Is an online casino license important?

February 18, 2020

Internet gambling has its own set of online gambling laws and regulations. A major part of these laws includes gambling licenses. Most modern platforms have at least one valid license from an official government agency like the UK Gambling Commission. It is important for players to understand what these licenses mean, and why casinos use them – read on to find out four reasons why gambling organisations have licenses:

A license allows casinos to accept international players

Firstly, we must remember that gambling regulations and laws differ wildly from country to country. In some countries, online gambling is completely illegal. In others, legal online gambling is heavily restricted. One major issue is that some governments only allow players to legally access and use a platform if it has a license obtained from that same country.

For example, let’s say that the UK government stipulated that UK players could only access platforms if they had a license from the UK Gambling Commission. As you can see, failure to obtain sufficient licenses could alienate a large portion of potential custom – this is why organisations often have more than one license.

It also helps avoid potential legal issues

Legal online casino NZ platforms still have physical assets like server farms and administration departments. They essentially have a physical base. Due to this fact, these physical locations must abide by the governing laws of the country they reside in.

Furthermore, in most instances, governments require that any form of online gambling are general gambling activity is regulated and complies to laws. Basically, in many regions, a gambling pass is unavoidable, and something that companies must obtain to comply with the law.

A license also boosts customer confidence

When we look at legal online casino games and choosing a platform for kiwis, what is one of the first things we look for? A valid pass! Customers have a perception that a website with one or more licenses from a recognised authority means that the platform is reputable, trustworthy, and a great choice (And with good reason – this is generally true!).

Consider this – you have two casinos A, and B. Platform A has a license from two authorities, while platform B has not, which are you likely to choose? Platform A of course. Having a valid license boosts customer confidence. It helps make a casino stand out from the competition – it is a badge they can proudly wear on their sleeve.

It also makes business sense

Finally, obtaining a pass, in most instances, makes business sense. There is no real downside to having a pass except the associated fees. A casino usually has a host of supporting departments within a certain country or region. It makes financial sense, therefore, for the company to obtain this within that same region – it is cheaper, and a smoother process. This is multiplied for companies that have land-based casinos too as they will have already developed a relationship with the gambling authorities, so obtaining a license should be easier.

How do I know if a casino gives fair odds?

A major problem that New Zealand players have is if they are getting a fair deal when using an online casino. Unfortunately, despite legalising online gambling, many companies still have unscrupulous practices that prey on customers poor knowledge. For example, a player may think they have a fair deal, when in fact, the games they are playing may be rigged.

New Zealand players must be aware of the potential dangers faced when online gambling – one of these is knowing if the platforms and games they are using fair offer odds. The premise of fair odds is simple – this gives players a fair deal to win. There should be no bias towards the house, and a completely random system should be used to calculate the results of things like slot reel spins and dice rolls.

When choosing an online legal casino New Zealand platform, this is one of the main thing’s players should look for. Fear not – we can help! In the test below, we look at how you can discern if an online casino legal in NZ provides fair odds and you have a valid chance to win!

Is the casino audited by third-party organisations?

Reputable casinos that comply with copyright law and have fair practices will hire independent auditing companies. These companies have the expertise and vast knowledge of RNG processes and fair gaming policies for the online gambling industry. Casinos hire such agencies to audit their software and gaming processes – this provides reassurance to the customers that they have a fair chance of winning. The following are the leading auditing organisations within the casino industry:

eCOGRA

TST

iTECH Labs

GLI

Jacobsen

Top software developers like Netent, Microgaming, and Playtech will also hire these independent auditing companies to assess their software and games. Third-party audits include extensive testing of the casino’s software and games to ensure integrity, and the use of RNG (random number generators). RNG usage is the best way to ensure genuine results that are unbiased.

These tests will play through the games millions of times and analyse the results – ideally, the results should be random, and the RTP should match to what the casino is advertising. If a platform is audited by one of these agencies and has acceptable results, you can be assured of their quality and their fair-play policies. We’ve prepared list of top paying casinos.

Does the casino utilise true RNG software?

Some casinos will have unscrupulous practices that rig the odds against the player. For example, the player may have a reduced chance of winning, or they may not use true RNG processes. Casinos can use software that appears random but is, in fact, biased towards the house. This is why you should check the RNG processes used and the presence of third-party audits on the casino’s software and games.

Does the casino promote their fair-play policies?

A clear clue to the validity and morality of a casinos practices is if they make them visible. If an real money casino has nothing to hide and honestly operates a fair-play policy, they should freely promote this information. This is the main selling point. Customers look for evidence of fair play; therefore, it is in the best interests of the casino to provide clear information on their practices.

Ideally, you should be able to quickly find a section on the casinos website relating to their RNG usage and fair play policies. This information should be detailed and utilise actual stats and figures. It should ideally link to any audit results provided from third-party organisations like eCOGRA. If you cannot find any such information, we would advise treating the casino with caution – if they are not willing to provide fair policy information, common sense advises that they may be hiding something.

Does the casino maintain audits on a regular basis?

Although you may have checked that a casino has its processes audited, you must consider the validity and date of these audits. Although casino online gambling legal in New Zealand benefits from third-party fairness audits, these audits must be completed regularly.

In some instances, a casino may have initially obtained an audit when they first formed as a platform. That could have been years ago, and the audit certification may have expired. During that time, the platform could have changed its processes and utilised different RNG software. This would, therefore, invalidate the audit and the audit results would have no bearing on the casinos current practices.

Always check the date of third-party fairness audits. This information should be readily available on the casino website. Furthermore, check on the auditing companies’ website itself, to see what frequency they advise audits to be completed. For a company to comply with copyright law stated by the auditing company, they should have regular audits of its software, within the specified timeframes.

Does the casino use provably fair technology?

Finally, there is a relatively new type of technology that some websites offer – provably fair technology. This involves the use of cryptocurrencies for non-repudiation of data and full transparency for the results of gambling games.

Basically, in this type of platform, every gambling result is the result of a server seed and client seed. Then both seeds are combined using a random number generator to provide the gambling result. This type of process cannot be corrupted or tampered with – the seeds are encrypted, so outside interference or bias isn’t possible.

If different payment methods like cryptocurrency are offered, it is advised to check if the website uses provably fair technology – this is another indicator of their fair-play policies and quality.

Don’t sell yourself short! It is important to have a clear idea of processes like Copyright law, trade agreements, and how to spot a fair casino platform for kiwis. Look at the pointers we have listed above and check thoroughly to make sure that the platforms you use have a fair odds policy. Remember that is online casino legal is a completely different question – a casino can be legal, but that doesn’t mean it automatically uses fair practices! Check the facts and ensure you are playing on an ethical website.