Antigua and Barbuda Gambling License and Casinos

The Antigua and Barbuda Gaming Authority

Antigua and Barbuda have a population of just 90,000 people. In its capital, St. John, are two of only six land-based casinos on the island. But the real buzz around casino gaming in Antigua and Barbuda comes from the online domain.

The Financial Services Regulatory Commission handles all online casino gaming licences in Antigua and Barbuda. They’re a very tight organisation that regulates all financial activity on the islands, of which there is a lot! Interestingly, 1994 saw Antigua and Barbuda become the first country to provide licences for interactive gaming. That’s going way back to the days of the first-ever online casino, established in the same year by Microgaming!

This historical organisation has been setting the pace for casino licences ever since then, so it’s no wonder they’re so popular with online casino sites worldwide. We’re going to find out more about how they work for both players and the licence holders right now.

How the Antigua and Barbuda Commission Works

If you want to set up an online casino site, you might wish to consider grabbing a licence to operate with the Antigua and Barbuda FSRC. The licence itself is called the Antigua Gambling License (yup, that’s an S. It’s the US spelling!). Not only does this allow you to bring in customers from the Caribbean, but also many other countries around the world!

In fact, with an Antigua Gambling Licence, you’ll be able to operate in most countries throughout the world! The only countries you won’t be allowed to do business in are those where gambling is banned altogether. This includes Japan and most US states.

But don’t think for a second that grabbing an Antigua and Barbuda casino licence is going to be light work. They take this stuff very seriously, as we will find out shortly.

Protecting the Players' Balance

One way that the Antigua and Barbuda FSRC take their casino licences seriously is by looking after the money that belongs to the players. Protecting players’ funds is integral to the work that they do. But how do they do it?

Well, first of all, they make sure that casinos swiftly hand back any money that players withdraw. It’d be unfair for a casino to take ages to process a withdrawal request, and it wouldn’t happen for any casinos licensed in Antigua and Barbuda! Secondly, casinos aren’t allowed to charge huge fees to process withdrawals. This can be the most annoying thing in the world, and the powers in Antigua and Barbuda are well aware of that.

Apply For an Antigua and Barbuda Gambling Licence

It’s not all tough stuff for the Antigua and Barbuda licensed casinos. The actual process of applying for one of those Antigua Gambling Licences in the first place isn’t too tricky. If you’re interested, all you have to do is carry out the following steps:

1. Make sure that you have legally registered your online casino site business in Antigua and Barbuda.
2. Go to the application portal online. To get hold of this, you’ll need to reach out to The Directorate of Offshore Gaming on their phone number +268 481-3300.
3. Fill out all the required information and pay your $15,000 joining fee. This is non-refundable, so make sure you have your application in check before you put this down.
4. Wait for the results of your application. After this, you’ll need to pay a $100,000 membership fee.

Once you’ve carried out all these steps, you’ll be able to operate all forms of online gambling. This includes video poker, slots, live roulette and more. There are two types of licences in Antigua: the Interactive Gaming License and the Interactive Wagering License. You’ll need to have the former if you wish to go down the casino route. The latter is just for betting.

How to Make a Complaint in Antigua and Barbuda

Not happy with how an Antigua and Barbuda casino is doing business? At times like these, you may wish to make a complaint about that. And luckily enough, there is a way to do just that through The Gambling Commission of Antigua and Barbuda. That’s right, yet another organisation!

The email address to reach out to is [email protected]. If you prefer, you can speak to them over the phone at +268 481 3300. That’s the same number as before, but you’ll be put through to a different department if you are a customer instead of a business.

Finding a Safe Antigua and Barbuda Casino Online

Knowing there is the chance to make a complaint about an Antigua and Barbuda casino is one thing but doubling down and making sure the casino itself is right in the first place is probably better. But how do you do that? There are a few ways to find a safe Antigua and Barbuda casino. Firstly, you can find out what kind of customer support is available. A lot of casinos have a 24/7 live chat function, and that can prove to be invaluable if you get stuck.

Also, what are the withdrawal times like? Are there fees for putting money in or taking it out? Is there a good choice of fair games to play? These are all things to consider when selecting an Antigua and Barbuda casino! Here are a couple more important checks to make on your search for an online casino licensed in Antigua and Barbuda: 

Find Out What Other Users Have to Say

There’s nothing better than finding out the opinions of those already using the sites. They’ll have had the time to know how many games there are, how safe the site is and what the customer support is like, amongst other things.

If you want to know where to find the opinions of these users, there are a few cool sites out there that allow people to post their thoughts. Review sites are cool too, but they do have the potential to be biassed from time to time. Here are the recommended casinos with this license:

Ranking	Online Casino	Antigua License	Our Score
1	Slotty Vegas Casino	Yes	9/10
2	Slots Million Casino	Yes	9/10
3	Frank Casino	Yes	8/10
4	22Bet Casino	Yes	7/10
5	APlay Casino	Yes	6/10
6	Casino Euro	Yes	8/10
7	Videoslots Casino	Yes	10/10
8	Yako Casino	Yes	8/10

Always Read the Terms and Conditions

When it comes to welcome bonuses (and other casino bonuses such as VIP clubs etc.), there are often quite a few hoops to jump through before you can claim your winnings. 

You can find these in the terms and conditions for the bonus. It’s invaluable information! Here, you’ll find out whether a bonus is worth your time or if it is more of a hoax that’s impossible to navigate. A bad bonus is not worth it, so stay well clear of anything that has huge wagering requirements or impossible time frames, to name just a couple of things.

Responsible Gambling Under the Antigua and Barbuda Licence

Being a ‘good casino’ isn’t the only thing an Antigua and Barbuda casino site needs to do to ensure that it is fair and worthy of the licence. What about looking after its players? We’ve already looked at how the casinos look after your cash, but what can they do to look after you more specifically? 

One thing is to ensure young people don’t manage to access the site. It would be highly irresponsible to allow users to sign up for your top online casino site if you don’t check your ID. And the Gambling Commission of Antigua and Barbuda would be quick to take a licence away if they were to catch this happening, we’re sure.

It’s also really important for Antigua and Barbuda casinos to look after vulnerable players, particularly those with a history of gambling. Checking in with them to find out if they are happy with how much time and money they’re spending is a very good idea.

Our Opinion on the Antigua and Barbuda Licence

The Antigua and Barbuda casino licence have a lot of history. In the last 28 years, this organisation has had a lot of time to ensure it gets things right. And it does. For both the players and the casinos themselves, an Antigua and Barbuda licence is not bad. It treats everybody fairly, is reasonably priced and is pretty flexible.

Antigua Casinos FAQs

If you’re still wondering one or two things about the Antigua and Barbuda casino licence, you may well find the answers below.