casino, Bet365 Casino, and Slots Heaven to name but a small few.

Kahnawake

Kahnawake first started issuing licenses in 1999, and are based out of Montréal, Quebec, Canada. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is the number one licensing jurisdiction in Canada, and they have a long-standing agreement with many Microgaming powered online casino sites. Kahnawake is a respected casino licensing regulator, issuing licenses not just to online casino operators but also land-based casinos, too. Their strict and regulated operation virtually ensures that any online casino carrying a Kahnawake Gaming Commission issued gambling license should be a safe and secure place to play your favourite online casino games.

As we’ve said, Microgaming are the main company involved in Kahnawake licenses, although several other developers have acquired licenses from in this jurisdiction, with most of those online casinos operating in Europe and Australia, and seldom in North American itself. Microgaming are gradually altering their allegiance to other gambling jurisdictions, though, to better serve their customers.

Some of the more memorable casinos with Kahnawake issued licenses include Bodog, Bovada and SlotsLV. There have been a lot of casinos leaving the jurisdiction recently however and turning rogue (the likes of the Club World Casino group for example who changed ownership and went completely rogue).

Malta

Malta is another major gambling jurisdiction. For over a decade now, Maltese licenses have been a sure sign of a strong and secure online casino site. Microgaming have started to move many of their operations over to the Maltese licensing jurisdiction from Kahnawake since it enables to better offer online casino gaming to players based in Europe.

Whenever a casino is licensed by the Lotteries & Gaming Authority of Malta, you can trust that they are thoroughly regulated, tested by independent auditors and adhere to strict terms and conditions which guarantee fair play. Many LGA (Lotteries & Gaming Authority of Malta) casinos are also members of eCOGRA, further certifying their adherence to fair play.

The list of online casinos which operate under the Maltese gambling jurisdiction is vast. We have cut down the seemingly endless list considerably to mention just a few of the more respectable and popular online casinos which operate with MGA licenses. These include All British Casino, BETAT Casino, Casumo Casino, Leo Vegas Casino, Mr Green Casino, Slots Million, Slotty Vegas. As we’ve said, the list of playable casinos with MGA of Malta licenses is vast, and this seemingly extensive barely scratches the surface of all those domains offering Maltese licenses.

UK Gambling Commission

As you might expect, online casinos which have obtained UK Gambling Commission licenses are fully allowed to operate inside the United Kingdom. In fact, they are technically the only casinos which are legally allowed to do so.

The UK Gambling Commission began offering licenses in 2007, via the UK Gambling Act of 2005. Every aspect of British gambling bar the National Lottery is run by the UK Gambling Commission. The UK Gambling Commission does much more than simply issue licenses to online casinos operating in the UK gambling market. They have recently started to hunt down any casinos which offer their services to players based in the UK which do not have licenses by the commission. The basic idea is that those companies will be liable for UK tax via the UK Gambling Commission, even if they don’t hold a license. It is an aggressive move and one which has seen several casinos pull out of the UK casino industry.

Despite the higher tax rate than Gibraltar, many major online casinos and sports books have avoided controversy by simply obtaining a UK Gambling Commission issued license. Most of the casinos which have such licenses are household names and these include (but aren’t limited to) 888 Casino (rogue), All British Casino, BETAT Casino, Casumo Casino, Leo Vegas Casino, Mr Green Casino, Slotty Vegas, Karamba (rogue), Ladbrokes (rogue), William Hill Casino (rogue) and many many more.

Denmark

The gambling jurisdiction in Denmark is run by Spillemyndigheden, and they are the only authority allowed to offer gambling licenses to Danish casinos or offshore casinos which wish to offer their services to players based in the country. The same authority is also responsible for issuing land-based casinos and gambling venues with their licenses. Danish gambling laws can be pretty strict, so there aren’t too many holders of a license from the Danish Gambling Authority.

Online casinos which operate with a license from Spillemyndigheden include casinos run by 888, bwin.Party and Ladbrokes (all rogue). Plenty of Danish online casinos also have licenses from this provider, with roughly 25 casinos in total being able to offer games to Danish players. Land-based venues with Danish Gambling Authority licences include Casino Marienlyst, Casino Copenhagen, Casino Odense, Casino Munkebjerg, Casino Aalborg, and Royal Casino (Aarhus). Some of those land-based venues are also able to offer online casino games via their own websites under the terms of their licenses.

