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Licensing & safety
What a UK licence actually guarantees
Every operator on this site holds a UK Gambling Commission licence. That single fact carries a set of rules behind it — here is what those rules mean for you, and how to check a licence for yourself.
Who the Gambling Commission is
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the statutory regulator for commercial gambling in Great Britain. Any company that wants to offer online casino games to people here needs an operating licence from it, and the people running the business need personal licences too. Operating without one is a criminal offence, which is why the licence is the first thing we check before a brand goes anywhere near our shortlist.
What the licence puts in place
A licence isn't a rubber stamp. It commits the operator to a set of conditions that exist to protect players, and these are the ones worth knowing about.
- Your money is kept separate.Licensed operators must hold customer balances apart from their own operating funds and tell you what level of protection applies, so a player balance isn't simply part of the company's working capital.
- Age and identity checks are mandatory. Operators have to verify you are 18 or over before you can deposit or play, which is why every UK site asks for verification up front.
- Games must be fair and tested. Random number generators and game fairness are independently tested, and the published return-to-player figures have to be accurate.
- Safer-gambling tools are required.Deposit limits, time-outs, reality checks and self-exclusion aren't optional extras — licensed operators must offer them and must connect to GamStop.
- Advertising has rules.Bonuses can't be advertised as “risk-free” when they aren't, and offers must carry clear terms. It's a standard we hold our own writing to as well.
Checking a licence yourself
You don't have to take anyone's word for it. The Commission keeps a public register, and licensed sites carry a licence statement in the footer linking to it. Search the operator's company name on the register and you can see the licence status, what it covers, and whether any action has been taken. If a casino can't produce a UKGC licence, that's the end of the conversation.
The protection that doesn't come from the operator
GamStop sits outside the operators entirely. Register once and every UK-licensed site has to block you for the period you pick. It's free, it's independent, and it's the strongest single step if you want to stop. More on this on our responsible gambling page.
The official bodies
These four organisations license operators and support players. None of them is connected to a casino, and all are free to use.
