Obtaining a gambling license in Antigua and Barbuda — requirements and documents, licensing gambling activities | Law&Trust International

Gambling license in Antigua and Barbuda

Jurisdiction of Antigua and Barbuda began to license a gambling business in 1994, and due to the foregoing it is one of the first countries where gambling is not only allowed, but certificates for casino are also issued to non-residents. Consideration of applications in this country is handled by the special FSRC commission (Financial Services Regulatory Commission's Division of Gambling). All certificates in Antigua and Barbuda are divided into two types:

  • Interactive Gaming - the legal force of the permission extends to online casinos, poker, roulettes, slot machines, video slots, lotteries and other kinds of gambling.
  • Interactive Wagering is required for  licensing of bookmaker's office.

The difference between the two types of certificates lies in the fact that the first one involves verifying the random number generator. This software is used in all gambling games and allows to select the winner in random manner. In bookmaker's offices, bets are made on events, the outcome of which can only be predicted, but the result is not known in advance.

In view of the foregoing circumstance, the random number generator is not applied, but it is replaced by other programs that serve for calculating the coefficient of rates and the probability of winning of a particular person.

License

for establishing a casino in Antigua and Barbuda

  • Obtaining certificate of this jurisdiction confirms the status of game portal or physical establishment. Permission must be made publicly available so that each user can familiarize with it.

    The cost of permission to open casino in Antigua and Barbuda depends on various factors, but there are several mandatory payments with fixed rates, namely:

    • One-time non-refundable fee for examining the documentation and the website of the owner of the gambling structure is $ 15,000, in case the costs of verifying the counterparty exceed the specified amount, the applicant receives appropriate notification and is obliged to make additional payment;
    • Annual contribution for development of gambling activities is 100,000 US dollars and does not depend on success rate and total amount of income of the legal entity, payment has to be transferred to the country's fund before the moment of obtaining license.

    Legislation of Antigua and Barbuda is strict with violations of the rules of a gambling business. The country is under the legal control of Great Britain, therefore, it has similar attitude to gambling. To avoid tarnished reputation, the subject of England carefully verifies all applicants for honesty and responsible attitude towards users.

for slot machines in Antigua and Barbuda

  • All gaming machines and other software must have its own certificates from the producer. The provider is also required to have license of Class 4 for software distribution. To check the slots in action, the term of auditing of the applicant's portal is determined, and additional expert examinations can be avoided in case of providing the eCOGRA certificate and random number generator.

    All transactions and frequency of transferring winnings are carefully examined. If the portal conducts payments in the amount of more than $ 25,000, financial report with data on the transaction and the addressee is required.

    Thus, the local organization for control over gambling activities suppresses money laundering by gambling corporation. If the payout report is not provided within 48 hours or if company employees do not report financial fraud, they face litigation.

    Obtaining license for gambling machines in Antigua and Barbuda is not difficult for conscientious companies.

for lotteries in Antigua and Barbuda

  • National lotteries are the most cost-efficient for businessmen. It is extremely beneficial to register them in this jurisdiction because the islands have several legal agreements with Great Britain.

    The Memorandum of Mutual Understanding, adopted in 2010, gives non-residents, as well as citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, the opportunity to place branches of the gambling corporation in the territory of England without additional filing of the documents. To obtain permission for conducting lotteries in Antigua and Barbuda, Great Britain and other territories, it is necessary to undergo the procedure of inter-jurisdictional authorization.

    The cost of license for lotteries in Antigua and Barbuda depends on the coverage area of the audience specified in the business strategy of the counterparty.

Bookmaker license in Antigua and Barbuda

  • Interactive wagering license, which is necessary for legal activity of the bookmaker organization, implies annual tax collection. Moreover, the fee for consideration is not abolished. The list of documents for obtaining permission for betting in Antigua and Barbuda is significantly different from the list required for the other types of the gambling. This is due to the peculiarities of the game and profit-gaining from gamers.

Bingo license in Antigua and Barbuda

  • The type of national lottery is certified according to the same principle as the other types of gambling. The lack of permission to conduct bingo in Antigua and Barbuda is the reason for criminal punishment, so obtaining all licenses is compulsory.

    Law&Trust Company offers its services of collecting the package of documentation, registration of legal entity within the territory of the islands, opening settlement account with the bank in the country.

    Our lawyers guarantee thorough verification of all forms and professional translation into the official language of the foreign admission committee, which accelerates the consideration process and the announcement of the results of examination. You can apply for preliminary consultation in chat, by phone or mail.

    We will contact any time convenient for you.

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