Online casinos (not related to land-based casinos) which can offer gaming in the country under the terms of the Danish gambling jurisdiction include Leo Vegas, Vera & John DK Casino.

Isle of Man

Located between the Republic of Ireland and the UK mainland, the Isle of Man operates its own gambling licenses. The gambling jurisdiction of the Isle of Man is known as the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, and it was formed in 1962. Despite that, they didn’t start offering online casino gambling licenses until 2001. Since that time, they have become one of the more trustworthy gambling jurisdictions, and any casino offering their license can be widely ensured to offer safe and fair play to their customers. The deal that the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission offers to operators is roughly the same in virtually every area as the licenses available from the UK Gambling Commission, the LGA of Malta, Gibraltar licenses, or Kahnawake issued licenses. Isle of Man licenses are pretty strict in that they ensure that their operators cannot offer their services to any players which are not entitled to play at said casinos, either via the laws of the country they reside in or the terms of the Isle of Man issued license.

Some of the leading online casinos to carry licenses issued by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission include Trada Casino which is probably the most respected online casino to have the Isle of Man license. The rest are not particularly big names and some are a little bit questionable in reputation.

Jersey

The Jersey Gambling Commission is a minute gambling jurisdiction, located out in the British Channel Islands. They started up in 2010, and they cover all aspects of Jersey gaming, save for Channel Island lotteries. Based in St. Helier, Jersey, the gambling jurisdiction is only valid for casinos which operate on the island, and not those based in Guernsey or Alderney, which have their own gambling jurisdictions.

Because of their small-scale operation, there really aren’t too many casino sites which fall under Jersey’s gambling jurisdiction.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is another favoured gambling jurisdiction for online casinos which want to offer their services to players based in the United States. The Costa Rican Gambling Authority offers gaming licenses to many of these sites, particularly sports books who wish to offer wagering facilities on US sports for a US audience. Several US-facing gambling sites have been closed over the years, though, and they were primarily licensed out of Costa Rica. Without any real solid gambling regulations in the country, and high taxes of up to 15% on winnings, many casino operators have moved ship to neighbouring Antigua, or Curacao. A few major online casinos do still operate with Costa Rica gambling licenses, but these tend to be less reputable online casinos than you would find operating under other gambling jurisdictions.

A few of the more notable online casino operators to be licensed out of Costa Rica include Casino Noir, Cool Cat Casino, Global Live Casino, Rembrandt Casino, Royal Ace Casino, Silver Oak Casino, Slot Madness, and Wager Web Casino. ALL ARE BLACK LISTED. Costa Rica licensed casinos are notorious for not offering any player protection.

Antigua

The Antigua & Barbuda gambling jurisdiction is naturally located in the Caribbean and is one of the older gambling jurisdictions in the region, having begun their operations in 1981. They really started to get involved in the internet gambling scene right at the start, back in 1994. One very important thing to note about online operators which run casinos that are licensed out of Antigua & Barbuda is that they can also offer their services to players in the UK without the need for the casinos to obtain UK Gambling Commission issued licenses.

The Directorate of Offshore Gaming determines which operators qualify for Antiguan gambling licenses. Recently (2010), the directorate signed a deal with the Canadian Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which will see any operators licensed in one jurisdiction able to offer casino game to the other, provided they apply to receive an Inter-Jurisdictional Authorisation permit.

Antiguan gambling license providers have been at odds with the US Government over their desire to offer offshore casinos (catering to the US gambling sector) to players in the USA. This has not yet come to a head, and no settlement has yet been reached on the matter with the WTO (World Trade Organisation).

Top casino sites which are known to be licensed and regulated out of Antigua include Golden Euro Casino, Titan Casino, Winner Casino, Titanbet, Bodog, Rummy Royal Casino, Vegas Red Casino, Casino Bellini, Bets Casino, Slots Galore Casino, Carbon Casino, and Winners Club Casino, among others. Most online casinos (in italics) operating out of Antigua however are blacklisted.

New Jersey

New Jersey is one of the few places in the United States where you can legally gamble on your favourite games, if you live in the state, that is. If you do happen to reside in the state, then you can find yourself playing at a handful of casinos, all of which are required to be licensed by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

The Casino Control Commission not only hands licensed to online casino operators but also land-based ones. These licenses are only valid for players who are currently in New Jersey at the time of playing and are not recognised or valid in any other state in the USA. The NJCCC launched over 40 years ago and has been at the forefront of gambling regulation in the Garden State ever since.

Since online gambling was made legal in New Jersey (in late 2014) several leading casino sites have sprung up.

