Who's Licensed Where?

Who's now in charge of Internet gaming licensing isn't the only question on the minds of those on the outside looking in on increasingly volatile jurisdiction of Antigua and Barbuda. Thanks to a new feature on the Antigua Directorate of Offshore Gaming website, visitors might be confused about the licensing status of Golden Palace and InterCasino, two of the Net's most successful casinos.

Upon entering the Directorate's site, a prompt box delivers updated news on operators whose licensing statuses have recently changed. Tidbits this week have indicated that both casinos' licenses were no longer valid.

Why? Golden Palace lost its virtual casino license for one day, thanks to what a GP representative termed "an administrative error." The spokesperson said that a clerk in the Antigua Directorate of Offshore Gaming office hadn't processed GP's license renewal payment on time, leaving the casino without a license. Licensing administrator Correne Samuel, however, said Golden Palace was considering a move away from Antigua. "They were unhappy about the 2 percent taxation," she explained.

Regardless of what happened, GP opted to renew its license for another year.

GP's operators are also collecting additional licenses, such as the one awarded by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission last year. Company officials want licenses from several jurisdictions to set up redundant servers around the world. "This will make our service faster," the GP rep said. The company is also pursuing licenses in Vanuatu and Curacao.

Antigua officials, meanwhile said goodbye to InterCasino. A company rep said the "instability of the legal situation" had prompted them to switch to Dominica, which offers "an excellent telecommunications situation." Antigua officials aren't ready to let the site go, however, and are trying to resolve the issue with IC officials.

Depending on how the meetings transpire, IC says it may yet stay in Antigua.