How to Check an Online Casino Licence 5 Easy Steps
In these instances, the parent premises may be adjoined by an ‘electric casino’ that consists largely of gaming machines with a very limited table offer. As set out in the white paper, the availability of gaming machines in British casinos is also very low compared to international jurisdictions, and an increase will help to meet the expectations of overseas visitors. The current estimate is that 90 out of 122 casinos are limited to 20 gaming machines, regardless of overall size.
This could include looking at how customers interact with machines that accept cashless payments, how much they spend and the impact of different protections. We also strongly disagree with the assertion that Category D crane grab machines should not have a maximum transaction limit. They also non gamstop casino said that there should not be a maximum transaction limit on Category D crane grab machines.
Peachy Games
445.In addition, licensing authorities have power to set individual conditions for a premises licence when they grant it. These powers can apply to all premises licences, or classes of licence, or to licences in specified circumstances. These powers can apply to all premises licences, or classes of licence or to licences in specified circumstances. 443.The Secretary of State and the Scottish Ministers have power to issue mandatory conditions on premises licences, for England and Wales, and Scotland respectively. 437.Sections 206 to 209 set out the appeal rights in relation to a decision of a licensing authority to grant or reject an application for a premises licence.
This free service is mandatory for all remote licensees. Look for a statement such as “Licensed by the Gambling Commission” with an accompanying licence number. Follow these steps to confirm an operator holds a valid UKGC licence Always verify an operator’s licence before depositing funds. Note that Northern Ireland has separate gambling legislation and is not within the Commission’s jurisdiction. See which bonus structures are compliant and how new regulations protect British players.
While heavily regulated, licensed online casinos still offer a whole lot of entertainment. We have selected the best UK licensed online casinos from hundreds of sites. Safety is the biggest factor for us, as licensed casinos are required to comply with the UKGC’s regulations. Yes, the UKGC licence covers all verticals of a casino’s operations including sports betting and live casinos too. It’s simple to check if a casino holds an online gambling licence UK, just scroll down to the bottom of any page and look for the distinctive logo of the UKGC, which should be displayed clearly and with a hyperlink to direct you to the casino’s licence lodged on the UKGC’s website. These licenses are necessary for land-based gambling businesses such as betting shops, bingo halls, casinos, and arcades.
More information on the operating licences required is available in our guidance on the legislative changes. (2) A notice must be displayed in a prominent place in each part of the premises used for providing facilities for betting, setting out the terms on which persons are invited to bet on the premises. 4.—(1) This paragraph applies to larger converted casino premises and extended converted casino premises.
1968 Act casinos that have a gambling area of at least 500sqm will be eligible for the same number of machines as permitted in a Small 2005 Act casino. 1968 Act casinos will be entitled to an enhanced gaming machine entitlement if their gambling area is at least 280sqm. 1968 Act casinos with a gambling area of at least 280sqm will be able to exercise the increased gaming machine entitlements shown in Figure 3. Where 1968 Act casinos are smaller than these requirements, we have proposed that they are able to benefit from an increased number of machines on a pro rata basis commensurate with their size and non-gambling area, and subject to the same ratio. The rules have also incentivised holders of multiple 1968 Act casino licences to operate them as separate entities in the same premises for the purpose of increasing machine numbers. As outlined in the white paper, it is our intention to bring greater coherence to the licence system by allowing 1968 Act casinos of a certain size to have the same gaming machine allowance as Small 2005 Act casinos.
Alcohol licensed premises have an automatic entitlement to up to two category C or D machines upon notification to the Licensing Authority. Subject to the final Parliamentary procedures, the statutory instruments when approved will have the effect of adding new conditions to applicable non-remote casino premises licences seeking to take advantage of the new entitlements. For remote gambling, the Commission issues licences to those operators whose remote gambling equipment is located in the territory of Great Britain. Covers internet casinos, betting websites, online bingo and virtual gaming platforms. Search and verify casinos, betting sites, bingo platforms and gaming operators authorised to serve British players. Search and browse all online casino operators holding Gambling Commission licences.
Bojoko’s Picks for the Best UK Licensed Online Casinos
- If you run a gambling business for profit without the relevant licences, you could be committing an offence and you could be prosecuted.
- The local authority is in charge of determining all the premises’ fees.
- However, we recognise that a minority of customers do experience gambling-related harm and that it is necessary to have safeguards in place to protect customers.
