The Gibraltar Licensing Authority is the government-appointed body in Gibraltar, responsible for regulating all forms of remote gambling. All operators who base themselves in Gibraltar must hold a license from the Authority.
The Gibraltar Licensing Authority are generally regarded as being one of the most scrutinous regulators when it comes to awarding licenses, and they take a very strict approach to ensure their licensees are adhering to the laws and gambling regulations in Gibraltar.
In this post, we’re going to look at who the Gibraltar Licensing Authority are, what they do, and what license conditions them expect operators to adhere to.
About The Gibraltar Licensing Authority
The Gibraltar Licensing Authority was formed in 2005, after the Gibraltar government passed the Gambling Act 2005. The Act is very similar to the UK’s Gambling Act 2005, and it covers the licensing and regulation of both land-based and online gambling.
The Gibraltar Licensing Authority is headed by the Gambling Commissioner and his team, who is appointed directly by the Minister for Gambling. Their primary goal is to regulate gambling, and ensure that licensees ‘conduct their operations in accordance with their licenses’.
The Gibraltar Licensing Authority are extremely tight with who they offer their licenses to, and even their own website states:
“The Licensing Authority will only consider licensing blue chip companies with a proven track record in gambling, licensed in a reputable jurisdiction, of good financial standing and with a realistic business plan. Licences are generally difficult to obtain.”
There are seven different gambling-related licenses with the Licensing Authority can issue, and these are:
- A bookmaker’s license;
- A betting intermediary license;
- A gaming operator’s license;
- A gaming machine license;
- A lottery promoter’s website
- A pools promoter’s license
- A remote gambling license
License Requirements
Operators who manage to acquire a license from the Licensing Authority are required to adhere to a number of license requirements. One of the most important, is the anti-money laundering requirements. These require operators to carry out sufficient checks on customers who may ‘trigger’ one of a number of ‘red flags’. Operators must ensure that the customers are gambling with money they have received in a legitimate way.
Remote technical and operating standards are another responsibility for licensees, and there are a number of technical, responsible gambling, and other operating guidelines for licensees.
All games offered at online casinos must be independently tested by a 3rd-party testing house. The Gibraltar Licensing Authority currently authorizes 12 testing houses, including:
- eCOGRA
- iTech Labs
- Gaming Associates
- GLI Europe BV
- GLI Test Labs Canada ULC
- NMi Metrology & Gaming Ltd
- BMM Compliance
- SQS India Infosystems PVT Ltd
- SIQ Ljubljana
- Trisigma B.V.
- Enex TestLabs
- Quinel M. Ltd
As you would expect, operators are also required to pay substantial amounts in licensing fees, and the annual fees can be seen below. (There is also an upfront fee to apply for a license.)
| License Type | License Fee |
| Remote Gaming B2C Operator | £100,000 |
| Remote Betting B2C Operator | £100,000 |
| Gambling B2B Support Services | £85,000 |
Of course, the Licensing Authority also requires operators to offer customers a number of responsible gambling tools. These tools should allow players to easily and quickly add deposit limits to their account, self-exclude, and get external help and support should they feel as though their gambling is getting out of control.
Top Gibraltar Licensing Authority Licensed Casinos
Any operator who has received a license from the Gibraltar Licensing Authority is – generally speaking – regarded as competent, trustworthy and reliable, and you can see a few of the top-rated online casinos who hold a license below:
<GIBRALTAR LICENSING AUTHORITY TABLE>
How To Check If a License is Valid
All websites that hold a valid license from the Gibraltar Licensing Authority must display a notice within their website’s footer. This should include the operator name, and the license number under which they are allowed to operate.
If you wish to check directly with the Licensing Authority, you can view their official ‘licensee list’, which displays all of the current and valid licenses. You can view this here.
Gibraltar Licensing Authority Complaints Procedure
The Gibraltar Licensing Authority requires operators to have efficient procedures in place to deal with complaints. Operators are also required to work with one of the approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services.
If a player has a complaint against an operator, and they wish to make a complaint, they must first lodge their complaint directly with the operator in question. If this fails to yield a satisfactory result, then the player can turn to the ADR service.
The ADRs are 3rd-party, independent bodies that are allowed to make binding decisions over operators. They take a look at all complaints from an impartial point-of-view.
If the player finds the ADR’s decision unsatisfactory, then they can make a complaint directly to the Licensing Authority. This is done through their ‘Complaint Resolution Request Form’.
Once a player has submitted a complaint to the Licensing Authority, they will begin an investigation. The player will be notified once a decision has been made by the Authority.
Gibraltar Licensing Authority’s Contact Details
Address: Gambling Division H.M Government of Gibraltar Europort Suite 812 & 813 GX11 1AA Gibraltar
Phone: 00350 20064142
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/new/remote-gambling