How to Maintain Compliance After Obtaining an International Gaming License

Obtaining an online gaming license is merely the start of your obligations as a gaming operator. Ongoing compliance is not only expected but necessary for companies that want to avoid fines or worse.

Here’s our expert overview on how to comply with online gaming license requirements around the world.

Why Ongoing Compliance Matters in iGaming

There are three main reasons why compliance with iGaming regulations is necessary:

1. Fines

Failure to comply with iGaming regulations often results in a fine before licenses are revoked. For example, in 2023, the UK Gambling Commission fined William Hill over £19 million for regulatory failures.

2. License Suspension

Operators that continually fail to uphold their regulatory requirements can have their license revoked.

3. Reputational Damage

Gaming license disqualifications are more than an operational problem. A gaming site’s reputation can be irreparably damaged by disciplinary action arising from compliance failures.

Key Compliance Obligations After Licensing

What can prevent you from getting an online gaming license? Operators have an ongoing obligation to meet their gaming license requirements. Failure to comply with the following regulations can lead to disciplinary action:

Know Your Customer (KYC) Checks

Know Your Customer (KYC) checks are used to assess the risk profile of customers. For example, if we look specifically at PA gaming license disqualifications, operators must carry out “enhanced KYC checks” that involve “multi-factor authentication” across different data points to reduce fraud, identity theft and “bonus abuse.”

Operators must perform KYC during the customer registration process or before initial withdrawals are authorised, and records must be kept up to date.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Policies

Closely linked to KYC checks are anti-money laundering (AML) policies. As stated by the Anjouan gaming license requirements, licensees are required to “detect and report suspicious activities.” Failure to perform due diligence on players and monitor transactions is grounds for immediate gaming license revocation.

Ongoing Financial and Activity Reports

National regulators, such as the UK Gambling Commission, are linked to government agencies, including tax authorities. This means operators are required to provide player activity, including wins and losses, on request.

International regulators, such as the Curaçao Gaming Control Board, aren’t tied to specific countries. Therefore, they aren’t required to provide player data to national government agencies. Despite this, the regulatory authority can still request activity reports.

Data Protection

All licensed online gambling operators must adhere to data protection laws in the countries where they’re active. This includes using SSL-encrypted software.

Responsible Gambling Obligations

Responsible gambling has become one of the most important gaming license requirements over the last decade. In fact, many gaming license disqualifications and fines are due to responsible gambling failures.

Game Audits

All online casino games and products must be certified as fair by independent organisations such as GLI. Regular audits are required to maintain the validity of these certificates.