Casino Ideal’s review describes local gambling laws as strict and says the territory has no land-based casinos. It also notes that offshore online casino businesses may route their financial operations through the BVI.
According to the review, local law prohibits wagering on games of chance, while the stated prohibition does not currently extend to online gambling. It describes petitions, lobbying and continuing reviews concerning online and land-based gambling, and notes that the rules could change.
This distinction has helped create the mistaken idea that the BVI has its own online gambling regulator. The review links the confusion to how gambling laws are treated and to offshore companies operating online gambling businesses from the territory.
A company with a BVI business licence for its financial operations might seek an online casino licence from a different authority. The review says the company would need to meet that authority’s financial and regulatory requirements.
Claims About a British Virgin Islands Online Casino Licence
A website that claims to hold an online casino licence issued by the BVI is making a false claim.
If a casino says it is licensed there, treat the claim cautiously and investigate further. If you cannot establish what it means, you may choose to avoid the site. The review says this research often reveals a BVI company registration, which alone does not prove that the business holds a casino licence.
How an online casino is described by online casino review publishers may also leave players with this impression. Some review sites classify a casino as BVI-licensed or state this directly.
A company may be licensed or registered in the BVI, but the review distinguishes a Financial Services Commission (FSC) licence from a casino licence. It says some reviewers assume that BVI company registration also authorizes online gambling. The next section explains why the review considers that a misconception.
Online Gambling Companies Registered in the BVI
The review attributes the presence of many offshore casino companies in the BVI to what it describes as a stable legal system unaffected by US or EU laws, and to the territory’s favourable tax treatment.
Incorporating a casino company in the BVI does not, by itself, establish that it has a BVI gambling licence or serves local residents. The review describes this arrangement as routing the company’s financial dealings through the territory, where it says they fall within the remit of the BVA Financial Services Commissions and the Registry of Corporate Affairs.
A casino website might state, ‘Company xxx is licensed to operate in the British Virgin Islands under company number *****’. This may sound like proof of an online casino licence, but the review says it only indicates that the operating company exists.
British Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands Compared
The British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands are separate territories, although their proximity can cause confusion. The review notes that people sometimes use the British and US prefixes interchangeably.
Confusing the two territories can also make it unclear which gambling laws apply. The review says the US Virgin Islands are subject to federal laws, while the BVI has its own government. It adds that, although some British law applies to the Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands are outside the European Union (EU).
Conclusion
The review concludes that a claim to hold an online casino licence issued by the BVI is false. It says gambling is illegal in the territory and no local authority issues licences for online or land-based casinos. The review attributes the presence of hundreds of offshore companies to the territory’s tax laws.
Many online casino companies may have their head offices in the BVI, but the review emphasizes that permission for a company to operate there is separate from casino licensing. A company seeking an online casino licence would need to apply to a gambling licensing authority, such as the UKGC or MGA.
