Antigua & Barbuda Jurisdiction

The development of online casino market has become a motive force for the establishment of a wide range of licensing jurisdictions, all of which were created in order to take the internet sites' activities under control, make them legal and safe.

The Fresh Start

Strikingly, despite the fact that the USA and Great Britain are majorly recognized as gambling pioneers, the very first region, where the first casino license happened to be received, was Antigua & Barbuda jurisdiction. Notably, it all started back in 1994, when the Division of Gaming on behalf of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission was established in order to provide the casinos' clients with high-quality gaming opportunities only and eliminate the cases of fraudulence.

Surviving the Hurdles

Within the history of its development, the region has faced considerable hurdles, much because of the conflict with the US Antigua, which was accused of breaching the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in 2003. Fortunately, the relative discussion within World Trade Organization (WTO) ended up with the jurisdiction regulatory body's success, so the US Antigua was forced to align its legislation peculiarities with international gambling laws. Nevertheless, the region's claim for financial compensations hasn't yet been satisfied, so the negotiations are to be continued.

Eventual Success

The conflict with the US Antigua hasn't, on the other hand, put a crimp into Antigua & Barbuda jurisdiction's work to a large extent. It gradually developed the licensing procedure and further regulation activities, so that now online casinos, offering their clients to play online blackjack or roulette, for instance, can receive an interactive gaming license, not to mention an interactive wagering license, which is offered to companies, dealing with sports betting. Moreover, Antigua & Barbuda jurisdiction has already been added to Great Britain's "white list", so it is now allowed to advertise itself in the UK's media.

Payment Features

As for the fees, each online casino has to pay a non-refundable USD$11,000-deposit in addition to the necessity of paying USD$75,000 per year, as far as interactive gaming licenses are concerned. Furthermore, the gambling sites are to pay the renewal application fee each year, which is approximately, USD$5,000.

Keeping the Reputation

In a whole, when talking about Antigua & Barbuda jurisdiction, most experts agree with the fact, that the region has achieved much in giving licenses to safe online casinos only, and has stayed rather successful in taking control of their activities till now. Therefore, it's obviously useful for internet gambling sites, which haven't yet received enough popularity among the players, to have this jurisdiction's license.