Kahnawake
Founded in 1999, Kahnawake Gaming Commission was one of the first authorities to regulation online and interactive gaming. Located in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, they are to this day one of the most reputable licensing organizations. All operators taking up a licence must adhere to strict regulations which are vigorously enforced in an effort to offer the best possible player protection.
The beginnings of online gaming could be compared with the Klondike Gold Rush in the late years of the 19th century. With the advent of the digital era, operators, casino and game providers saw the opportunity of delivering a casino experience that could replace a visit to a land-based casino. All were virtually unregulated with brands launching on a nearly daily basis, you could call it a gold rush. It didn’t take long for the first player complaints to surface, be it for non-payment, tweaked games and other unfair treatment. Since most operators had their legal address in some questionable jurisdictions such as Costa Rica or Curacao, players had few avenues to find reprieve or resolutions of their complaints.
Kahnawake was one of the first to recognize the need for regulation and in 1999 enacted the Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming. The rules set out an agenda to provide fair treatment of players, protecting minors from accessing online gambling, prohibit interactive gaming from being associated in any way with crime or criminality, protect player data and to establish responsible gambling directives.
Not only did they set an agenda, but they also rigorously enforced the regulations, earning them a stellar reputation in the player community and among casino operators alike. It didn’t take long for reputable operators to apply for a licence as it made sure that the casino brands would stand out from the vast pool of questionable gaming sites.
Especially, Microgaming benefitted greatly from the association with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission as the casino brands based on their casino platform had a near 100% record of acquiring a Kahnawake licence. It not only bound the operators to conduct the casino according to the regulations but also to adhere to verdicts passed by the Kahnawake Commission in player disputes. Plus, they had to commit to promoting responsible gambling by prohibiting players below the legal age to register an account and offer all its players tools to control their spending at the casinos or even self-exclude.
Within a few short years, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission became the role model for regulatory bodies in the iGaming industry. Others, like the MGA Malta or the UK Gambling Commission, were not founded until well into the 21st century. Kahnawake served as the benchmark for all of them.
It all changed in 2006 when the USA enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, better known as UIGEA. It prohibited all online and interactive gambling in the USA, which saw most operators leaving the American continent to concentrate on the European markets. Since the MGA Malta had taken the lead in Europe, operators changed their licencing authority to be able to offer their services within the EU and other European countries. It greatly diminished the role of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission on the global stage, leaving it with just a few betting and poker operators as licensees.
With the ongoing liberalisation of online gambling in the USA, Kahnawake is rebounding as an increasing number of US states legalize online casino gaming. While they enact their own gaming commissions, there will be room for Kahnawake to serve as a complementary licensing jurisdiction.
Another development is the increasing number of Curacao licensed casinos who apply and receive a gaming licence from Kahnawake as the commission has still a stellar reputation in the industry. It will allow the brands to stand out from the usual low-quality sites that mostly carry a Curacao licence only.