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United Kingdom – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
The online casino industry is highly visible in the UK, although the country’s regulations are some of the strictest in the world for operators to adhere to. In short, any online casino in the UK needs to have a valid license to be allowed to offer their games to you, and even gambling operators outside the country are allowed to apply for a license. For British players wanting to play at casinos online in the UK, there are a wide range of possibilities. Since Great Britain is such a large market for gambling operators, you’re sure to find that casinos operated by some of the world’s finest brands have UKGC licenses.Of course, having a license is not a guarantee that a casino is excellent, and it’s especially not a guarantee that the casino in question is the type that will suit you! That’s why the experts here at GoodLuckMate have compiled a complete list of all the best online casinos in the UK so that you can easily find one that has all the right features for you.
- 4000 slots and casino games from 135 game providers
- Collect points as you play and get rewards
- Plenty of options for filtering and sorting games
- Unique bonus – claimable in 10% increments
- Safe casino with multiple gaming licenses
- Over 1,000 high-quality games
- Top-notch software providers
- Generous bonuses
- Friendly customer support
- Regulated by UKGC, MGA and Spellinspektionen
- Casino with 2000 slots and table games
- Live Casino from Evolution Gaming & Playtech
- Sports betting with in-play and live stream
- More than 40 payment methods available
- Secure and safe casino with fair games
- Excellent sports betting
- Broad games selection
- Great website design
- Very nice VIP scheme
- Mobile apps available
- Great variety of slots and live table games
- Premium software providers
- Amazing customer support
- Highly regulated
- Transparent company
Finding the best British casino online
When checking out a specific gambling site, there are several things you’ll want to keep in mind, and we’ve provided you with a list of things you should look for. Not having some of the options or features you need may make you decide to give even the most well-designed casino site a miss. At the same time, analyzing the sites more closely will reveal those that are worth your time. Taking the time to run through the checklist below will give you a good indication of how the casino you’re looking at stacks up:
- Does the UKGC license them?
- Can you play using GBP, and does the site show amounts in GBP?
- Is the customer support available to UK players, and can you reach them using a convenient method?
- Since credit cards are not accepted, are other secure payment methods available?
- Does the casino offer the games or game types that you want to play?
- Is the website optimized for mobile devices?
- Can Brits take part in bonuses and promotions?
If checking out the sites yourself seems like a lot of work, we’ll let you in on a hot tip: you can find the answers to all these questions without having to do any research whatsoever! Our experts at GoodLuckMate have already carefully reviewed all the best casinos online in the UK, and they’ve presented their findings in casino reviews on the site. Just head on over to our review section to find a casino you like.
Gambling regulation – Gambling Act 2005
The UK gambling regulations are overseen solely by the UK Gambling Commission, and all types of gambling fall under the Gambling Act of 2005. Any operator based locally or elsewhere can apply for a license to operate a casino business in the country for any type of games except lotteries. The National Lottery still has a monopoly on lottery games, with smaller charity lotteries operating under specific constraints.
From a player’s perspective, the regulations don’t restrict players from playing wherever they want. This means it‘s not punishable by law to play at a UK casino online that isn’t licensed in the UK. That said, unlicensed casinos do pose a higher risk for you as a player, as you may not have the same legal protection should you run into problems. Because there’s such a high number of UKGC-licensed operators today, we recommend first and foremost that you play at these.
Casino in UK
Operators in the United Kingdom will either have a ‘remote’ or ‘non-remote’ license, which means that they’re allowed to operate as either a bricks-and-mortar casino or an online casino. When it comes to land-based casinos in the UK, there are over 100 different ones to choose from. Aside from actual casinos, betting shops, bingo halls, and arcade centers are all licensed and open to the public. The minimum age to enter any land-based casino in the UK is 18, and you might be required to show ID if you look younger than 21.
It’s safe to say that the UK has a long-established gambling market that draws some of the most renowned and best online casinos to want to set up shop there, despite the strict regulations they have to abide by. As a result, you can easily pick and choose from a vast selection of operators offering excellent UK online casino products.