There are over 250 online casinos licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, all offering safe, secure and legal gambling. Here we have picked our favourites for you to to play. You can decide for yourself if they are worth your dollars with the help of our reviews and ratings before you sign up and make any deposits.
BEST KAHNAWAKE GAMING COMMISSION CASINOS
This is our list of the best casinos that have been licensed by the KGC. You can find more casinos on their website if you are looking for a more comprehensive listing.
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A GUIDE TO CASINOS IN KAHNAWAKE
WHAT IS KAHNAWAKE AND WHY DO CASINOS OPERATE THERE?
Kahnawake is home to many of Canada’s greatest gaming establishments. Officially known as the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, it’s a First Nations reserve of the Mohawks of Kahnawake.
The elected government, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is the only body that deals with the Canadian government and it has worked closely with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to offer gambling licenses to online casinos and sportsbooks.
Before you sign up at one of the Kahnawake casinos, you should know a bit more about the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s (KGC), it’s role and why it is important.
The KGC is the body that licenses and regulates all the online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites, along with three land-based poker rooms within Kahnawake. It started in 1996 to meet the laws concerning interactive gaming. The KGC allows gambling operators to function in North American territories, currently permitting over 50 gaming operators and 250 online sites.
The Mohawk Council and the KGC assert that the Kahnawake Gaming Law is part of their aboriginal rights that have existed since ‘time immemorial,’ and this was affirmed in Canada’s Constitution Act, 1982.
In fact, the Kahanwake gambling industry is vital to the local economy – the bricks and mortar venues help provide employment to the Kahnawake people, and their online counterparts provide jobs in the hosting centres and customer support centers, as well of course, as opening up the industry to North American territories.
TYPES OF KAHNWAKE GAMING LICENSES
For an operator to become a Kahnawake casino, it has to pass some stringent checks and meet all the provisions head-on to act as an online gambling provider, whether it’s a sportsbook, poker room, or casino.
When seeking a license to operate at a Kahnawake casino, an operator can apply from a range of different types that the KGC can grant.
Here’s a quick rundown of the available licenses:
- Client Provider Authorization (CPA). Every applicant needs this to get a license with the KGC to provide games from a KGC approved hosting facility. With this, they can provide casinos, sportsbooks, poker, and any type of gaming they want. Though the fee is $25,000, and this is the main license that a provider needs to have.
- Key Person License (KPL). For anyone who performs operational or managerial functions for a company that’s already in possession of a CPA. These cost $5,000 each but are refundable if the KGC rejects the application.
- Interactive Gaming License (IGC). Only one of these can be issued by the KGC at a time and only to an approved hosting facility based in Kahnawake.
- Inter-jurisdictional Authorization. If a provider already has a license in another gaming jurisdiction, they need to apply for inter-jurisdictional Authorization. If they get approval, they can then begin their operations in Mohawk Territory.
- Poker Room License (PRL). For operators wanting to focus on their poker offering, they need to apply for a PRL. This was to address the changes made in 2010 to meet the KGC’s regulations about poker rooms.
RAISING A COMPLAINT WITH THE KGC
Unfortunately, there may be times when you’re playing at Kahnawake casinos or any other types of casinos when you need to make a complaint. Complaints are a serious matter, so if you’re going to do it, you want to do it the right way. The KGC takes these matters very seriously.
Here’s what to do if you want to escalate an issue because you feel that the casino support team are not providing an adequate response. It’s a simple process:
- You can send your complaints by email to [email protected].
- Include every detail about the issue, including any screenshots if necessary.
- Don’t send repeat complaints, pass your complaints to other organizations, or discuss your complaint on public forums, such as airing your grievances on social media. If you do that, it could jeopardize the KGC’s ability to assist you.
From what we’ve seen about Kahnawake casinos, the complaints are very few and far between. And those that have been submitted have been dealt with rapidly.
WHY CHOOSE TO PLAY AT A KAHNAWAKE CASINO?
If you are still undecided about whether or not to play at one of the casinos in our list, here are some pros and cons to help you make up your mind.
