Legal online casinos of Gibraltar

Gibraltar Legislative Online Casinos

Legislation and licensing

The Minister for Digital Technology and Finance (the «Minister») and the Commissioner for Gambling (who may be both an individual and an organization) are responsible for licensing, regulating the gambling sector, and handling complaints from players in Gibraltar.

The two departments' roles are different, but the infrastructure and personnel organizations are standard (provides a streamlined approach to regulatory and licensing interactions). 

The Commissioner is responsible for regulating and issuing licenses to local companies, taking into account the Government of Gibraltar's general policy. Operators who already have cross-licenses of international jurisdictions can get permission. 
 
There are two types of licenses in Gibraltar — B2B and B2C. Companies with B2C permissions can develop and maintain software for online casinos.

According to the Gambling Act 2005, the following licenses are active:

1. A bookmaker’s license.
2. A betting intermediary’s license.
3. A gaming operator’s permission 
4. A gaming machine license.
5. A lottery promoter’s license.
6. A pool promoter’s license.
7. A remote gambling license.

Licenses from points 1 to 6 do not allow their holders to conduct online activities. To open an online casino by Gibraltar, the holder must obtain a remote gambling license

To get a permit, the applicant must:

• to confirm lack of criminal record;
• to provide a business plan containing a source of funding;
• to provide information about company employees;
• to confirm gambling experience and international cross-license;
• to open a bank account in Gibraltar for transactions related to payouts, bets and prize money;
• to reaffirm their readiness to comply with international requirements to combat money laundering and the financing of the spread of terrorism. Legislation in this area is the Anti-Crime Act of 2015 and several sections (AML) of the Gambling Act 2005.

To organize an online casino, the holder must first pass the test and obtain certificates from independent testing centers approved by Gibraltar's regulatory authority:

1. eCOGRA, (2007).
2. iTech Labs (2007).
3. Gaming Associates (2007).
4. GLI Europe B.V. *Formerly known as Technical Systems Testing (TST). 2007    (2009).
5. GLI Test Labs Canada ULC *Formerly known as Technical Systems Testing (TST). 2007 (2013).
6. GLI UK Gaming Ltd (formerly known as NMi Metrology & Gaming Ltd) 2011    (2017).
7. BMM Compliance (2012).
8. SIQ Ljubljana    (2015).
9. Trisigma B.V. (2016).
10. Enex TestLabs (2016).
11. Quinel M. Ltd    (2016).

The applicant must confirm his presence in the jurisdiction, be controlled, and controlled from Gibraltar upon obtaining a license for an online casino.

Contact of Support and Gambling Centers for Players

The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner protects player rights. User complaints to online casinos must be submitted in writing by e-mail in the prescribed form. Telephone inquiries not considered.

To fill out a form with a complaint about the operator, the player must indicate the following:

• applicant contact details;
• operator or controller data;
• The claim (the applicant must describe in detail which transaction and when it was not completed or incomplete);
• how the operator considered the complaint;
• confidential information ;
• the amount that the operator did not pay.

The user confirms that the information is accurate and presented in full by signing the form.

By the Gambling Act 2005, a legal casino site must have at least one link to an organization that assists with gambling addiction.

The Minister or the Commissioner for Gambling (the licensing authority) prescribes additional provisions regarding responsible gaming.

Licensee must:  

• to hire an employee responsible for developing a responsible gaming policy;
• to allow players to apply for suspension from the game;
• to warn users not to spend more than they have;
• to control the minimum age of users;
• to partner with the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and licensed casinos to prevent fraud and terrorist financing.

There are no government Gambling Centers for Players in Gibraltar.