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Antigua and Barbuda is one of the most liberal and open-minded regions in terms of online gambling. There are more than hundred licensed online casino providers in this West Indies country whose gambling sites are considered to be some of the finest in the Central American region and are providing its services to Antigua and Barbuda residents and all game lovers around the globe. They have it all when it comes to the world of gambling entertainment and such software driven games as online blackjack, roulette, poker, live dealer games, slots, you name it. All of such licensed, based in Antigua and Barbuda casinos are also offering numerous banking opportunities.
There are also lots and lots of the popular trustworthy casinos that accept players from Antigua and Barbuda on their platforms. Nothing much to add, enjoy and play responsibly!

Online Gambling Laws and Regulations in Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda flag

Antigua and Barbuda is one of the world’s largest online gambling service providers so without a doubt online gambling takes a big part in this country’s legislative system.
In fact, it was one of the first countries who set their foot into the online legislation in 2007 by implementing the law known as the Interactive Gaming and Interactive Wagering Regulations that allowed them to provide legislation for online gambling on a world level.
Starting from 2018 numerous online sports betting sites launched their product to players in Antigua and Barbuda under obtaining the needed gambling license.
Prior to that gambling was already regulated under the several legal acts dating back to the early 1980s. However, the most significant event for the beginning of the online gambling sector blooming in Antigua and Barbuda was the passing of the “Free Trade and Processing Act” in 1994 that allowed licenses to be granted to organisations applying to launch online casinos.
Winnings made in casinos licensed in Antigua and Barbuda are not taxed in any specific way, but players have to keep in mind that they may be liable to pay taxes according to the laws of their home countries.
According to the law all online game betting including various casino games, poker, sports betting, bingo, and lottery can be presented on the internet via two types of licenses issued by the regulator: Interactive wagering and Interactive gaming. To obtain this permit operators must be physically located on the islands. That consequently provides added confidence both to the players and regulators.

Do Antigua and Barbuda issue gambling licenses?

Yes. Antigua and Barbuda were one of the pioneers in the gambling jurisdiction as they started to offer licenses to the interactive gaming and wagering companies in 1994 furthering the iGaming industry. They are known to offer one of the most popular licences for online casinos globally.
There are two types of the licenses provided by a specially formed Antigua and Barbuda official gambling authority called the Directorate of Offshore Gaming (DOG) that are Interactive Gaming (for poker and other casino games that don’t strictly fall under the wagering category) and Interactive Wagering (for sports betting). One of the key requirements for the operator who wishes to obtain any of the above gambling licenses is to be physically located on the islands.
As well as issuing licenses to approved operators, DOG is also responsible for ensuring licensees act within the specified guidelines of fair practice. Approved licensees have a possibility to display the Preferential Seal to prove they have met the necessary requirements. Know Your Customer policies, national Anti-Money Laundering regulations, Unusual Transactions Act, Counter-Terrorism Financing regulations are all applicable to gambling companies who possess Antigua and Barbuda license. Regular compliance audits are conducted to ensure that the terms of licenses are met.
The Directorate of Offshore Gaming is a division of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) and they have an official website where anyone interested can find information regarding the gambling legislation of Antigua and Barbuda, application and licensing procedures, changes, and news that are vital for this sector. Additionally, The Financial Services Regulatory Commission provides a thorough public list of all current licensees, as well as brands who are seeking to establish legal operations in Antigua and Barbuda.

Gambling history in Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda islands have a recent history as an independent sovereign state, having been released from the British ruling in 1981. It however has inherited an advanced regulated gambling industry from its previous leaders and started to develop this sector straight after gaining their independence. They began with the land-based casinos moving to the online operators in 1994.
It is evidently that gambling market was and still is boosting country’s economy and with succeeding in this industry globally Antigua and Barbuda proudly became the smallest member of the World Trade Organisation in 2004.
In 2005 the Directorate of Offshore Gaming signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission allowing both jurisdictions to share private information on potential licensees that they have investigated. It benefited the licensing authorisation system and was a foundation of DOG and KGC further cooperation when they established that all operators licensed in one jurisdiction were able to get an inter-jurisdictional license from the other one.
Antiguan jurisdiction has faced some issues with the UK and the USA jurisdictions who were not so welcoming to allow their residents to access DOG licensed casinos. Antigua and Barbuda, however, was backed by the WTO in regard to USA, who obliged USA to find a way and compensate for the economic loss of Antigua and Barbuda in this case. In terms of UK it was decided that sites licensed on the islands were able to offer their services to the residents of the UK being on the UK Gambling Commission’s whitelist of gambling jurisdictions. However, since 2014, even whitelisted operators were required to apply for a UK gambling license separately in order to be able to operate in the country.
In 2017 Antigua and Barbuda obtained an additional authority containing of several online gambling operators – the Antigua Leisure and Gaming Association (ALGA) who were appointed to be responsible for acting as legal representators of the interests of their country as well as to further the industry’s overall progress.
Antigua and Barbuda are a home to six land-based casinos with the largest of them being the King’s Casino in St. John’s situated in the capital of the islands.