The number of UK online casinos is growing at the speed of light, putting plenty of choice before players. With so many options at your disposal, choosing the right one can be a demanding task. What to pay attention to? How to be sure that you’ve found a legit uk casino site to play games online? Which are the most important things to bear in mind? All these answers are waiting for you in our guide on the best online casinos UK.
When looking for the best UK slot sites, or you want to check out the best online casinos UK, what is the first thing you should do? Well, the simplest we could say is Head straight to our directory, because we offer the finest online casinos for UK players! While this is absolutely true, it’s just the beginning of the procedure. Even though we put all the efforts to list best online casinos in the world, it doesn’t mean that they are suitable for everyone.
What you, as a responsible player need to do is investigate a bit, and we shall help you with that as well.
In this informative guide, we shall discuss a couple of relevant fields specifically about UK casino sites, such as:
Use our casino favourite selection tool to create your personal list of UK casinos.
Without further ado, let’s explore all these topics and find out more about the selection procedure!
We know that the selection process can often be demanding, time-consuming, and stressful.
Of so many entertainment venues (and new ones keep coming on a daily basis), it’s not always easy to tell which one deserves to end up on the list of best UK casinos. For that reason, our team came up with a very practical and helpful tool, making it possible for you to create a list of your favorite websites.
With this option, you will be able to create a personalized UK online casino list, comprised of the facilities which fit YOUR VERY OWN demands.
Isn’t that amazing?
There’s an impressive selection of filters thanks to which you will be able to arrange the listed websites and display them based on various criteria like minimum deposit required, payment methods accepted and more. Create an account and explore all benefits.
First of all, you have the option to rank and rate every casino you visit. By doing so, you create a personalized list, which will help you make up your mind when not being sure which one to visit.
Are you a fan of slot games? Or perhaps table games are your cup of tea? Would you like to try luck with some sophisticated live dealer games?
No problem, you can categorize the hubs by the specific provider they cooperate with. For example, you like the content delivered by Play’n GO/ NetEnt/any other studio- just pick a filter that would display casinos which host their games.
In case you want the top casino list based on payout efficiency, or arranged by customer service- have no worries, our magic tool will do that for you.
As you can see, it is possible to list featured establishments by any criteria you want. So the next time you feel like spinning the reels or checking out some table games, no more complicated investigation. Just visit your personalized top UK casino list and pick a venue.
Consider this a small token appreciation from us, our small contribution to providing you unparalleled customer experience.
When it comes to picking the right UK-friendly casinos, you need to analyze a few key sectors in each venue you visit.
Those are:
When you explore all these fields, you will get a much better insight into how things work. Even though it may seem like a lengthy procedure, it’s actually a smart investment of your time. And eventually money.
Why don’t we delve a bit deeper into all these sections, and give you a couple of useful hints?
A regulatory body in charge of licensing online casino operators for the United Kingdom market is the Gambling Commission of Great Britain (GBGC or UKGC). Therefore, look for the UK Gambling Commission seal at the bottom of the casino’s official website and click to check the status, if casino is licensed and approved status will be 'valid'.
As for those other approvals, those are various certificates from test labs that would indicate whether a casino has its RNG approved. Also, it can tell you whether the platform uses SSL encryption and whether it’s green lighted by some other relevant institution.
Gambling Commission Logo
It doesn’t have to be a place crowded with thousands of releases from 100+ game studios, but some diversity is highly appreciated.Also, your favorite category of games will actually be the main parameter when making a decision.
If you like online slots, you will, naturally, look for venues that host titles from software providers and studios specialized in this type of content.The same goes for other types of entertainment products (table games, live dealer, Bingo, keno, etc.). All you have to do is take a look at the lobby and see if the offering contains the types of games you prefer.
Unlike some other parts of the world, the UK gambling market is not so generous with promotional campaigns and similar incentives.
It’s due to some regulatory changes which tightened up policies and rules involving benefits and perks offered by a casino. Still, it doesn’t mean they are non-existent, you’ll just have to investigate a bit more to find something satisfactory as no deposit free spins.
There’s one important “regulatory catch” you need to be aware of. Starting 14 April 2020, the UK regulator officially banned the use of credit cards for gambling purposes. This measure was taken as a part of their efforts to reduce gambling-related harms.
This means that players need to look for alternatives and use e-wallets, bank transfers, and Bitcoin. As far as the current regulations indicate, it’s not illegal for UK-licensed brands to accept deposits made in crypto assets. The only rule they have to follow is to be compliant with anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) procedures.
To clarify, as a part of these procedures, a more frequent identity verification is required. In some cases, players need to submit documents every time they request a cashout, while in others they need to verify their ID if the cumulative deposits or withdrawals exceed a certain amount.
