Everyone that is involved in gambling understands just how important licensed online casinos are. For many international platforms that aim to reach many punters, seeking licenses in certain jurisdictions is crucial. Curacao and Malta are giants in the gambling industry with international recognition. Many online casinos prove their reliability to users by clearly displaying their license numbers.

Gambling is all about risk but that doesn’t mean everything about this should be left to the wind. You need some sense of control with your money and data fed to the casino. Before you register for an account, the first task is seeking to authenticate the license displayed by an online platform. Remember you’re gambling with real money and there are unscrupulous operators everywhere.

Each operator that seeks to establish an online casino must meet all the necessary requirements set by these two jurisdictions. This enables them to acquire one or both licenses. For example, casino operators in Netherlands prefer MGA license, it allows local players to play casinos despite of Cruks (zonder licentie).

Being under Maltese or Curacao casino license means all their operations are regulated. Selecting which license is the best is not easy but there are guidelines that can help an operator decide. The region they operate in mainly is a key determinant.

There is a growing need among punters to seek out and only interact with licensed platforms. This means any operator that wants to run a legitimate online casino must seek the correct license. With that, they prove reliability making users feel safe and secure every time they log in. Many countries are putting measures in place to weed out and ban illegal gambling sites without proper licensing.

Malta Gaming Jurisdiction

There is a reason why many online casinos clamor to meet the requirements of the Malta Gaming Authority. Their license is one of the most recognized and respected in the gambling industry. Since its inception in the year 2000, it has issued thousands of licenses to various gambling operators including online casinos. Many international platforms that wish to operate within the EU must have this license at hand.

An online operator has to figure out the type of license they require before submitting an application. With the right license, they offer their services without any hindrances. There are four types of licenses available. An online casino needs to apply for the Type One category meant for games of chances played against the house. All casino types of games are in this category.

Curacao Gaming Jurisdiction

Curacao is a pioneer when it comes to licensing online casinos in the world. The way it functions is by licensing master license holders. These master license holders are the ones that issue sublicenses to individual online casinos. Not many EU countries like Denmark and Sweden have much respect for the Curacao license. This makes international casinos seek the MGA license to further strengthen their reliability.

The advantage of this license is it’s all-inclusive. There are no categories for it depending on the type of gambling operated. Since many gambling sites nowadays function as online casinos and sports betting, this license is seen as a better option. The application form is one covering both types of gambling.

It costs less to process this license and the requirements are fewer.

Comparing Curacao and MGA licenses

Player Protection

The MGA gaming license is most preferred by punters in Sweden and Denmark. This jurisdiction has taken bold measures to ensure all players are protected. This provides them with a fair and secure platform to play games. The Player Protection Directive came into effect in 2018 and has the best interest of players at heart.

The jury is still out when it comes to the Curacao license. Players see it as too lenient on unscrupulous online casinos. It takes a few measures to secure players’ interests and well-being.

Taxation

The MGA license is well respected in Europe. This is why when you win money from an online casino with an MGA license your winnings are not taxed. But, for those online casinos with only the Curacao license, your winnings are taxable. This explains why many offshore casinos in Denmark and Sweden either have the MGA license or both. This way, your winnings remain tax-free in these countries. Taxes take a huge chunk away from your winnings so it’s best to use an online casino the guarantees you tax-free winnings.

Payment Methods

Because of the simplicity of its application process, most international casinos based outside the EU get the Curacao license. While it’s still recognized as a good license, it doesn’t hold as much water within the EU. With this in mind, there are certain payment methods that won’t accept transactions from such sites. This limits the number of methods you can use. Trustly originates from Sweden and is one of those that won’t work on these online casinos without Swedish license.

Only those that have an MGA license are functional within Europe with fewer restrictions and more trust. These can access multiple payment methods preferred in countries such as Sweden and Denmark.

Conclusion

Both licenses are known all across the world. It’s common to see both licenses on an international platform. A player must check these as the main feature in a legal online casino before registering an account. This is one way to avoid getting trapped by unscrupulous illegal online casinos that have no licenses. The MGA license holds water within the EU as Malta is part of this region though international online casinos still must acquire local licenses in Sweden and Denmark.