
Since the United Kingdom online gambling industry is well-regulated, UK residents have a wide choice of UK casino sites. Left to themselves, they will find it difficult to select the best of these online casinos. This is where BestCasinos.com can help. We have a team of expert reviewers who have visited tons of UK online casinos. They have selected for our database only casino sites licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This means they have to adhere to UK gambling laws and regulations.
Our team of expert reviewers have considered a variety of factors before selecting a UK online casino. In the first place, we make sure to recommend only 100% UK Gambling Commission licensed casinos. According to the gambling laws of the UK, online casinos need to have a UK licence in order to offer real money casino gaming services to UK residents. Any casino operating without a UK Gambling Commission licence is, therefore, operating illegally and should be avoided at any cost.
We also take into consideration software and game fairness. The UK online casinos we recommend have partnered with noted software providers such as Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech, NYX Gaming, and others.
The UK facing operators in our database also offer large welcome bonuses, run lucrative promotions and slots tournaments, support payment methods that are convenient for UK players, and allow UK players to play in GBP. Most of the games at our recommended UK casinos have been developed exclusively for the UK market by software providers that are very popular in the UK.
SHOW MORESHOW MORESHOW LESSA UK resident who wants to gamble online should first register at an online casino.
While doing so, UK residents should make sure that they are signing up at an online casino licensed by the UKGC. It is neither safe nor legal to play online casinos licensed overseas in the UK.
The best option for UK players is to just select one of the carefully researched and reviewed UK online casinos in our database at BestCasinos.com.
The UK legalised online gambling in 2005, and the first licensed casino sites started appearing in the UK two years later. Today, a large number of online casinos operate on a UK licence.
The benefits of playing at UK licensed online casinos are many, as follows:
Things happen fast in iGaming. The prolific industry is transforming rapidly and has thus become an eventful scene. One of these events certainly concerns legal matters, laws and regulations.
In the past couple of years alone, iGaming in the UK has gone through quite a bit of change. Here is a brief timeline of key events.
Near the end of 2018, the UKGC released an announcement related to actively preventing money laundering. Additionally, their remote and non-remote casinos were updated on combating the financing of terrorism. These changes came in to effect on 1 January 2019.
Then in 2019 alone, quite a handful of relevant occurrences took place.
Mid-February 2019, the baton was handed over to customers. Safety and fairness were the focal points. The Commission started to reconsider how “gambling businesses identify and interact with a consumer”. Thus they asked operators and clients to come forward with their feedback.
As a result of the feedback received from users, the UKGC forged a new business plan in April. It concerned some core changes in the operating of its licensees.
In short, these are the key points they highlighted:
The UKGC continued the path with new rules introduced in August 2019. The leading authority body influenced alternative dispute resolution (ADR) with a new set of regulations for licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP). Namely, the new standards regarded customer service, governance, and decision making.
Furthermore, casino operators and similar businesses had to focus more on prevention, treatment, and research. This is because a growing number of problem gamblers started to arise. And as always, the UK Gambling Commission is on top of its game.
However, an unexpected twist of fate occurred before long. Due to the problem gambling allegations, in October, there was a call for a drastic change. The widely popular fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) experienced a never before seen alteration. From as high as £100, the maximum bet was reduced to £2. This caused turmoil and resentment among players. We have yet to see if the stake limit modification will affect players’ habits or just the casinos’ profits.
In return, the UKGC organised a conference during which CEO Neil McArthur spoke about the progress of the Commission.
And while politicians are asking for “radical overhauls” of online casinos, the UKGC is keeping its standards high. In November 2019, the Commission reminded industry stakeholders of the new rules about ADR and LCCP. So it’s keeping an open eye on all activity of its licensees.
For instance, some of the licence holders like William Hill, Bet365 and Flutter participated in what’s been called a “step change”. In plain English, the Commission is attempting to manufacture a more secure gambling environment for all players.
Social responsibility is the quintessential part of the UKGC philosophy. In fact, the Commission recently published results of the survey concerning young gambling. It turned out that 11% of 11 to 16 year olds in the UK in 2019 spend time on gambling. This is a decrease from 14% in 2018. The important part of the survey is that the UKGC does not ignore the presence of this issue. It tracks behaviours, implements changes and penalises those who violate the rules.
Nevertheless, the UKGC continues to do wonders for protecting players from all gambling-related hazards. In the meantime, please gamble responsibly.
The fact is – the UKGC has tightened its grip on diverse standards across the industry. The Commission has a clear aim of keeping gambling safe for everybody, everywhere – on all possible devices.
UK mobile casinos come in two varieties — instant-play mobile casinos and native apps. Instant play mobile casino software is based on HTML5, which makes it compatible with all browsers and devices. Players can play HTML5 games on smartphone, tablet, and desktop browsers without having to download any software.
Native apps, on the other hand, need to be downloaded and installed. Moreover, they work only with the device they are intended for. Owing to the downsides of native apps, a rising number of online casinos are generating apps based on HTML5 technology.
BestCasinos.com recommends the following top three mobile casinos:
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Reputed UK online casinos have their games and software tested by independent auditors on a regular basis and public the reports on their websites. You can view these reports anytime you wish. A few online casinos are provably fair. This means that players can test for fairness anytime they wish, and this makes it very difficult for both players and casinos to cheat. All UK-licensed online casinos make it a priority to pay their customers on time.
The best casinos for UK players are the ones licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. UK licensed casinos are required to follow strict gambling regulations and pay taxes to the UK government. Players can, therefore, rest assured that their money and personal details are safe at these casinos.
Yes, Irish players can play at online casinos licensed in the UK. Irish gambling laws clearly state that it is legal for residents to play at online casinos licensed either in Ireland or overseas.
UK players can request payout through several methods. If they withdraw through credit/debit cards, they will receive their winnings in 3 - 5 days. Electronic wallets are instant withdrawal methods. Bank transfers and cheque withdrawals may take up to 10 days in the UK.
UK players can play in GBPs at all online casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.