Know how MGA licensed casinos influence the Canadian Market

With MGA licensed casinos, you can have it all! Sounds too good to be true? Stay with us so we can show you what the MGA licence covers for Canadians. Own your safety!

• Malta Gaming Authority Licensed Online Casinos in Canada

• What MGA licence covers for Canadians?

• How to verify if your casino is regulated by MGA?

• Get to know the MGA

• Want to raise a complaint to the MGA?

• Should you trust MGA licenced casinos?

Malta Gaming Authority Licensed Online Casinos in Canada

Surely, you’ve seen that most Canadian online casinos come with a licence from Malta Gaming Authority and didn’t think anything of it except it offers legit iGaming sites.

However, knowledge is power. Knowing exactly why and what a Maltese control board can offer you as a Canadian customer is essential. This way, you will know precisely the importance of a gambling licence and how it can influence you.

So, you might ask:

What does a Maltese gambling authority have anything to do with the Canadian gambling market?

We must say that the question is understandable.

Let’s proceed to the following section to explain the connection between the two thoroughly.

How can the MGA licence influence the Canadian gambling jurisdiction?

First and foremost, you must know that the Malta Gaming Authority is influential in the iGaming industry. It also hosts the biggest and prestigious conference in this niche, named SIGMA.

However, that is not how MGA has become a pillar in this domain.

Malta was the first country to regulate its online gambling activities. Therefore, thanks to this, it has secured its forefront in the industry.

Now that we’ve explained the influence of this regulatory body, it’s time to shed light on its connection with the Canadian gambling market.

The point is:

Malta authorizes customers from 180 countries worldwide to benefit from sites licensed by its regulatory, including Canada.

How?

That is because both Malta and Canada are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

This political association aims to facilitate international cooperation between countries and advance economics, which has an impact on social development and human rights.

In addition to this, Canada does not have a version of a gambling licence. Therefore, it relies on the highly qualified regulation provided by the Maltese authority.

What MGA licence covers for Canadians?

Whether you are a skeptic or a believer type of Canadian player, it’s hard to argue with the facts: MGA licensed online casinos do have your back.

You have rights as a player—rights which we’ve already explained thoroughly and in a user-friendly manner. What a Malta Gaming Authority license does for you is to ensure that the casino abides by your rights and provides you with a safe environment where you can partake in online gambling sessions.

So, here’s what MGA has to offer for you:

• Protection of your funds

All operators who work under the licence granted by MGA must keep all customer funds separate from the operational funds.

The reason is simple!

Such a thing is done to ensure your funds’ safety if the online casino must shut down due to financial issues. No one, be it the operator or any creditor, has the right to touch the amount of money that it’s the players’ property.

• Player protection through a strict code

Strict regulations and policies are implemented to help the gambling operator prevent theft, underage gambling, or any unlawful scenario that can occur while engaging in online gambling activities.

• Fair results

The gaming control body regularly performs audits on online casinos. Therefore, iGaming sites must undergo various checks, including testing houses on their gaming offers RNGs and getting the odds promoted by the operator.

• A trustworthy authority on your side

Suppose you need to raise a dispute.

What an MGA licence covers is your back.

Without a regulatory body, Canadian players would not stand a chance with a casino operator when resolving disputes. So, what MGA does is to guarantee that you get a fair deal.

• An authority that raises awareness on responsible gambling

The gambling industry brings a high revenue in the entire world, not only in the Canadian jurisdiction. However, alongside those benefits, pitfalls may also come.

When we say this, we refer to problem gambling. However, MGA is known for its way of raising awareness and help customers put a stop to their gambling activities.

• A control board open for communication

The Malta Gaming Authority does not only work as a watchdog in this industry and ensures safety to players. Their other mission is that of a mediator in disputes.

The regulatory body is known for the way it welcomes communication with consumers and helps them with investigations regarding the users’ unfair treatments.

How to verify if your casino is regulated by MGA?

We’re here to teach you how to verify the status of your casino licence. If you’ve never done it before, with us, you now know where to start!

There are two main steps:

1. 1. Access the casino, scroll to the end of its interface, and check to see if the MGA licence logo appears in the footer.