Nevada

Nevada is – in many ways – very similar to New Jersey in terms of what the state can offer operators via licenses. Nevada’s gambling jurisdiction is run by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, stemming from the Nevada Gaming Commission which was originally set up in 1959. The gambling board controls everything from lotteries to horse racing, sports betting to casinos. All the world-famous land-based casinos must adhere to the gambling laws of the control board, and any online operators present in the state must do the same.

Because of the fragmented gambling laws of the USA, and the lack of any real federal laws, Nevada has its own terms and conditions when it comes to gambling legislation, again set by the Nevada Gambling Control Board. Most casinos which operate online legally in Nevada are digital versions of their land-based cousins, and so their operations are already covered by one state-wide license.

Aside from those online casinos (which can only be played whilst on the premises of the land-based venues) Nevada online casinos include Sloto Cash, Slots Capital, and Black Diamond tend to big casinos you can find if you reside in the state.

Italy

Italy’s gambling authority is known as the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato, or AAMS for short. The Italian gambling authority has jurisdiction over all forms of gambling, save for the land-based casino industry. They have had jurisdiction over the Italian gambling market since 2006, although how much control they exercise is a question for debate, since technically, all offshore casino operators are permitted to offer Italian players access to casino games, even without an Italian-issued gambling license.

Top Italian casinos under the jurisdiction of the AAMS include Star Casino, Casino.com ItalyMr Green Italy, Unibet IT, NetBet IT.

France

French gambling laws fall under the jurisdiction of L’ARJEL (Autorite de Regulation des Jeux En Ligne). This organisation has three available licenses which can they can offer to casinos in their jurisdiction. One license is available for sports betting, another for horse racing, and a third for online poker. Where do online casinos fall? They don’t. Online casino gaming has not actually been legalised in France, and nor have betting exchanges.

The L’ARJEL provide some websites offering poker services with licenses, but since they do not offer casino gambling license, most French players resort to playing at offshore casinos. In those casinos, most casinos which offer their services to French players tend to be licensed out of Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus or Curacao.

Spain

Spain is a bit more flexible than Italy and France when it comes to its own gambling jurisdiction. They have tried to extort tax out of Gibraltar, but once that had failed, the Spanish moved onto issuing their own gambling licenses. The Spanish Gambling Commission came into being in 2002, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the Law 13/2011 on Gambling suddenly became legal. This allowed a framework for the Spanish authorities to permit licenses to be issued to operators wishing to get in on the Spanish market. Slots weren’t added to those licenses until 2014.

A large number of operators are now in business in Spain, which is turning into one of the online casino world’s fastest growing markets. The Direccíon General de Ordenación del Juego (Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling) has jurisdiction in the country, and their licenses last for either 1-5 years (single licenses), or 10 years (general licenses). Permits are also available for one-off gambling events, but these seldom concern casinos.

A few of the leading online casinos to operate with Spanish gambling licenses include William Hill Casino (rogue). Sportium Casino, Suertia Casino, TitanBet.es (rogue), and Casino Barcelona.es are closer to home, and operate with these licenses.

Belgium

Belgium has some of the strictest gambling laws in Europe, and they heavily regulate their market. The Belgian Gambling Commission formed in 1999, only considers land-based gambling companies in the country legal. Therefore, any land-based company with a Belgian Gambling Commission licence can offer games online to players in Belgium. Any casino based offshore cannot do so, at least in theory. Since the online casino operators with licenses don’t offer too much choice, most players choose to play at offshore casinos. The Belgian Gambling Commission has countered this by blacklisted most offshore casinos in the country.

A few Belgian casinos are worth visiting if you want to play at a bona fide Belgian online casino and one which is fully licensed and regulated within the Belgian Gambling Commission’s jurisdiction. These include Casino 777.

The Netherlands

The Dutch land-based casinos you can find across the country are regulated by Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), but the same is not true of online casinos within the Netherlands gambling jurisdiction. The online casino industry is not properly developed in The Netherlands, and Holland has still yet to pass legislation making online casino games legal. Because of this, there is no proper Dutch licensing system in use, and most Dutch players continue to use the services of offshore casinos to go about their online casino gaming business. Once those laws are passed, then, in all probability, operators wishing to offer games to casino players in the Netherlands will have to obtain a license from the KSA, whether they are a Dutch company or otherwise.

