Kahnawake and Antigua White List Applications Rejected

In what amounts to a large blow for both the Canadian First Nation of Kahnawake and Antigua, the UK Gambling Commission has rejected their applications for White List approval. Only online gambling companies holding a White List gaming license can advertise in the United Kingdom.

Kahnawake licenses and hosts hundreds of online casinos and poker rooms, and tribal leaders have claimed up to 75% of the world's online gaming traffic goes through Kahnawake servers. But some of Kahnawake's online gambling entities will be reconsidering their options this week, after the news that Kahnawake will not be added to the UK White List.

The White List is important for online gambling jurisdictions as approved licensees can advertise freely in the UK after gambling laws were relaxed in Britain last year. Only online gambling companies licensed in the European Economic Area (EEA), Alderney, Isle of Man and Tasmania are allowed to advertise in the UK.

No reasons have been given for the rejection of Antigua and Kahnawake, with the Gambling Commission's newsletter merely stating:
"After careful assessment of their representations against the published criteria, the Secretary of State has also decided not to whitelist Kahnawáke (Canadian reservation) or Antigua."

The gambling commissions of Kahnawake and Antigua have been the target of some criticism over the years, with allegations of poor response levels to player complaints. It is expected that many of the online casinos licensed by Kahnawake and Antigua will be looking at attaining licenses from EEA, Alderney, Isle of Man and Tasmanian jurisdictions.

A number of CryptoLogic licensees (including InterCasino) have already transferred their operations to Malta.

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