- Since April 2020, it’s been a rule that UKGC licensed casinos can’t accept credit card deposits.
The flat additional application fee payable for a licence that combines all three activities is £3,360. Subsequently, you’ll also see the status of their licence updated in the public register. There you can search up the operator, the licence number and the parent company. You can also make use of our page banners to find some of our favourite brands that have been licensed by the UKGC and are available to UK players. In this guide we’ve outlined how you can easily confirm an operator’s licence and a few extra steps you can take to make sure that you’re only ever playing at a duly regulated site.
Browse and search all companies holding UKGC gambling licences. The comprehensive directory of gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain. The comprehensive directory of Gambling Commission licensed casino operators. All commercial gambling operators must hold the appropriate licence before offering services. These licences authorise the holder to provide specific gambling services to customers in Great Britain.
Non-remote society lottery operating licence Remote casino game host operating licence Remote betting intermediary trading rooms licence
We believe it is appropriate to increase these fees so that local authorities can cover the costs of their gambling licensing and enforcement activity, and increase activity where needed. They are therefore essential for ensuring that licensing authorities can properly regulate gambling in their areas. Note that the different fees currently charged for large and small casinos may be subject to review and harmonisation following the consultation outlined in Chapter 1. Therefore, venues such as pubs and members’ clubs will not be impacted by any increases to premises licence fees. The fees payable for gaming machine notifications and gaming machine permits are not in scope of this review.
Notifications relating to premises licence must be sent, by email, to We use the data provided to maintain a register of premises licences, which we use to inform our compliance and enforcement work, and to monitor the licensing of premises nationally. A premises licences is a licence, issued by a local licencing authority, that authorises gambling to take place in that premises. Separately, the Gambling Commission confirmed in our online games design response in 2021 and our remote gambling and software technical standards (RTS) that for remote slots it must be a minimum of 2.5 seconds from the time a game is started until the next game cycle can be commenced (RTS 14D).
Option (1) would provide fairness and consistency across all casinos that are able to site 80 machines. We are also consulting on whether the maximum size of a 1968 Act casino’s gambling area must – like that of a Small 2005 Act casino – be less than 1,500sqm, if it resolves to exercise its entitlement to more than 20 machines (including at least one Category B machine). The tables below outline current and proposed space requirements for 2005 Act casinos, and 1968 Act casinos which seek to increase their gaming machine entitlement above 20 (including at least one Category B machine). This would ensure that regardless of the size of venue, most casinos will be able to site the same proportion of machines to tables. This would mean the introduction of a machine-to-table ratio for 1968 Act casinos that seek to increase their Category B gaming machine entitlement above 20, and a change to the machine-to-table ratio currently in place for Small 2005 Act casinos. It was also noted from the call for evidence that where other jurisdictions apply a machine to table ratio, all currently permit a greater proportion of gaming machines in comparison to Great Britain.
The Commission licenses and regulates commercial gambling operators and ensures gambling is conducted fairly, openly and free from crime. Required for land-based gambling premises throughout Great Britain. Required for online gambling operations serving British customers. The Gambling Commission issues different licence categories based on gambling activities and delivery methods Understand UKGC licence categories including Remote, Non-Remote and Ancillary licences. Find the licensed operator behind any UK gambling website or platform.
The flat additional annual fee payable for a licence that combines all three activities is £12,500. The flat additional annual fee payable for a licence that combines all three activities is £10,000. After this, fees are due every year before the anniversary of the day your licence was issued. Your first annual fee is due 30 days after your licence is issued and is reduced by 25 percent (ancillary and linked licence annual fees are not subject to this reduction). The flat additional application fee payable for a licence that combines all three activities is £4,200.
“larger converted casino premises” means premises in respect of which a converted casino premises licence has effect, and which— In fact, being part of the GamStop self-exclusion scheme is mandatory for all UK-licensed online operators. Rawa Kaftan is a regulatory lawyer in Wiggin’s Betting & Gaming team and advises key stakeholders in the gambling industry, including many of the world’s largest online B2C operators, software suppliers, payment service providers and investors. Finally, in June 2025 the UK Government announced that it plans to introduce a “Voluntary Code” for prize draw operators whose offerings do not require a licence under the gambling framework because of the presence of a free entry route.
