How to Read an Online Casino Licence

A casino licence is a permission granted to a named company, for named websites, by one authority. It is not a statement about how often you will win, and it does not turn a €50 session into income. Before you deposit at a real money casino, the useful habit is to read the footer, then open the official register yourself.

Important: Gambling is for adults aged 18+ or the minimum legal age in your country. Gambling involves financial risk and should be treated as entertainment, not as a way to make money.

What to read on the site

Scroll to the footer. You want three things that sit together: the legal company name, a licence number, and the name of the authority. Then open the terms and conditions and check that the same company appears there. If the footer names one firm and the terms name another, stop.

A clickable seal should take you onto the authority’s own domain. For Malta, that means a page on mga.org.mt, including the Dynamic Seal of Authorisation at authorisation.mga.org.mt. The Malta Gaming Authority requires licensed sites to show licensee details and a dynamic seal or kite mark. A saved PNG, a screenshot, or a link that never leaves the casino domain is not a check.

If the seal does not load, or it opens an image file instead of an official page, use the register rather than the badge.

How to check: open the register yourself

Type the register URL yourself. Do not rely on a badge that someone pasted into the footer.

For Malta, the current Licensee Register is at https://www.mga.org.mt/licensee-hub/licensee-register/. The page includes a URL Checker. You need two results at once. The company must be listed as authorised, and the domain you are actually on must be listed against that company. A licensed company on a different URL is not enough.

On the MGA’s own seal pages, B2C gaming-service licences appear in the form MGA/B2C/… plus a year. Match that string to the number in the footer.

The MGA also keeps a Player Hub and a public list of unauthorised URLs for sites that have used its name without authorisation. If the domain you are on appears there, stop.

For any other authority, use that authority’s official register, typed from its own site. If the company or the domain does not appear, stop.

What the common labels mean for a euro player

Malta Gaming Authority. The MGA is Malta’s gaming regulator. It sits in an EU member state and publishes a Player Hub, including a channel to lodge a complaint after you have first used the operator’s own process. A live register hit tells you the company and the named domains are authorised in Malta. It does not tell you that the same operator may take a player in every other country. Where a country licenses remote casinos itself, that national permission is the one that counts. Country-by-country eligibility sits on our EU casinos page.

We published a 2022 article on how to choose an MGA casino. It is an older, operator-tinged page. Use the register for the check. For Malta-facing brands, see online casinos in Malta.

Curaçao (CGA / LOK). Many international sites still show a Curaçao mark. The official Curaçao Gaming Authority site (cga.cw) and its licence-management portal state that the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) came into force on 24 December 2024. The same official portal states that former sub-licence certificates and the older orange seal are no longer valid. Working seals should open a certificate on the CGA domain at cert.cga.cw. Check the current CGA register on the authority’s own site rather than trusting a static badge. A certificate on cert.cga.cw confirms a Curaçao permission for that domain. It does not stand in for a national EU licence, and it is not a reason to treat the site as licensed for where you live.

Kahnawake. This is a Canadian First Nations regulator, not an EU licence. We keep a separate Kahnawake casinos hub. Open that authority’s own register if you want to confirm a specific site.

National EU licences. If you live in a country that licenses online casinos itself, look for that country’s operator rather than a Maltese or Curaçao footer. Play only where that operator is allowed to accept players from your country.

UK Gambling Commission (aside). If you are in the United Kingdom, start at our UK casinos page and the Commission’s own register. The rest of this article is written for European players using euro sites.

Thinner labels. Anjouan and some PAGCOR uses appear on international footers. Open that authority’s own register. Expect a thinner published player route than the MGA Player Hub. A category archive on an affiliate site is not a register.

What a licence does not do

A licence does not set the return-to-player figure of the slot you opened. It does not skip identity or payment checks. It does not make a withdrawal instant. A licensed cashier can still hold a cashout while it reviews your documents and the method in your name. Completing those checks does not make gambling a source of income.

A licensed site can still apply its own terms, withdrawal limits and pending times. The licence is a permission and a complaints frame. It is not a guarantee of tonight’s result.

If something goes wrong

Use the operator’s complaints process first, in writing, and keep the dates. If that fails, go to the authority named on the licence. For Malta, that is the MGA Player Hub complaint channel. The MGA asks you to try the operator first, and it reviews cases in English or Maltese.

For other licences, use the player route published on that authority’s official site. If none is published, you are left with the operator and, where the terms name one, an alternative dispute-resolution body.

CasinoKix is an affiliate comparison website. Some links to operators on other pages are tracked. We are not the regulator and we cannot decide a payout.

Licence checks sit alongside the rest of a first-deposit review: payments, country eligibility and terms. Our older five tips for finding a suitable online casino is a general starter. Use the official register before you treat a footer as settled.

Gamble responsibly

Set a loss limit in euro before you deposit, and stay inside it. Licensed casinos may offer deposit limits, time-outs, reality checks and self-exclusion. If gambling stops being enjoyable or begins to affect your finances or everyday life, stop playing and seek support. See our responsible gambling guide.

18+. Gambling involves financial risk. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose.

FAQ

Does an MGA licence let me play from any EU country?

No. A register hit shows a Maltese permission for a named company and named sites. It does not replace a national licence in a country that runs its own remote-casino market. See EU casinos for that country map.

Is the seal in the footer enough?

No. Type the official register yourself. A clickable seal should land on the authority’s domain. A saved image or a link that stays on the casino site is not a check.

What if the company is licensed but my URL is not listed?

Stop. A licensed company on a different domain is not enough. The domain you are actually on has to appear against that company.

Alina Silva

Author

[email protected]

With over 5 years of experience within the gambling industry, Alina has decided to dedicate her set of skills to Casinokix. She has great knowledge of online casinos and knows exactly what makes a fair and reputable casino. For the time being, she is responsible for our content production and tries to provide readers with the best information about the casino world. Her professional approach is part of our success story. Alina also has a Diploma in Journalism.