Local gambling laws are described as strict, with no land-based casinos in the territory. Offshore online casino businesses may nevertheless route their financial operations through the BVI.
According to the review, local law prohibits wagering on games of chance, while the stated ban does not currently extend to online gambling. It describes petitions, lobbying and ongoing reviews concerning both online and land-based gambling, and notes that the rules could change.
This distinction has contributed to the mistaken idea that the BVI has its own online gambling regulator. The confusion is linked to how gambling laws are treated and to the presence of offshore companies running online gambling businesses from the territory.
A company holding a BVI business licence for financial operations might seek an online casino licence from another authority. It would need to meet that authority’s financial and regulatory requirements.
Claims of a British Virgin Islands Online Casino Licence
A website claiming to hold an online casino licence issued by the BVI is making a false claim.
If a casino says it is licensed there, approach the claim cautiously and investigate further. If you cannot establish what it means, you may choose to avoid the site. Research often shows that the business has a BVI company registration, which alone does not establish that it holds a casino licence.
Players may also get this impression from how a site is described by online casino review publishers. Some review sites classify a casino as BVI-licensed or make that claim directly.
A company may be licensed or registered in the BVI, but an Financial Services Commission (FSC) licence is not the same as a casino licence. Reviewers sometimes assume that BVI company registration also authorizes online gambling. The following section explains why that conclusion is described as a misconception.
Online Gambling Companies Registered in the BVI
The presence of many offshore casino companies in the BVI is attributed to its stable legal system, said not to be interrupted by US or EU laws, and its favourable tax treatment.
Incorporating a casino company in the BVI does not, by itself, show that it holds a BVI gambling licence or serves local residents. This arrangement is described as routing the company’s financial dealings through the territory, where they are said to fall within the scope 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 be read as evidence of an online casino licence, but it indicates only 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, though their proximity can cause confusion. People sometimes use the British and US prefixes interchangeably.
Confusing the 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 also notes 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 claims of an online casino licence issued by the BVI are false. It says gambling is illegal in the territory and that no local authority licenses online or land-based casinos. It attributes the presence of hundreds of offshore companies to the territory’s tax laws.
Many online casino companies may have head offices in the BVI, but permission for a company to operate there is distinct from a casino licence. A company seeking an online casino licence would need to apply to a gambling licensing authority, such as the UKGC or MGA.
