No license = Automatic scam?

[stadus]

I find it questionable since there’s still some unlicensed casino that still operates now like Bitvest and Bustabit that relies on provably fair games.

Well, Bitvest does not have one.

But bustabit, can we confirm that?

Because there was a post in the past that seemed implying the have a license.

Thank you. My team is already working on a new UI/UX prototype.

Bustabit has been operated from Costa Rica for a while now, and there are no plans to change that. I'm also maintaining the current policies regarding VPNs and multiple accounts - both are allowed. However, chatting from multiple accounts simultaneously is not allowed, and this has always been always the case.

[KTChampions]

I want to know how the community sees this.

My observation is, there are gamblers who are fine with casinos that do not have a license as long as they have a good reputation, but the sad part is that there are also many unlicensed casinos that end up scamming their users.

So for the community, since we normally respond on their ANN threads or even wear signatures of casinos trying to promote here. My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

Well... having a license is probably better than not having one, but that is a secondary issue - or, if we’re weighing priorities, a tenth-rate one, compared to reputation. Plus, if we're talking about a license, which one do you mean? Some Curacao, which, it seems, has never defended a single player in its entire history (I could be wrong, but that’s most likely the case) Or, for example, a license from the US or a European country - which doesn't matter to me at all, since I wouldn't be able to use such a service anyway, being from a sanctioned country.

[panjul07]

I find it questionable since there’s still some unlicensed casino that still operates now like Bitvest and Bustabit that relies on provably fair games.

Well, Bitvest does not have one.

But bustabit, can we confirm that?

Because there was a post in the past that seemed implying the have a license.

Thank you. My team is already working on a new UI/UX prototype.

Bustabit has been operated from Costa Rica for a while now, and there are no plans to change that. I'm also maintaining the current policies regarding VPNs and multiple accounts - both are allowed. However, chatting from multiple accounts simultaneously is not allowed, and this has always been always the case.

Bustabit is licensed as we can see at the bottom of their landing page.

As well as we can see it on the table made by Mahdirakib in his thread about KYC and License here
In this thread, we can also still find some reputable casinos without license such as Coinroyale and L0tt0.
From this example we can see that it is not as simple as "no license = automatically scam" or vice versa it is not as simple as "license = automatically safe/reputable".

[bakasabo]

Imo a casino without a license is a huge flag. That necessary means it is a scam, but it makes a lot of questions why it has not obtained a license (when it isnt that expensive, consider what business casino is) and casinos owners vision on the business. I believe that every business must have license or registration, or something that proves its legal status. In other case that is not going to be a long lasting business. Same as sitting on a barrel with powder near fire and waiting. There are so many casinos, that I would suggest to skip those who dont have license.

[BitBakerr1]

A casino that is well licensed is actually better than a casino that is not licensed, if you see a casino that is licensed and the one that is not licensed the best to use is the licensed one because it will be difficult for a licensed casino to scam people.

The problem that I see these days concerning a licensed and unlicensed casino is that we gamblers don’t even know the casinos that are truly licensed, some casinos fake being licensed meanwhile they are not actually licensed, some of the casinos that you believe our licensed may not be licensed, so it is even very difficult to actually know a casino that is truly licensed or not.
A member in this forum caught a fake license that a casino was using and reported it on this forum, so for me I would prefer to gamble with a casino that has good reputation for long.

[Dareo]

Before that, I want to ask you, do casinos that have licenses not scammed? Of course they do. So I don't see any need to take license as the only criterion here. If you go to the scam accusations board in this forum, you can see that many licensed casinos have scammed users. So if a casino wants to scam, it can do it with a license and without a license.  But yes if there is a license, it is a little reliable that at least they invest a large amount in the license. And of course without license is a big flag.

[Slow death]

So for the community, since we normally respond on their ANN threads or even wear signatures of casinos trying to promote here. My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

I don't label every unlicensed casino a scam. For a casino to be considered a scam, the owner needs to lie about having a license when they don't, fail to pay out when a user has won fairly, or block a user's account without a valid reason. However, regarding legal compliance, unlicensed casinos operate illegally; consequently, people using such a casino might face issues with the money they withdraw from it. So, I criticize unlicensed casinos for operating illegally and even more so when they require KYC. There is also the idea that if a casino can't afford a license, it might not be able to pay out players either; one might assume it's a casino looking to make money and disappear quickly. That line of reasoning makes sense. But that doesn't mean we have to immediately give negative feedback to an unlicensed casino just because we suspect it might vanish soon.

