How to Check a Gambling Site Has a UK Gambling Licence
To check that a gambling site is licensed for UK players, find the licence number in the site footer and match it against the UK Gambling Commission's public register. The register is the official record, so you are checking the operator's claim against the regulator, not trusting a logo. It takes a couple of minutes and is worth doing before you hand over card details or identity documents.
Step by step
- Scroll to the footer. A site offering gambling to people in Great Britain should state that it is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission and show a licence number, along with the name of the company that holds it.
- Note the company name and the number. The company named in the footer and in the terms and conditions should be the licence holder, not just the brand on the front of the site.
- Open the Commission's site. Go to gamblingcommission.gov.uk and use the public register search, searching by licence number or operator name.
- Compare. The register should show the same company, an active licence, and the website or brand names it operates under. If something does not match, treat the site as unlicensed until proved otherwise.
Do not rely on a footer badge being clickable or looking official; badges can be copied. Always reach the register yourself, rather than through a link on the site you are checking.
What a Malta or Curacao licence means for UK players
Malta, Curacao and a number of other jurisdictions issue their own gambling licences. Those are real licences in those places, but a licence from elsewhere is not a UK licence. Under British law, a company offering remote gambling to people in Great Britain needs to hold a Gambling Commission licence. A site that holds only an overseas licence while accepting UK players is operating outside the UK system.
For you, that means that the rules built around the UK licence do not apply in the same way. Without UK oversight you may have no access to the UK's approved dispute services, the site may not take part in GAMSTOP, and the Commission cannot enforce its conditions on how your money, your data and your limits are handled.
Red flags
- No licence number, or a number that does not match the company name on the register.
- Claims that the site is available to people who have self-excluded, or marketing along the lines of "not on GAMSTOP".
- Offers to let you play with no identity checks at all.
- No named company, no address and no complaints procedure in the terms.
- Slot stakes above the UK caps of £5 (or £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds), which is explained in our guide to slots.
- Pressure to deposit quickly or payment only by routes you do not recognise.
Common ways licence claims get blurred
Some sites word things carefully. A footer might say the company is "registered" somewhere, "audited" by a testing house, or "licensed" in another country, all without ever stating that it holds a UK licence. Others display the licence of a sister company, or a number belonging to an older brand. The test is always the same: the operator named in the terms, the brand you are using and the entry on the register need to line up, and the entry needs to say the licence is active.
It is also worth checking that the licence covers the right activity. The register lists what each licence permits, such as remote casino or betting, so a licence for one type of activity does not automatically cover another. If you cannot find the operator after a careful search, try the company name from the terms rather than the brand name, as the two often differ.
What you are protected by if it is licensed
A UK licence brings conditions rather than guarantees. Licensed operators must verify your identity, offer tools such as deposit limits, participate in GAMSTOP, publish fair terms, and provide a complaints route to an approved dispute resolution body. They must also be clear about how customer funds are protected. None of that stops you losing money on a game, but it does mean there is a process if something goes wrong.
What to do
- Check the licence number on the register before signing up, not after a problem.
- Screenshot the register entry if you want a record.
- If a site you already use fails the check, withdraw what you can and stop depositing.
- Report unlicensed sites to the Commission through its website.
- Compare how reputable operators present bonus terms before you decide where to play.
If you want to see what a good set of safer-gambling tools looks like, start at responsible gambling. You must be 18 or over to gamble, and no licence check removes the risk of losing.