The government will consider the need for bespoke dedicated safe play messaging as part of cashless gambling on gaming machines. As mentioned above, the existing regulations prohibit the use of debit cards for direct payments to gaming machines, and prohibit any use of credit cards. The introduction of direct forms of cashless payments on gaming machines, subject to suitable safeguards, therefore represents an opportunity to future-proof the land-based gambling industry. The lack of direct cashless payment methods on gaming machines contrasts with the cashless options that consumers have within the wider retail economy.
For example, safer gambling functionality is now available and widely used on many gaming machines. The remote casino operating licence will be required (instead of an ancillary licence), in addition to a non-remote casino operating licence if you intend to link terminals located in one casino premises to gaming that takes place in another set of premises (for example, touch-bet roulette terminals in one casino linked to a roulette wheel in another casino). What impact would Options 1, 2 and 3 have on the overall number of Category B, C and D gaming machines Please rank these options in order of preference, with 1 being your preferred option. Q4.a Do you perceive there to be any issue with allowing multiple casino licences in the same physical location if gaming machine entitlements are increased as proposed? While the Commission licenses operators and individuals, local authorities in England and Wales and licensing boards in Scotland license premises and have the power to place conditions on premises licences as well as to grant or refuse them. The GGY impact of this measure will depend on the take up of cashless gaming machines by operators, but also on the player protections.
The data used in this section reflects activity from April to September 2019 and relates to a single session on a particular machine. These rates are lower than the majority of other gambling products, although remain above the at-risk and problem gambling rates for ‘any gambling activity’. These represent transition costs which are expected to be incurred in the first few years of implementation, with exact timescales depending on the option taken forward. For example, as previously highlighted, evidence provided by Bacta shows that the average stake placed on a Category B3 game is between £1.20 – £1.30, compared to 40p – 60p for a Category C machine. Under such circumstances, and given the relatively higher stakes and losses set out in the rationale for change, there is the potential for gambling-related harm to increase.
What types of licenses are there?
Part 10 of the Act contains provisions on when such equipment counts as a gaming machine. 451.These regulations can also specify when tables, which are linked together by electronic means for example, are to count as a single table for the purpose of machine entitlements under this section. 447.Part 10 of the Act defines a gaming machine, and gives the Secretary of State power to make rules about their categorisation and use or manufacture and supply.
You can also use the search feature on the UKGC site to see the licence status of any online casino. Among these, there are over 250 online casinos available for British players. There are over 2,400 gambling operators with UK licenses, according to the commission’s annual report. The benefits of playing at UKGC casinos include a high level of player protection, fair and responsible gaming, and quality bonuses and games. You can find UK licensed casinos by using reputable sources, such as Bojoko, which has casino experts who review and verify each casino personally. Online casinos are regulated in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission, which enforces the regulations and protects players.
Having considered the consultation objectives, stakeholder responses and supporting evidence, we are proposing to lift the prohibition on direct debit card payments on gaming machines subject to the introduction of the player protection measures detailed within this chapter. These responses primarily came from small businesses who supplied tablet gaming machines to the market. Responses stated that the commercial flexibility permitted by Option 2(b) would enable bingo operators to reduce the number of Category C and D gaming machines which they make available, while making slight increases in the number of Category B cabinet gaming machines. One operator, under both options, stated that it would increase the number of Category B cabinets machines by 2 to 3 per venue, while removing the vast number of smaller in-fill gaming machines. In regards to the second objective, under Option 3, the evidence provided suggests that over time it is likely that many operators would reduce their offer of Category C and D cabinet gaming machines substantially and offer predominantly Category B cabinet gaming machines. The first is to ensure that operators benefit from commercial flexibility to increase GGY through the ability to make more Category B machines available and/or reduce their energy costs through the removal of underused Category C and D gaming machines.
Licensed casinos offer a wide range of games from reputable suppliers, and the regulations weed out less reputable providers. UK casinos are required to offer various tools and resources to promote responsible gambling. These casinos must follow strict regulations regarding player security, from financial information to the fairness of games. The gambling authority upholds some of the strictest standards in the world, from the quality of UK casinos to player protection. While UK-regulated casinos have strict regulations, the range of games they can offer is extensive. This makes sure that new online casinos in the UK generally maintain high standards.
Yet it remains the gold standard for European operators. The UK Gambling Commission operates one of the world’s strictest licensing regimes. Always verify licence details on the official Gambling Commission website.