UK Online Casinos

A 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.

Benefits of Playing Online Casinos Licensed and Regulated in the UK

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:

• Safe and secure gambling environment
• Wider choice of game and better payout percentages
• Excellent 24/7 customer support
• Well-regulated casino gaming industry
• Faster payouts
• Better rewards for loyalty
• Generous welcome bonus packages

Responsible Gambling is the Key!

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:

• Protecting the interests of consumers
• Preventing gambling harm to both public and consumers
• Raising the standards of the gambling market
• Optimising returns to good causes from lotteries
• Improving the way they regulate.

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.

Mobile Casinos – Which Are the Best in the UK?

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: