Why not Belize?

[Black21Jack]

I was wondering why you say to stay away from casino's licensed in Belize? You say that one of the things to look for in choosing a casino, and how a casino gets on your reputable list is holding a license in a legal gaming jurisdiction. I was reading at www.gamblinglicenses.com that Belize is a legitimate licensing jurisdiction and I also read at www.datapro.bz that they offer a hosting package for online casino businesses and included in the fee is full licensing from the governemnt of Belize. Just curious as to why you say stay away.

[Black21Jack]

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[Casinomeister]

Belize has not proven itself to offer players any security when it comes to casinos that operate from there. Many casinos that are hosted from Belize are problematic. 1xcasino.com and Mad Bonus Casino pop quickly to mind.

Not that all casinos operating from there are bad, many are Gambling Federation casinos. But this is a jurisdiction obviously chosen for convience of the operator, and not with player security in mind.

I would recommend avoiding casinos that are located in Belize. If you play there, it's at your own risk.

[natophonic]

Belize has not proven itself to offer players any security when it comes to casinos that operate from there. Many casinos that are hosted from Belize are problematic. 1xcasino.com and Mad Bonus Casino pop quickly to mind.

Not that all casinos operating from there are bad, many are Gambling Federation casinos. But this is a jurisdiction obviously chosen for convience of the operator, and not with player security in mind.

I would recommend avoiding casinos that are located in Belize. If you play there, it's at your own risk.

New to online gaming here... on the flip side of this question, in light of the "They must be licensed in a jurisdiction that offers gambling licenses.*" on the "how do I choose" list, which are the "good" jurisdictions in which an online casino could be located? Or if it's easier to answer, which are the top "bad" jurisdictions besides Belize?

[Casinomeister]

New to online gaming here... on the flip side of this question, in light of the "They must be licensed in a jurisdiction that offers gambling licenses.*" on the "how do I choose" list, which are the "good" jurisdictions in which an online casino could be located? Or if it's easier to answer, which are the top "bad" jurisdictions besides Belize?

Many players couldn't give a rat's ass on whether a casino is licensed or not - they are only concerned whether or not the casino will pay them when they win. Nevertheless, licensing in an integral part in setting up a casino (in most cases) and each jurisdiction has varying requirements. The stricter the conditions - the more stable of an operation. This is a rule of thumb of course, but a good one.

Jurisdictions that fall under the UK (Isle on Man, Alderney, Gibraltar) or the European Union are pretty solid. The same goes for Canada. I would avoid those jurisdictions that have a high percentage of black marketeering or organized crime. Check out the International Corruption index. This will give you a good idea on how solid a jurisdiction might be:
http://www.transparency.org/cpi/2003/cpi2003.en.html

[Black21Jack]

Jurisdictions that fall under the UK (Isle on Man, Alderney, Gibraltar) or the European Union are pretty solid. The same goes for Canada. I would avoid those jurisdictions that have a high percentage of black marketeering or organized crime. Check out the International Corruption index. This will give you a good idea on how solid a jurisdiction might be:
http://www.transparency.org/cpi/2003/cpi2003.en.html

Which jurisdictions are within Canada?

[jetset]

Kahnawake.

[natophonic]

Interesting, a Native American group within Canada... since they're using their status as an autonomous entity to sidestep Canadian gambling regs, I'm not sure I'd assign the Canada's value in the corruption index to the tribe itself, but they do seem to have some interest in policing their licensees...

http://www.kahnawake.com/gamingcommi...ory.asp?show=3

even if only on peripheral issues.

I saw somewhere else that Kahnawake's license fees, at around $25,000, are much lower than other jurisdictions. Honestly, though, if there's an indiction that they police their licensees, that counts more in my book than a high license fee hoop to jump through.

And as casinomesiter himself indicates, as a player I mainly just care that the casino pays out actual winnings... which is why I find this site so useful. The jurisdiction stuff is just kinda fascinating on a foriegn intrigue kind of level.

The Kahnawake thing does make me wonder why American (US) tribes haven't gotten in on the same action. AFAIK, the US treats the tribes' reservation as even more "autonomous" than the Canadians do. Is it a carrot-and-stick approach using federal assistance funds that keeps US tribes out of the online casino business?