If
you've been around the online gambling industry or
gambled at online casinos for any extended period of
time, it's likely you are familiar with the Kahnawake
Gaming Commission. One of the oldest and largest
gambling commissions devoted entirely to internet
betting, Kahnawake Gaming Commission has become somewhat
of a household name in the gaming business.
That
being the case, you might think that Kahnawake would
have a place on the UK's online casino whitelist. Well,
it appears that perhaps it is Kahnawake's size that has
ended up keeping them from being put on the whitelist,
which the UK government's Department of Culture Media
and Sport recently announced. An apparent shock to the
Kahnawake Gaming Commission, many others are not so
surprised.
First off, let's give credit where credit is due.
Kahnawake was the first online gaming commission to
accept and implement the high regulatory standards of
the non-profit eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and
Assurance, commonly known as eCOGRA. Helping to set the
precedent which the UK Gambling Commission is now using,
eCOGRA's reputability goes a long way. Secondly, there
are many highly reputable online casinos licensed by
Kahnawake, many of which are indeed eCOGRA certified.
Here
is where things get a little rocky. As mentioned,
Kahnawake licenses numerous online casinos. In fact more
than any other commission besides Antigua and Barbuda.
To say that a few Kahnawake licensed online casinos,
sportsbooks and poker rooms have gotten out of hand in
the past would not be stretching the truth one bit. Just
take a look at the recent cheating scandal at Absolute
Poker. That's right, they are licensed by Kahnawake. Oh,
and did I mention they are owned by the Mohawk tribe
(which operates the Kahnawake Gaming Commission as
well).
To
say that all Kahnawake online casinos are unsafe places
to gamble is going overboard. However, veteran online
gamblers will advise to not gamble at an online casino
just because it is licensed by Kahnawake. Always be sure
to do more research, especially regarding the software
provider. If it's Microgaming powered and eCOGRA
certified, you are in good hands.
