News

Sunday, 20 June 2010 07:55

With their legit gambling status still to be recognised by the Canadian government, Kahnawake's Gaming Commission signs a deal with Antigua to cement their status in the industry.

In response to the Canadian Provincial Government's continued refusal to recognise their status as a legitimate and legal gambling jurisdiction, a disgruntled Kahnawake Gaming Commission decided to look elsewhere for support. They have found it in Antigua and Barbuda with the signing with their Financial Services Regulatory Commission of a special memorandum of understanding.

This agreement cements the efforts made by Kahnawake to join forces with a recognised licensing regime to add further legitimacy to their position as a respected leader in the online gambling community. It is an inter-jurisdictional agreement which essentially establishes a professional relationship between both entities which allows the mutually beneficial practices to be undertaken inside one another’s jurisdictions.

To give an example of this in relation to online gambling, a primary license holder operating in one jurisdiction may now make application for a unique authorisation within the other. Once that application has been approved, the authorisation holder can then host their business in either jurisdiction as they see fit. In addition to this, the primary license issuer will then be able to regulate and supervise the activities carried out in both jurisdictions.

The well known Kahnawake Gaming Commission already certifies many top rated online poker and casino sites, including 7SultansPoker, Fortune Room Casino, Vegas Palms Casino, Aztec Riches Poker, Blackjack Ballroom, Captain Cooks Poker, Poker Rewards, Golden Tiger Casino and many more. They licence and regulate many kinds of interactive gaming. These include online casino, poker room and sports book websites, pursuant to its strict regulations concerning all forms of interactive gaming. Those regulations are concerned with poker room licenses and it is responsible for regulating territorial poker rooms located physically within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake.

The agreement made with Antigua is designed to provide operators with an unprecedented level of flexibility with regards to licensing and hosting while being respectful of each jurisdiction's independence and its international obligations.

The memorandum is expected to come into effect in the third quarter 2010. This gives both sides time to make any amendments to their own regulations as well as informing their licensees. There are limits to the agreement, one of which does not allow operators licensed by Kahnawake to automatically be able to provide gambling services in the UK. This is something that Antigua regulated operators may currently do thanks to the presence of Antigua on the white list created by the UK Gambling Commission.