Apart from finding an online poker site that will accept players from wherever it is you are living and accessing a poker site from there are several different factors that you need to take into account when selecting a new home for all of your online poker play.
You will of course be looking for a poker site that offers the exact type of poker game variants you want to play and may also be seeking a site that offers you lots of poker bonuses and poker comps.
However, the most important part of choosing an online poker site that you really do need to be aware of and checkout for yourself is just where the poker site at which you are thinking of becoming a new customer of is actually based.
With this in mind and to help you quickly and easily select an online poker site that is both fully licensed and regulated you will find our top 10 poker licensing authorities guide below, give it a read through and then when you are looking around for a poker site at which to play make sure that poker site is displaying a licensing logo form at least one of these licensing authorities.
- Gibraltar – You will find a large number of online gambling sites including bingo sites, poker sites, Betting sites and online casino sites that hold full remote gambling licenses that have been issued by the Gibraltar Gaming Commission.
This outcrop off the coast of Spain has been issuing and granting remote gambling licenses for many years now and as such they have lots of experience under their belt and ensure that any company licensed by them is of the quality required by this stricter gambling authority.
If you do find an online poker site displaying a license logo issued by Gibraltar then you can be completely and utterly confident that the poker site you are visiting is run to the very highest of standards.
- Malta – Another online poker site licensing authority that has been around for a very long time is Malta, and when you find an online poker site that is licensed and regulated by the Malta Lotteries and Gambling Authority then you will be in very safe hands for this licensing authority have a very strict code of conduct and do not allow their license holders to get up to any nonsense!
- UK – The UK have their very own Gambling Commission who were formed back in 2006, they do not really license and regulate that many online gambling sites due to the charges and licensing fees they charge being quite High, However shortly it is planned that any gambling site including poker sites that wish to offer gambling services to residents and citizens of the UK will need to have a license obtained from the UK Gambling Commission.
- Nevada – With Las Vegas being right in the heart of the US State of Nevada then it was only going to be a matter of time that the major and very well known gambling jurisdiction started to license online poker sites, which they are now doing, If any online poker site is licensed and regulated by Nevada then they are allowed to accept real Money players from any customer living or residing in either Nevada or the US State of Delaware.
- New Jersey – The US State of New Jersey has just stated to issue remote gambling licenses and as such once a poker site has obtained such a license then they are allowed to offer their online poker games only to players living or residing in the State of New Jersey, Having been a land based licensing authority for many years this licensing authority really do have teeth and expertise and will always fully vet any new potential license holder thoroughly!
- Spain – Spain is a relative new online poker site licensing authority, however any online poker site that wishes to offer anyone living in Spain online poker games whether they are free money games or real money games much first obtain a full remote gambling license from the Spanish authorities.
- Antigua – One online gambling licensing authority which has been around form the very early days of online Gaming is Antigua, some of the very first online poker sites and online casinos were based and licensed here and there are still quite a number of them that are. They have some of the lowest fees and charges for issuing a poker license and as such a lot of poker sites still go to Antigua for their gambling licenses.
- Costa Rica – You will also find quite a number of poker sites that are licensed by Costa Rica, this is not really a top class online poker site licensing authority however, they do permit companies obtaining one of their poker and online gambling license to operate from within their boundaries and quite a number of poker sites are operating from here.
- Netherlands Antilles – Another rubber stamp type of gambling authority in which usually just a payment of the licensing fees gets you a license rather than a very strict type of licensing authority is what is found at Netherlands Antilles, however this has not stopped many online poker sites from being licensed here!
- Curaçao – A number of online poker sites have a license that has been granted to them by Curaçao, and whilst this is more of a business license than an actual full Gaming permit, it does allow them to operate a gambling related business such as an online poker site from within this jurisdiction. Probably not the most famous or most customer facing licensing authority you will find many poker sites usually those offering services and poker games to US poker players are based and licensed here.