Germany

Germany is one messy country when it comes to gambling laws and jurisdictions. Like the United States, there is no one unifying federal law when it comes to gambling regulations. Instead, each state decided on gambling regulations and laws themselves. To date, there are only two German regions which do so, and only one is prominent. Schleswig-Holstein is the key German region of interest since it is excluded from the Treaty on Gambling 2012 article which binds other German states to restricted laws on gambling.

In the state, German gambling laws fall under the jurisdiction of the state’s gambling authorities. Admittedly, local casinos obtain their licenses from there, and a few online casinos have also done the same. It is not uncommon to find a host of German casinos who have obtained a license. Roughly 25 casinos have obtained licenses from Schleswig-Holstein’s gambling authorities, and around 20 sports books have, too. The German licensing authorities are pretty weak however and most German players will be playing at a Malta, UK or Curacao licensed casino.

Third party mediators

One major problem with the global online gaming industry is the fact that it is global. The number of different regulators you can see above (and we may have missed one or two of the really small ones) makes things tricky with not every regulator being as upstanding as some of the better ones.

Another major problem is that there is no single official watchdog. What we are left with then are a number of websites acting as third party mediators. And a problem with this is that most of these sites are simply affiliate websites using the complaints system to try and drive traffic to their website. We have even seen instances where websites claiming to be watchdogs will only act on behalf of a player registered to a gambling site through one of their links “If we are not going to make money off you we won’t help you”. We have also heard that at some sites “You only get one complaint, so if you get screwed over by 2 gambling sites that’s tough luck, you have had our help once already”.

There have been a lot of accusations raised against the impartiality of the so called independent casino mediator sites and in particular a lot of very scary complaints leveled against Ass Gamblers and the multi billion dollar media company behind them. There is also a big question mark about how much some of these sites really care about the player with the problem or whether the complaints system is just a marketing ploy. Now whether or not these accusations have any substance is not the point here (as some of the accusations have come from other website owners and should as such be taken with a pinch of salt).

The point is though that if you have gone through the complaint steps as laid out at the start of this page and have not had a satisfactory conclusion then submitting your complaint to a third party mediator is worth a shot if you choose the right one. The negative publicity alone may just make the gambling website think twice. As I have said before though, a good number of gambling sites refuse to deal with third parties.

Here we’ll give you an example of communication between a casino group and a third party:
Casino: “We are writing to you with reference to your last email to us, please note to confirm, we will need a legal notice from the clients stating that you are representing them on their behalf. And the client will need to send this to us after which further communication will not be an issue”
Third Party: “Just to make things perfectly clear, we’re not representing anyone – nor have we ever pretended to do so. The complaint service is there merely to facilitate communications between players and casinos. We don’t ask casinos to share any information or to submit any reports, all we ask from you is to look into an issue and get back to us on its status.”

And an example from a complaint case made to a third party (the third parties reaction):
“The only thing I could suggest to do now is contact their regulator the Maltese Lottery and Gaming Authority. Sorry I couldn’t have been of more help.”

In both the examples above, the third parties in question blacklisted the casino chain because they failed to work with the third party. And they do so for other groups as well. The gaming regulators and authorities are strong enough by themselves and will handle issues themselves. However there is one way in which the third party mediators could gain some actual credibility…..

One joint non-profit global mediation service?

The ideal situation is for these big affiliate websites to join forces and setup a single major non-profit mediation website where their power is far stronger and where their impartiality can never be called into question. Surely this would really take a lot of power back from the gaming sites? The only problem here is that in most cases it is not in the financial interests of the mediator website to actually provide a real service. They just use their service as a sort of carrot to get players to use their website.

Some non profit mediation services:

Here are some other mediation websites (non-profit) that you may try:

IBAS

Website: http://www.ibas-uk.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +44 20 7347 5883

eCogra

Website: http://www.ecogra.org/
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +44 20 7887 1480

European Union Online Dispute Resolution

Website: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/

Support for gambling affiliates?

Of course it is not only players who get shafted by the gambling websites. Their partners, reviewers, affiliates, advertisers get screwed over as well on occasion. Unfortunately there really isn’t that much help available for affiliates, the so called big affiliate watchdogs not really following up on their promises and also being more interested in looking after their own best interests and often having prime sponsors who are well known for dodgy dealings with both players and affiliates.

The one way affiliates are going to protect themselves is by way of a joint class action lawsuit against the groups who break the law and break contracts etc. But unfortunately it requires a collective effort and many many webmasters are far too scared to stand up and take a stance against the hand that feeds them.