When it comes to the allowed amount to cashout, we can say that GBP 5,000 per week or GBP 20,000 per month is considered the industry’s average.
As for processing, it depends on the selected methods. What we can say is that it’s a common practice that crypto and e-wallet transactions are processed if not instantly, then within 24 hours.
Also, don’t forget to check out if some fees are charged for payments.Yes, this is the field that probably requires the most thorough analysis, but just like we said, it’s a smart thing to do before you start playing games.
It doesn’t matter if you are a frequent player or someone who’s just discovered online gambling, all of us have some questions.
That’s where professional and efficient customer support steps in. The more methods of communication available the merrier. E-mail, live chat, and phone support are core pillars of the support department. A huge plus is if a casino has a well-arranged and informative FAQ. The one that offers lots more than just run-of-the-mill Q & A.
On top of these, support may extend to other fields as well. Those include player protection and various tools for responsible gambling. Various time and spend limits, the option to cool off or self-exclude are just some of them.
…comes to your mind.
There will be no inspectors supervising whether you did it or not. But, don’t forget, it’s for your own good.
After all, the more venues you analyse, the quicker you will become in spotting red flags and positive traits. Finally, with our favourite list option, you will be able to organise them neatly and have a clearer picture of what each of them offers.
To get a better insight into how the UK licensed casinos work, allow us to introduce you to the legal aspect of gambling in this part of the world. Aside from the credit card ban, there are plenty of other rules which need to be followed in the UK market.
As far as the Gambling Act 2005 defines, all operators interested in running the business in the United Kingdom need to have a license. The very same document was responsible for the establishment of the local regulator we’ve already mentioned- the Gambling Commission.
What this regulatory institution does is investigate and inspect the interested brand, and check whether it “deserves” the license which would enable the company to offer its games in the UK.
All casinos licensed in the UK must comply with this stringent set of rules, or else they will have the license revoked. There are many situations where GBGC penalized casino operators who breached some rules.
Furthermore, the Commission requires all players to verify their name, address, and date of birth. If they fail to do so, they simply cannot access legal casinos UK.
As a part of the procedure, players need to submit various documents, such as passports, utility bills, bank statements, or in some cases- notarized documents. Moreover, some operators will also require phone verification or a selfie of a punter with some of the mentioned documents.
On top of this, all operators interested in offering their products and services to consumers from this region need to be listed on Gamstop, the country’s national self-exclusion register. Those who aren’t are banned by the regulator.
Just for the record, UK is not the only jurisdiction that promotes self-exclusion. Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen has its own register too, that applies to Swedish online casinos, named Spelpaus.
The answer is quite simple- to protect the players. We are all witnessing the increasing number of gambling-related issues people are dealing with.
For that reason, the industry must put a special accent on protecting them and minimizing any harm. UK licensor is one of the brightest examples in the industry, as it has been actively working to protect consumers and keep the environment clean and safe.
It’s not a rare case that some trusted casinos which have a good reputation in other corners of the world fail to obtain the UK license. No matter how tight it may seem, it is completely justified.
Player protection must remain at the highest level possible because that’s the only way to keep things entertaining and pleasurable.
All these strict requirements affected one significant field on online gambling- promotional offers and campaigns.
Players from other corners of the world accessing casino lobbies will encounter a wealthy selection of rewarding deals and perks. But, those from the UK won’t.
Why- you may ask?
The main reason is player protection-again. What the local regulator points out as the most burning issue are non-transparent and unfair rules.
Weighted and impossible to meet casino wagering, confiscation of winnings, restrictions on withdrawals are just some of the many reasons why this institution decided to take action. As far as stressed out, all the accompanying rules for UK casino offers need to be explained in the clearest and the most transparent way.
The information related to the following aspects of promotional campaigns need to be displayed in a non-misleading manner:
Also, the regulator is continuously reminding its licensees to follow the guidelines and clean up the malpractice involving VIP clientele. Though not officially prohibited, this form of incentive is continuously being questioned.
In that lengthy “no pictures just words” document called Terms and Conditions. Yes, that’s where you will find all the necessary data explaining not only the rules for offerings but the general code of conduct in that casino.
Even though it may be tempting for operators to advertise all these benefits in the shiniest colours, using the most inviting words, they should refrain from such practice. That is if they are interested in offering any type of promo to UK clientele.
And you, as a responsible player, should never be lazy. Always do your due diligence and explore what’s necessary. As we’ve repeated over and over again- it’s for your own good.
Speaking of versatile offers, it’s essential to mention UK casino no deposit bonus. As the name itself says, this is the type of campaign where you don’t have to place any deposit and you still get some playing credits. What’s not to love about it?