The logo is:

Still, even though a gaming site appears to have the MGA logo licence, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the licence is valid.

For this reason, we recommend further investigations.

This being said, let’s proceed to the next step.

1. Access the mga.org.mt/mgalicenseeregister/. Through this link, you will be able to search if your chosen gambling website has a valid MGA licence.

Here’s a visual of what you’ll see the moment you open the link:

It’s pretty easy to use the official Maltese website.  Select from the tabs either the company that operates the casino you’ve selected or simply select the URL of the site.

In this case, we’ve used as example 888casino.

Click search, and the following details will appear:

You will be able to see every detail about the iGaming website, such as the authorization type, number and most importantly, the licence status.

Easy, right?

Get to know the MGA

Malta Gaming Authority, or for short MGA, is a gambling control board regulating various forms of gambling activities, both remote and land-based.

As its name implies, it is a Maltese gaming control board. It was established in 2001, and since then, it has created a comprehensive and strict set of legislation, regulations and directives. The restrictions started with the Lotteries and Other Games Act, 2001, and Chapters 438 and 400 of Malta’s Laws.

Why?

To ensure the safety of all players who engage in gambling activities.

A transparent and honest business must build trust with its customers. The best way to do this is to work under a licence granted by a worldwide known authority.

Did you know: Since 2001, the Maltese gambling sector has grown enormously, generating 12% of the country’s GDP.

The main functions of the Malta Gaming Authority

You might not have realized, but Malta Gaming Authority sets high standards in this industry. This is all thanks to the fact that all their licensed operators must meet strict regulations.

The safe and transparent framework you see when accessing an MGA licensed online casino is all due to the criteria that the regulatory body imposes.

What happens when an operator fails to meet the MGA standards?

It’s simple!

Their licence will be removed.

Now, Malta Gaming Authority has many purposes, but here are its main functions:

• Investigating the iGaming niche and consolidate the regulatory functions;
• Furnish and monitoring licences in relation to gambling;
• Support the gambling industry and its technological innovations;
• Ensuring the protection of players and vulnerable people, including minors;
• Safeguarding the players’ rights by investigating complaints and offering guidance and cooperation when needed;
• Keep free gaming away from criminal activities.

What type of licences does MGA provide?

There are four types of licences:

1. Class 1 which basically refers to casino games, skill games, and lotteries;
2. Class 2 which mainly contains betting-type of activities;
3. Class 3 for peer betting and betting exchanges;
4. Class 4 refers to software vendors.

The Maltese regulatory body is responsible for online gambling activities and land-based gaming based in Malta. When it grants a licence, it promotes a safe and regulated environment, remote or otherwise. Hence, it should not be surprising that science students who develop online casinos are usually leaning forward having their platform regulated by MGA, as it provides a sense of trust and safety to their future customers.

Besides these four classifications, MGA also licenses the following products:

• Advertising lotteries;
• Amusement machines;
• Casino;
• Commercial bingo;
• Cruise casinos;
• National Lottery;
• Non-profit games;
• Racecourse bets & sweepstakes;
• Remote gambling.

Want to raise a complaint to the MGA?

Suppose your gambling platform has mistreated you. It is an unfortunate event that we do not wish for our customers. Still, in such a case, you can make a complaint to the Malta Gaming Authority.

How?

Access their official website and click on their support section.

Afterwards, you will have to select from the available tabs the one named Online Gaming Support.

You will have to complete some tabs with your personal information such as full name, the gaming operator you wish to complain about, A short description and so on.

However, you must consider that before addressing this regulatory body, you must first seek to resolve the dispute with the online casino in question.

Should you trust MGA licenced casinos?

Always! A casino licence by MGA must undergo various strict audits and meet meticulous regulations. Therefore, as a Canadian customer, you can rest assured that you will play in a safe environment and that the regulatory body will have your back in unfortunate events.

Your safety is of the utmost importance to us! That is why our experts have created an extensive database best-ranked of online casinos that do not only come with perks that can maximize your casino experience, but they are also safe and secure.

We are your casino champions! We give you the power of knowledge to choose what is best for you. Stay tuned with us!

References:

• MGA- Malta Gaming Authority
• Malta: Gambling Laws and Regulations