[mak013]

I want to know how the community sees this.

My observation is, there are gamblers who are fine with casinos that do not have a license as long as they have a good reputation, but the sad part is that there are also many unlicensed casinos that end up scamming their users.

So for the community, since we normally respond on their ANN threads or even wear signatures of casinos trying to promote here. My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

Personally, I don't care about licensing. If a casino is registered outside my country, to me it's the same as an unlicensed casino - I'm not going to sue anyone in Curacao. In both cases, I just lower my bankroll to an amount I'm willing to lose.
And of course, I'll read player feedback, ANN threads, the ToS, and other useful info to figure out whether I can trust the casino or not.

[Y3shot]

So for the community, since we normally respond on their ANN threads or even wear signatures of casinos trying to promote here. My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

A casino without a license can be considered a scam casino, and even if the casino has not been accused of any scam, there are chances that if anything happens to the casino in the future, gamblers will be affected because the casino may not take any action. A casino that has a license is even for the good of gamblers; every gambler needs a casino that is licensed because a license tells more about a casino. A casino with no license can choose to manipulate their games to favor them, and there is nothing a gambler can do if they find out. A casino with no license can choose to pay a gambler after a win in a game. This license even benefits gamblers more, and this is the main reason why gamblers need a licensed casino.

[robelneo]

My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

If we viewed casinos without a license as an automatic scam, then a scam casino will just get a license to make its casino legit before starting to scam its players.

For a casino or any platform to be called a scam, there should be allegations and proof that they have scammed their players; even licensed casinos can scam, and we have seen that in the scam section.

I consider them a red flag; a casino that wants to establish a reputation in the industry will take the right and legal steps to gain the trust of the gambling community, of course there are exception to these unlicense casinos.

[criptoevangelista]

A license doesn't necessarily mean security. There's also the fact that a newly created casino might not have enough funds yet to pay for licensing fees and just wants to get started, like any small business. Over time, it gains recognition, builds a reputation, and generates enough revenue to get fully regulated. At the end of the day, it all comes down to reputation.

[AmaGold70]

Well for new casinos, it can be considered a red flag, and not entirely a scam. But if a casino have been around for some good time without being properly licensed such platform can shut down one day without notice to their users. Apart from running a campaign here, when a casino platform is operating in a country without seeing the need to be properly licensed that means they could have a hidden agenda why they have refused to be registered with the regulatory body of that very country. When a gambling company refuses to get registered, they are not afraid of or have nothing to loose if they suddenly withdraw their services, but when they are properly registered that is a sign that they are willing to do business, and will not run away someday without notifying it's users.

[Findingnemo]

I want to know how the community sees this.

My observation is, there are gamblers who are fine with casinos that do not have a license as long as they have a good reputation, but the sad part is that there are also many unlicensed casinos that end up scamming their users.

So for the community, since we normally respond on their ANN threads or even wear signatures of casinos trying to promote here. My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

If it is just a new casino and new domain, trying to promote here with no reputation yet then we should assume it as scam because operating a casino with no license just for the rugpull is cheaper. But we also have casinos that are not licensed but running here for a while like bitvest if I am not wrong isn't a scam and we also had bustadice and many others in the past.

So reputation is what matters here rather than the license.

[coin-investor]

There are red flags on casinos, like lying that they are licensed when they are not, promoting themselves as a no KYC but on their terms, it's different. When a casino deceives its players, it's considered a red flag, but not being a licensed casino cannot be considered a scam, although some players consider it a red flag.

A scam is when a casino tries to withhold the players' winnings when they won it fairly and square. We have unlicensed casinos that have been running for years here, and they are doing well here.

