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Kahnawake regulator review

 
Kahnawake
Kahnawake

 
Licensing Body Details
 

Organisation Name: Kahnawake Gaming Commission
 
Location: Canada
 
UK Whitelisted: No
 
Level of Trust: Good
 
Assist Players: Yes
 
URL: http://www.gamingcommission.ca/
 
Casino URL:
CRS Grade
B-
9/14


 

Positives


Reputable licensing authority

Negatives


Not UK whitelisted, easy for small operators to get licensed here


Bottom Line

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is a reputable licensing body for remote gambling but has been turned down for UK whitelist status. Nevertheless it is the home to mostly reputable operators, however small operators can quite easily acquire a license here so use your common sense when evaluating a casino licensed here.

PostedFebruary 17, 2013 by

 
Full Review of Licensing Body and Jurisdiction
 
 

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established in 1996, but what makes it so important today is the fact that it is also licensing and regulating online gaming since the year of 1999. Although it is closely co-operating with many other licensing bodies (including the ones located in Malta and Alderney), it certainly isn’t identical with any of them and it would be unwise to think that its licenses have the same value as the licenses from some of the other bodies.

When it comes to issuing licenses, there are three main points that the Kahnawake Gaming Commission cares about. First of all, it is concerned about the overall integrity of the gaming operator. Secondly, it examines the software and gaming systems that are used by the operators and makes sure that they have been thoroughly tested by an independent company. Finally, it makes sure that the software and gaming systems that are used by the operators have to pass through an audit (done by one of the Commission’s approved companies) on an annual basis.

The license fees are a bit lower in comparison to some of the most reputable licensing bodies in the world and the rules do seem to be a bit more relaxed in comparison, with, say, the Maltese licensing body, so even some of the smaller companies are able to get a license. The list of the permit holders is published on the Commission’s official website and the good thing is that the list is regularly updated, so players can easily confirm whether their favourite online casino or poker room is currently a holder of the Commission’s license or not.

When it comes to players, it needs to be said that they do get plenty of rights that need to be upheld by the licensees. Apart from the fairness factor, there is also the right for self-exclusion and the right for dispute resolution and mediation. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is quite good when it comes to solving disputes and players do indeed get a fair treatment, which is evident from the fact that more than a half of the Commission’s rulings went – at least partly – in the favour of the player in the year of 2010.

To sum things up, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission belongs to the second most reputable tier when it comes to licensing bodies. The main reason for that is not that it would not be able to solve disputes between players and the license holders or that it would not be able to guarantee the integrity of the licensees. The main reasons for that are that it simply lacks some of the stricter rules that are enforced by the bodies from the top tier and that it it has not been on the scene for as long as some of its competitors. Nevertheless, there is no reason to think that picking from its licensees would be a bad idea – virtually every single one of them is as credible as it could possibly be.



Alex Eliades

 
Alex is the editor of the Casino Review Squad and is on a mission to educate people about how casinos work and how to enjoy them online. He first dabbled his hand into casinos at the land based Grosvenor Casino in the UK. Since then he became friends with several people developing software for online casinos. After learning a bit about the online industry he acquired a thirst for more knowledge and shifted his pastime online.