Gambling in a Nutshell

 

Gambling as an activity has been present since the earliest human civilizations. Some pieces of evidence date even back to Mesopotamia, where the earliest six-sided dice was discovered, and it’s estimated that it is around 5000 years old! Card games and dominoes were very popular in China in the 10th century and Japan in the 14th century. Poker, which can be considered as one of the most desirable games around the globe, dates back to 1600’s and it is considered that it evolved from its predecessor As-Nas, which was an ancient Persian game. So, as one can notice, gambling has always been one of the most popular secondary activities for all kinds of society members.

The first ever established casino on the European soil is known by the name of Ridotto. It was founded back in the 17th century in Venice, under the condition that it provides the services during the carnival season only. On the American continent playing for money emerged somewhere in the 19th century and it was performed in the establishments called saloons. In 20th century casino playing begun its legalization process in the United States, starting with the State of Nevada.

Technological improvements and discoveries didn’t bypass this industry. The progress in the IT industry led to the establishment of the first ever online casino back in 1994. This event turned the market literally upside-down. More and more people started turning towards online playing for real money, which led to further market development that has brought outstanding games offered by excellent online casinos, such as the BETAT Casino.

Online Betting in Europe

The year 1992 was important for the European market because that’s when the members of the EU had their first discussion about the regulations of these activities. However, the final decision was that there will be no forming of the special EU gambling sector that will pass legal acts to which each state will have to be obliged. Each state has the complete autonomy in the regulation of casino services.

EGBA

The abbreviation EGBA stands for the European Gaming and Betting Association. This organization represents all EU licensed operators in the field of online casino playing and betting. It consists of seven online corporations and possesses three affiliates, which are, in fact, national associations such as the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association.

The main goal of the EGBA is to create and provide a secure and dependable online casino environment for the players. This is achieved through regulating consumer protection and offers brought by online casinos, which should be “attractive enough to appeal to the maximum number of players so as to channel them away from unregulated offers”.

National Jurisdictions

Europe is known for a large number of online jurisdictions, given the fact that countries have the autonomy when passing the legal acts. Before we continue further, let’s bring to mind a few facts about jurisdictions: jurisdictions represent certain regions in which the industry is being regulated through various legislations. Each jurisdiction usually possesses an organization that issues and regulates operating licenses. Well, Europe is home to a large number of jurisdictions. However, some of them can be considered as members of the EU, while the others are totally independent. The following jurisdictions are EU members: Alderney, Gibraltar, Isle of Man and Malta. Additional details about the jurisdictions in this industry can be found by visiting Gambling Sites.

 

Casino Services in the UK

 

All casino services in the United Kingdom are under the regulations of the Gambling Commission (UKGC), formed by the Gambling Act, which was passed back in 2005.

The Gambling Act had three main objectives to fulfill: to prevent gambling to become a source or to become associated with crime or disorder, to ensure fair casino services and to protect children and sensitive persons from this activity.

The act also brought the UK Gambling Commission, which became responsible for overseeing the market participants through issuing licenses to both land-based and online casinos. The UKGC doesn’t only issue licenses, it also revokes them and thoroughly monitors currently issued licenses just in order to ensure the whole industry is fair and secure for the players, as well as efficient.

Although the Gambling Act forbids services to all operators not licensed by the UKGC, there are several exceptions. The following jurisdictions are put on the whitelist and operators licensed by them can provide services to the UK customers: Alderney, EEA, Gibraltar, Antigua & Barbuda, Tasmania, and Isle of Man.

Summary

As one can notice, casino playing is a strictly regulated activity, mostly towards the player’s protection and safety. And all in order to provide a perfect environment for everyone to enjoy his favorite game!

Author

Founder of Paisley.org.uk in 1998 and constantly strives to change peoples attitudes to the town, Brian is a self described Paisley Digital Champion who promotes Paisley via any means necessary. You can also follow me on X