[Abu-Naim]

DYOR.
Whether licensed or unlicensed casinos engage in fraud depends on them. It’s up to them whether or not they’re willing to risk their reputation if they’re unable to pay out large player winnings.
I can’t give examples of licensed casinos that have ended up committing fraud, nor of unlicensed casinos that still have active players placing large bets on every game they play without any issues.

Those casino with license that end up scamming people, are they paying back all the money they scammed? I don’t think so even though I don’t know if they pay back or not.
The main thing you should do as gambler is to do your research and check the reputation of the casino platform before you use them, no one will be helped responsible or they scam you, it’s left for you to know which casino platform to use. But make sure you check the most used platforms and casino platforms so that you will be safe because known casino and betting platforms will always protect their reputation.

[Pandu Geddon]

Before that, I want to ask you, do casinos that have licenses not scammed? Of course they do. So I don't see any need to take license as the only criterion here. If you go to the scam accusations board in this forum, you can see that many licensed casinos have scammed users. So if a casino wants to scam, it can do it with a license and without a license.  But yes if there is a license, it is a little reliable that at least they invest a large amount in the license. And of course without license is a big flag.

A casino license really cannot be used as a reference to judge whether a casino is a scam or not, especially for new casinos. But nowadays, gamblers will certainly consider a casino license, although some gamblers might not care. There are also gamblers who only create an account, make a deposit, and then play. They don't even need to bother reading the terms and conditions of the casino where they play.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

Personally, I don't operate different casino accounts and I don't move from one to another pursuing bonus, so I have not actually used an unlicensed casino before but I would treat an unlicensed casino as a high risk casino because they are likely to scam people and get away with it, not that the licenced casino  are completely innocent of scamming people but comparing both, we know the one is with higher risk, so if I want to use a new casino for any reason, I have to check their license. I do not really consider that if a casino doesn't acquire license that they are scammers, some could have existed for long and have good reputation but new ones are to be approached with caution.

[Hispo]

I want to know how the community sees this.

My observation is, there are gamblers who are fine with casinos that do not have a license as long as they have a good reputation, but the sad part is that there are also many unlicensed casinos that end up scamming their users.

So for the community, since we normally respond on their ANN threads or even wear signatures of casinos trying to promote here. My question is, should we already consider a casino without a license as a scam from the start? or should we only treat it as a red flag and wait for actual proof before calling it a scam?

In my opinion, if a cryptocurrency casino doesn't have a license or if it is not regulated, it doesn't automatically mean it is a scam or it is going to end up being a fraud, but it could be considered a red flag because it means that the casino doesn't have enough money to invest in a license, since the license usually means there is a cost, an economical cost to get it from a regulator or a country which issues the license. So, a casino can have a very good reputation and it doesn't have a license, but if a new casino doesn't have any reputation and it doesn't have a license either, I will consider it to be a red or yellow flag.


That is just my opinion, of course... There are gamblers who would never deposit if there is no a clear license which can be checked by themselves.

[fighter2627]

From my observation, it seems like there are other casinos that may be regulated but in the end, other casinos end up scamming their gamblers. And this is what I don't understand that despite everything that they are legally able to operate but still end up scamming.

while there are other Casinos that operate illegally but they don't make excuses to scam community gamblers, although what they are doing is illegal and they make it look like it is legal,
many gamblers are playing but there is no news that they have been scammed. Even though we know that the chances or risk of being scammed on their platform is high.

[Hispo]

From my observation, it seems like there are other casinos that may be regulated but in the end, other casinos end up scamming their gamblers. And this is what I don't understand that despite everything that they are legally able to operate but still end up scamming.

while there are other Casinos that operate illegally but they don't make excuses to scam community gamblers, although what they are doing is illegal and they make it look like it is legal,
many gamblers are playing but there is no news that they have been scammed. Even though we know that the chances or risk of being scammed on their platform is high.

That is the duality of gambling licensing and that is why there are so many people who believe reputation is more important than holding a valid license.
Though, there is a catch, if a casino is not regulated and have a good reputation, it could still be forced to close down by regulators in the future if they don't have a license and have accumulated an important volume of deposits and bets. That is why licensing is important, it prevents there could be problems with law enforcement in the future when the casino grows much.