ADVANTAGES OF KAHNAWAKE CASINOS
Wide Variety of Payment Services
One feature that makes Kahnawake casinos easy to play at and accessible to more players is the wide choice of payment services supported by most of the operators. Typically a site like Grand Mondial, one of the oldest in the business, will accept deposits and withdrawals on all credit cards, Interac and eWallets like Skrill, and alternatives like Apple Pay. That makes it free and easy to deposit and quick to get your winnings when you want to withdraw.
Guaranteed Fairness, Safety and Security
The Kahnawake license is created to protect the Kahnawake casinos and the players too, so when you play at one of the casinos on our list, you won’t have to worry about any safety or security issues relating to your finances or personal data. Furthermore, all the games are tested and audited by third parties like eCorga to make sure that the outcome of every spin or card turn is completely random.
Professional Dispute Resolution Service
The KGC is known for its first class dispute resolution process, from affiliates to players and anyone in between, giving them a reputation as a reliable, fair organization.
Trusted Game Suppliers and Casino Operators
The KGC only works with the best, so to get their stamp of approval, Kahnawake Casino opeartors and their game suppliers have to meet high standards in the way tha they run their businesses. That means your account balance is held in a ring-fenced account and the business must be run by a creditable executive team who have been vetted before a license is granted.
DISADVANTAGES OF KAHNAWAKE CASINOS
Restricted Choice
Even though there more than 50 online casinos with Kahnawake licenses, it doesn’t seem like much compared to the massive number of operators and online gaming destinations across the rest of the world – most of which are available to Canadian players. So, if you are looking for a wide choice, restrcting yourself to Kahwanake sites may feel too limited.
Some Look Dated
For some players, Kahnawake casinos may look outdated compared to the newer operators that function from the European territories of Malta, the Isle of Man, and Gibraltar. This means that when you choose only sites on this page then you will not see the most recent online casino brands, which in turn means that you are restricted to fewer games. Therefore, if you want newer slots or more table classics, you might have to look at online casinos that benefit from European licenses.
MOBILE KAHNAWAKE CASINOS
As the Mohawk Territory has evolved over the years, technology has done so as well. While the Kahnawake have a range of land-based and online casinos, they’ve also been making the most of the technology revolution by harnessing the power of mobile devices and smartphone gaming.
That means you can play at Kahnawake casinos from your cell phone and enjoy the same games you would play from your desktop. You can even play directly from your mobile browser; head straight to your favorite Kahnawake casino, log in, and you’ll have access to all your favorite games.
NEW KAHNAWAKE CASINOS ONLINE
Although we may have mentioned that one of the main disadvantages of a Kahnawake Casino is that they tend to operate with older companies and have older games, the good news is that occasionally new Kahnawake casinos do come along.
And to keep things fresh and entertaining for the players in Canada, the new online casinos work with new slots and table game suppliers – so sign up with these sites and you’ll get access to all the latest entertainment.
So make a note to regularly check out our list of Kahnawake casinos because we always update it with new ones that are worth checking out as soon as they launch. And remember, they usually come with good bonuses too!
FAQs
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Yes, it is perfectly legal to gamble from Canada at online casinos with a license issues by the Kahnwake Gambling Commission. These sites are hosted and operated from the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. There is nothing in Canadian law to stop casinos based outside the country from taking bets from Canadian gamblers and nothing to stop a Canadian gambler from playing at an offshore site. You can find out more in this guide to Gambling Law in Canada.
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There are over 50 operators licensed by the KGC and over 250 sites to choose from so that is a lot of choice. Our own favourites are the casinos run by the Casino Rewards Group. These have been around for 10 years or more and are all powered by Microgaming software, giving you access to the top jackpot slots like Mega Moolah. We recommend playing at Grand Mondial and Yukon Gold, each of which offers a very generous welcome package.
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Yes, just like every other online casino, Kahnwake ones are available on mobile devices as well as desktop. With a wide selection of games from developers like Microgaming and NetEnt, all the software is responsive to screen size and operating system which means whether you are on Android or iPhone, the experience will be first class. You can read this guide for more about mobile casinos.
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Yes, often the sign up offers at Kahnawake casino sites are more generous than those at other sites. For example, at Captain Cooks you can currently claim 100 spins on Mega Moolah jackpot slot by Microgaming. And at Grand Mondial there are 250 Mega Vault spins available for new players.