Antigua and Barbuda is one of the pioneers of iGaming regulation.
Supervision is carried out by FSRC (Directorate of Offshore Gaming), which licenses and controls operators, including the online sector. The regulatory framework was updated by Gambling Act 2016 (No. 22/2016), including linking the previous Interactive Gaming & Interactive Wagering Regulations 2007 with the new "Authority." Two licenses are provided for online: Interactive Gaming (casino games) and Interactive Wagering (bookmaking); the procedure and requirements are described in the FSRC materials, and the 2007 rules also include annual fees (US $100k for gaming, US $75k for wagering). The international context also shaped the dispute in the WTO (DS285 case) against the United States on access to the online services market, emphasizing the role of Antigua as an exporter of iGaming services.
The history of gambling in Antigua and Barbuda: the emergence of offline casinos, the 1994 breakthrough with the first licenses for online operators, the 2007 + regulatory framework, and the landmark Antigua-US dispute in the WTO with the right to suspend IP obligations for $21 million per year.
Learn more →How Antigua and Barbuda in 1994 were the first in the world to legalize and license online casinos with the Free Trade & Processing Act (also known as the Free Trade & Processing Zone Act), which provided for the law, how it led to the "era of online casinos," which 2007 regulations enshrined supervision, and why this became a precedent for the global industry.
Learn more →What Antigua and Barbuda's Directorate of Offshore Gaming (FSRC) does: Interactive Gaming/Interactive Wagering licensing, supervision and compliance (KYC/AML, Responsible Gaming), technical standards, application procedures (Schedules A-E), auditing and enforcement, and positioning the country as a "Tier-1 jurisdiction of choice."
Learn more →How Antigua and Barbuda structure licensing: Interactive Gaming (online casino/poker), Interactive Wagering (bookmaking) and a separate circuit for lotteries. Legal grounds (IGIWR-2007 and amendments), applications for skedules A-E, Key Person, KYC/AML requirements and features of lottery regulations.
Learn more →The history and essence of Antigua and Barbuda's dispute with the United States in the WTO (case DS285): what was disputed, the key conclusions of the Appellate Body, why the United States referred to the public morality exception, how Antigua obtained the right to suspend US IP rights in the amount of up to $21 million annually, and what happened after 2007-2013.
Learn more →How interactive operators are taxed in Antigua and Barbuda: 3% with net win with a monthly ceiling, licensing and monitoring fees FSRC, reserve, possible benefits IBC, ABST (analogue of VAT), as well as separate rates for offline games and lotteries according to Gambling Act 2016.
Learn more →How the jurisdictions of Antigua and Barbuda, Malta, Curaçao and Costa Rica differ today: types of licenses (B2C/B2B and Interactive Gaming/Wagering), reform status (LOK in Curaçao), presence/absence of a professional regulator (Costa Rica), KYC/AML requirements and reputational nuances.
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