A casino can display a regulator logo or licence number without proving that its exact website is authorised for customers in Great Britain. The reliable check is to match the legal operator, trading name, domain, licence status and permitted activity against the Gambling Commission's current public register.
This guide covers England, Scotland and Wales, which together form Great Britain. It does not recommend a casino, confirm that a particular operator accepts you, or replace legal advice.
The five-point UK casino licence check
Before depositing, confirm all five points:
- Legal operator: the company in the casino's terms matches the register.
- Trading name: the public brand is connected to that operator.
- Exact domain: the website address you are using appears in the record and is active.
- Licence status: the relevant operating licence is active, not pending, suspended, surrendered, lapsed, expired, forfeited or revoked.
- Remote casino activity: the licence covers the online casino activity being offered.
A licence number or logo is only a starting point. The complete match matters.
Why Great Britain authorisation is separate
The Gambling Commission's remote-sector guidance says a business needs a licence from the Commission if it provides remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain. This applies even when the business is based abroad. The guidance gives the example of a Malta-based site serving people in England, Scotland or Wales.
A licence from Malta, Curaçao, a US state or another jurisdiction does not by itself establish permission to serve Great Britain. Check the Gambling Commission record separately.
The Commission regulates Great Britain, not the whole United Kingdom. Do not use “UK licence” as shorthand for a claim about every part of the UK without checking the correct jurisdiction.
Step 1: record the exact website address
Start with the full domain in the browser address bar, not the brand name in an advert or search result. Watch for:
- added or missing words;
- a different country or generic top-level domain;
- extra hyphens;
- subdomains;
- redirects to another site; and
- spelling that imitates a known brand.
Copy the final domain after any redirect. A similar-looking address is not the same record.
Step 2: find the legal operator
Open the casino's terms, licence page, footer and privacy notice. Record the full company name, any company number, contact address, licence account number and trading name.
Do not assume the brand owns the licence. Some brands are trading names of another legal entity, and some domains may be operated under a white-label arrangement. The public register is designed to connect these fields.
If different pages name different entities, stop and ask the operator to explain which business contracts with you.
Step 3: search the Gambling Commission public register
Use the official register of gambling businesses. It can be searched by:
- business name;
- trading name;
- domain name; or
- account number.
The register was last updated on 27 September 2026 when this guide was checked. The Commission notes that domain and trading-name information is supplied by gambling businesses and cannot be guaranteed by the Commission, so use the record as an official verification source without treating it as a guarantee of safety or service quality.
Open the full business record rather than relying on a search-result snippet.
Step 4: match the entity, brand and domain
Compare the casino's disclosures with the register line by line:
- Does the account name match the legal entity?
- Is the brand listed as an active trading name?
- Is the exact domain listed?
- Is the domain active rather than inactive?
- Is it marked as a white label, and does that relationship make sense?
- Does the licence status remain active?
- Does the record cover the remote activity being offered?
A remote casino operating licence covers offering casino games to customers through a website, mobile service, TV or another online service. A software licence or a different gambling activity is not automatically a remote casino operating licence.
Save the register URL and a dated screenshot of the relevant fields.
Step 5: check status and activity
The register explains several possible licence statuses. “Active” means the licence is active and up to date. Other statuses can include pending, expired, forfeited, lapsed, revoked, surrendered or suspended.
Do not treat a pending or inactive record as current authorisation. Also check whether the relevant remote casino activity is current. A business can hold more than one activity, and the presence of any licence does not prove that every product on a site is covered.
What a licence check does and does not prove
A successful match shows that the register connects the business, brand or domain with a relevant current licence record. It does not prove that:
- every bonus claim is accurate;
- every withdrawal will be fast;
- every game suits you;
- the operator has been tested by this site; or
- a dispute will be resolved in your favour.
Read the casino's current terms and account conditions separately. Our age and identity checks guide explains what Great Britain rules require before gambling. Our customer-funds protection guide explains how to read the operator's insolvency disclosure.
If the domain or company does not match
Do not deposit while the mismatch remains unresolved. Record:
- the exact domain;
- the date and time;
- the legal entity stated in the terms;
- the displayed licence number or logo;
- screenshots of the claim; and
- the register search you performed.
Ask the operator for a direct link to its official record and an explanation of the mismatch. Verify that link independently; do not rely on a screenshot supplied by support.
If the operator says only that it has an overseas licence, that does not answer whether it is licensed to serve Great Britain.
If a complaint develops
A licence check is useful before a dispute because it identifies the legal business and complaint route. For a Gambling Commission licensee, complain to the operator first and follow its documented process. The Commission's complaint guidance explains the Great Britain route.
Our casino complaints and ADR guide covers the evidence to keep and the independent dispute stage. A regulator is not the same as a customer-service department and may not decide an individual contractual dispute.
For a site regulated elsewhere, use the complaint procedure published by the verified foreign regulator. Do not send identity or payment documents to an unverified contact.
A repeatable verification record
Keep a short record for each casino you check:
- date checked;
- exact domain;
- legal operator;
- trading name;
- licence account number;
- licence status;
- domain status;
- licensed activity;
- official register URL; and
- screenshots or saved PDFs.
Repeat the check before a later deposit if time has passed, the domain changes or the operator announces a corporate change. Register details and licence status can change.
Sources reviewed
Sources were reviewed on 28 September 2026:
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