Offshore vs. Licensed: Which Gambling Site To Choose?
Licensing in iGaming is a complicated matter. Every country, sometimes provinces within countries have their own licensing schemes, with different regulations. For online gambling operators, this makes things complicated. And for players, too, as they have to decide which operator to trust with their personal and banking data.
Should you go with a locally licensed operator? Perhaps an offshore casino or betting site? Let’s take a look at some pros and cons today.
Local Brands with Local Licenses
Choosing an online casino operator with a license from the local authorities is a no-brainer. Having a local license means that the operator was vetted by the authorities, works according to the local rules, and offers services tailored to the local tastes.
But things are not that simple in some countries. In South Africa, for example, the gambling regulation is not ideal - it fails to regulate entire branches of the online gambling industry. All local operators are betting sites, with no truly legal options available for casino fans. Not that there wasn’t a need for South African casinos. But South Africa’s gambling law has major shortcomings when it comes to online casinos - and the rules are different from one province to another.
Offshore Casinos with Globally Recognized Licenses
The most common regulators used by online casinos open for a global audience are Curacao eGaming and the Malta Gaming Authority. These are reputable regulators (arguably, MGA is more trusted globally), which means that casinos under these licenses are indeed legit - they just don’t fit into certain local regulatory frameworks.
Does this make them less appropriate or riskier for players? Usually, it doesn’t. A look at the reviews listed at https://www.casinosbonus.co.za/review/ will show you that they can be every bit as safe and user-friendly than their licensed counterparts.
Even better: offshore casinos usually have a much better game variety than licensed ones. Focused on casino games alone, they have more of them, and from a wider range of providers. The average licensed betting site in South Africa has only a few hundred casino games.
Offshore brands, in turn, can have thousands of them. Plus, they usually have more casino-focused promotions (South African betting sites usually don’t), and sometimes, a better approach to security and responsible gaming.
Don’t Generalize
But don’t generalize - always evaluate an offshore gambling outlet for what it’s worth. Just because it has a Curacao license doesn’t make an offshore casino legit. Instead, you should take a look at its track record, its ownership, and the players’ opinions about it. Do this for each casino that you consider playing at - and choose the one that ticks most of the boxes.
The license alone is not a good metric to decide whether an online casino is good or not. There are many other things you need to look at, from their game library to their responsible gaming tools. But the most important thing to take into account is the feedback of the users themselves. Only if you measure all these can you make an informed decision about where you should play your favourite casino games.
