How to Check an Operator's Licence and Its Game Supplier

The Two Checks Behind a Licence Claim

A licence claim on a casino site is a claim, and so is the name of the company said to supply its games. Both can be checked against records the regulators publish themselves, and neither check depends on taking the site's word for it. What follows is how each lookup works, what a regulator's own list of unauthorised sites does and does not establish, what an authorisation issued in Costa Rica or Curaçao actually covers, and where a player's complaint goes when a withdrawal has not arrived.

What a Regulator's Unauthorised-URL List Does and Does Not Say

The Malta Gaming Authority publishes a list of Unauthorised URLs, prefaced in its own words: "The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is hereby declaring that it has no connection with the below listed URLs. Any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by the Maltese Authority, as stated on these domains, is false and misleading." The list gives each URL with a notice date, and it includes "https://www.casinomga.com/" against a notice date of 22/10/2020.

Two limits on that record matter. The MGA's declaration is about false references to the MGA and to a Maltese licence - it is not a finding about games, and not a finding about any other regulator's licence. And each entry carries the date the notice was given, so it speaks to the position on that date rather than to any earlier one. The converse limit matters just as much: a site that appears on no such list has had nothing said about it by that regulator, which is not a finding in its favour either.

The same MGA page carries the advice that follows from it: "The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA."

How to Check a Licence Claim Against the Regulator

Every major regulator publishes the register that answers a licence claim. The Gambling Commission states that "We publish registers of licensed businesses, individuals, regulatory actions and premises." Its consumer guidance, on a page stating "Last updated: 18 September 2020", says "Before you gamble, check that the business has a Gambling Commission licence.", that "Licensed gambling businesses must display that they are licensed and also provide a link to our public register." and that "The public register allows you to see what type of activities gambling businesses can offer, and if we have ever taken any regulatory action against them."

Two points of precision are worth carrying from the Commission's own page on illegal gambling, which states "Last updated: 18 September 2025". The first is that "It is illegal to provide gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain without:" a Commission operating licence or a valid exemption. The second disposes of the most common misdirection: "A gambling licence issued in another country does not permit an operator to provide gambling to consumers in Great Britain." The same page notes that "In the absence of a valid defence it is also a criminal offence to advertise unlawful gambling to consumers in Great Britain." and that "This is why you will sometimes hear the phrase 'unlicensed gambling' used interchangeably with 'illegal' or 'unlawful' gambling."

So the check is specific, not general: not whether a site holds a licence somewhere, but whether it is on the register of the regulator for the reader's own market. A site missing from a register and a site named on a regulator's unauthorised list are two different findings, and only the second is the regulator saying something about that site.

Who Is Allowed to Supply Casino Games

It is tempting to try to settle whether a game is authorised by inspecting where a browser loads it from. In a licensed market that question is a licensing question with a published answer. The Gambling Commission's licence condition 2.2.1 requires that "All such gambling software must also be supplied to the licensee by a holder of a gambling software operating licence. Such software must only be installed or adapted by the holder of such a licence." Supplying the software is itself a licensable activity, and the holders are on the same public register as the operators.

Malta works the same way. The Authority states that "The following services constitute a critical gaming supply, and applicants require a business-to-business licence to provide or carry out such services:" and includes among them "Providing or carrying out a critical gaming supply and management of material elements of a game from Malta, to a Maltese person or through a Maltese legal entity." Suppliers publish their side of it too: Evolution, which owns the NetEnt brand, states on its own site that "We operate under licences in multiple regulated markets worldwide. Our approach is defined by compliance, transparency, and close cooperation with regulators." and that "Where markets require B2B licenses, Evolution, as a supplier, holds the relevant approvals."

A reader who wants to know whether a game is being supplied legitimately therefore has two register lookups available - the operator's licence and the supplier's - and neither depends on reading a page's source code.

What a Costa Rican Licence Actually Is

A licence claim naming Costa Rica needs reading carefully. Costa Rica's own government pages show what such an authorisation can and cannot mean. The Ministerio de Seguridad Pública lists, among its procedures, an "Autorización de operación para explotar la actividad de casino" and, separately, the "Aprobación, retiro y cambio de máquinas tragamonedas y/o mesas de juego dentro de un casino" - an authorisation to operate a casino, and approval of the machines and tables inside one. Both are about a physical venue.

What a company registered in Costa Rica holds is a municipal trading authorisation. The Municipalidad de Escazú defines a municipal licence as "Es aquel acto administrativo mediante el cual la municipalidad autoriza a las personas físicas o jurídicas la operación para el ejercicio de cualquier tipo de actividad económica con fines lucrativos y no lucrativos, la cual se obtendrá mediante el cumplimiento de los requisitos establecidos tanto en la Ley como en el reglamento." - an administrative act authorising any kind of economic activity - and the accompanying patente as a tax: "Es la obligación tributaria que debe cumplir toda persona física o jurídica que ejerce actividades lucrativas previa aprobación de la licencia municipal correspondiente." Neither is a gambling licence, neither carries gambling conditions, and neither involves a gambling regulator.

Curaçao Replaced Its Offshore Regime in December 2024

Curaçao's regime has been rebuilt, which matters for anyone reading a Curaçao licence claim today. The Curaçao Gaming Authority records that "Before the enactment of the LOK, online gaming licenses were governed by the Landsverordening buitengaatse hazardspelen (LBH), translated as the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard.", that "In 2019, the responsibility for licensing and supervision under the LBH was transferred to the Minister of Finance." and that "As of December 24, 2024, the new Landsverordening op de kansspelen (LOK), translated as the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, has officially come into effect". The Authority publishes a licence register and a page of public warnings.

Where a Player's Complaint Goes

The practical question behind a licence check is usually a withdrawal that has not arrived. The route depends on who licensed the operator, and the three regulators named here answer it differently. The Gambling Commission requires that "They must also have arrangements in place for you to refer a complaint to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider if they are unable to resolve the complaint within eight weeks of receiving it.", on a page stating "Last updated: 26 August 2023", which also tells a reader "Before you begin gambling, you should check that the gambling business is licensed." and "Any company you gamble with must tell you whether your money is protected in case they go bust."

Malta takes complaints directly but asks for the operator to be tried first: "It is strongly recommended that you actively seek to resolve your dispute directly with the operator's support and management prior to lodging your complaint with the Malta Gaming Authority." Curaçao does not adjudicate at all - the Authority states that "We would like to clarify that the CGA does not handle individual complaints against gaming providers." That difference is the strongest argument there is for checking which regulator a site answers to before depositing, and it is on the regulators' own pages rather than anybody's opinion.