With the rise of licensed online gambling, we saw an increasing number of online casinos that would continue to target players in regulated markets despite not holding a license. This reality has seen online gambling regulators begin to roll out large numbers of fines. Not only do they dole out many individual penalties, but the amounts of these fines are incredible.

The Dutch gaming regulator, Ksa, has handed out approximately 30 million euros in fines in 2023 alone. While it is true that 26 million Euros of this total come from legal cases that began almost two years ago, it is still an incredible amount of money that is being generated not by licensing itself but by fines and fees charged to those targeting their residents from regulated jurisdictions.

Casino Are Faking Being Licensed

More recently, however, there has been an increasingly insidious new development in the world of unregulated online gambling. This new movement sees gaming operators faking the fact that they are licensed.

Here is an example of the MGA disavowing a relationship with an operator targeting players in the Netherlands:

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“The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is hereby declaring that it has no connection with ommer-automaten.nl. Any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by the Maltese Authority, as stated by ommer-automaten.nl is false and misleading.”

These sites intend to take advantage of well-intentioned players who want to follow their local regulations and therefore seek out licensed gaming sites. However, these players need to be made aware that these casinos are faking that they have been approved to provide games of chance in their region.

 Fake Providers Try to Scam Casinos As Well

This abuse of the licensing system is not limited to online casinos trying to attract players. Unscrupulous companies are looking to scam operators into using their services.

An example of this is PayWayGlobal, a processing company that MGA had to announce was not licensed as they claimed.

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“The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is hereby declaring that it has no connection with paywayglobal.com. Any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by the Maltese Authority, as stated by paywayglobal.com is false and misleading.”

The payment service business in the above example claimed to be based in Manama, Bahrain. However, since the MGA post, their website has shut down defunct, and their social media accounts have gone quiet.

 Play Safe with GamblersPick

When it comes to safely enjoying your favourite online casino games and getting the best welcome bonuses on the internet, you need a trusted partner who will do all the heavy lifting for you.

At GamblersPick, our team of online gambling experts take the time to scrutinise every gaming site we list, which includes checking the following:

• That the casino holds a valid online gambling license.
• That their game selections are accurate.
• That they have a good reputation for honesty and fair play.

We take this scrutiny even further when awarding our  Seal of Approval. Only a limited number of sites receive this accolade as we appraise applicants on the following 5 metrics.

Site Trustworthiness

1. Licensing and general safety measures.
2. Do 3rd parties audit them for fairness?
3. Does our community give them a high rating?

Overall Customer Experience

1. Do they offer professional support?
2. Are they available 24/7, and by which contact methods?
3. Do they respond to queries quickly?

Player Safety & Security

1. Do SSL certificates secure the site?
2. What are their customer privacy policies?
3. Is the casino focused on responsible gambling?

Withdrawals Processing

1. Do they offer fast cash-out times?
2. Is multi-currency supported?
3. Large selection of deposit & withdrawal methods

Casino Game Selection

1. Do they offer an extensive library of casino games?
2. Are they partnered with market-leading providers?
3. Do they offer important game types like live dealer and progressive jackpots?

Visit our GamblersPick Select page to learn more about the Select award process and to find your next trusted online casino partner. You can always trust that their licenses are valid and that your local gambling authority regulates them.