This type of offering is usually available in two forms- as UK casino no deposit free spins or as bonus cash. It is either credited to the account or you have to claim it, that depends on one facility to another. In some cases, it comes in a form of a code you need to insert in the cashier, and then you can use it.
Also, don’t be surprised if you encounter UK mobile casino no deposit bonus- that’s the one aimed at those who prefer gambling while out and about.
What you need to pay attention to when selecting the best UK casino bonus are the withdrawal policy, game availability, and wagering requirements. Getting yourself a freebie that is impossible to play through doesn’t make much sense, does it? So, only if you are 100% satisfied with the Terms, you should use it to explore the lobby.
And finally, all this can work only if you find some trustworthy online betting shop, those which have a fine reputation among players. And that’s where we step in, with our well-equipped directory of no deposit casinos UK.
Exploring various UK slot sites, you will encounter a plethora of all kinds of games. That’s because some of the finest software developers are approved to operate in UK market.
Among the studios you may find:
Judging by these highlights, you can be sure that the best sites for slots in UK are filled with various evergreen hits and newly-presented games.
Knowing that BTG is among brands that are greenlighted to offer its releases in the UK, you can expect plenty of Megaways slots. With NetEnt, you will encounter avalanche mechanics.
When browsing the directories of UK slot sites, you will be able to categorize the games by many different criteria. Filtering them by the provider is one of the most common and most convenient methods.
Moreover, some casinos offer the option to group the games by topics (fruits, adventures, China, Japan, Egypt, space, pirates, Vikings, etc). Also, some allow classification by features- Wilds, Scatters, Megaways, multipliers, and so on.
Still don’t be surprised if some of the “ingredients” are missing.
Believe it or not, this is one more field where the regulator is involved with some requirements. Once again, to maintain the environment safe and protected.
How so?
By introducing a guidance best UK slot sites should stick to. Introduced in September 2020, the new code could oblige operators to:
Also, one of the ideas is to ban losses disguised as wins, aka LDWs.
What are those?
Let’s take an example to illustrate this precisely. Imagine you place a bet of £20, and you win back £15. The way GBGC sees it, this shouldn’t be presented as a win, as the punter actually lost £5.
In conclusion, the regulator states that a system should not report as winning an amount that is equal or less to the wagered sum.
Nowadays, with so many people using their mobile devices to visit casinos, good optimization is not a matter of choice. It’s a must for all operators which stick to their reputation, and which are interested in following the mobile casinos trends.
What classifies a venue as the best mobile casino for UK players?
There’s not much philosophy here. First of all, it needs to be functional on all major systems. Apple, Android, Windows, to start with. Then, it needs to be functional on as many different types of mobile devices- smartphones and tablets. Speaking of, those gadgets come in various sizes and shapes.
Therefore, an operator needs to make sure the platform is functional on all sizes of screens- from the tiniest to the widest one. A huge plus is if both landscape and portray mode is supported. Some players prefer launching their favorite games directly in the browser, while others appreciate having a downloadable app.
Just like we said, it’s not a complicated science. The main rule operators should follow is providing a cutting-edge player experience for mobile users.
And how can they achieve this?
By observing things from the players’ perspective and upgrading their platforms and technologies to 'mobile first'.
If we were to highlight the very essence of looking for the UK online casinos, we’d say reading Terms and Conditions is undoubtedly the most vital thing.
Once you do that, you will be fully aware of all the necessary rules, and what’s even more important, you will be familiar with your rights.
As you have seen, UK Gambling Commission is doing its best to protect the players and ensure a maximal level of safety. Although not all the regulators are the happiest with these rules and measures, if they want to operate in this market, they need to be compliant.
We truly hope you enjoyed our insightful guide on the best casino sites UK. Now that you have all these useful directions by your side, the selection process will be less stressful and more efficient.
Have fun and gamble responsibly at the best UK casinos!
Yes, people from the United Kingdom can gamble online. This activity is regulated by the Gambling Commission, and players should only gamble at online casinos approved by this regulator.
UK market is one of the most stringently regulated jurisdictions, so casino sites licensed by the UK Gambling Commission are absolutely legit. This is a confirmation that their rules and overall code of conduct are in line with all the standards set by this operator.
Slots, roulette, and blackjack are among the most popular and most-played.
Yes, the British pound (GBP) is one of the most widely-spread currencies among online gambling facilities.
No, players are not required to download any software to play casino games in UK. They can launch the selected titles directly in the browser.
Yes, demo mode is allowed. However, do bear in mind that sometimes registration is required before you can access this option.
UK gambling market has somewhat stricter laws on promotional campaigns and similar incentives. New depositing players signing up to licensed casinos are entitled to one promo on their first deposit.
