UK Casinos

“Unambiguous” and “strict” are perhaps the most suitable words to use when describing the legal landscape pertaining to online casino gaming in the UK. Online slots, peer-to-peer poker, bingo, and table games are all legal and stringently regulated in the country under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 and the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014. The local regulatory framework is based on the “point-of-consumption” principle. This basically means iGaming businesses based outside the country can service British players remotely but only on condition they first procure licenses from the local regulator, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

• Most Popular UK Casinos
• Legislation
• FAQ
• Deposit Methods
• Credit and Debit Cards
• Digital Wallets
• Instant Banking
• Prepaid Cards and Electronic Vouchers

Apart from issuing licenses, the UKGC is tasked with monitoring for regulatory compliance, imposing penalties on violators, and protecting the British public from gambling-related harm. The body also provides statutory guidance and publishes codes of practice to ensure a secure and fair online gambling environment for all local players. Over 800 local and foreign businesses are currently authorized by the Commission to provide online gaming and betting to UK players of legal gambling age (18 years old and above). On this page, we have singled out 30 of the best online casinos licensed by the British watchdog to assist UK players in making an informed choice. Continue reading for further information on the online gambling legislation in the country, the payment methods available to Britons, and the most popular games offered by UKGC-licensed casinos.

Most Popular UK Casinos

As already mentioned, the UK online gaming market offers a number of online casinos, each one having irresistible promotions and high-quality games. Many players struggle to make up their mind in which online casino to play as they simply do not know which one is to be trusted. Therefore, let’s review some of the leading online casinos and their best features and see why there are considered to be the best on the current market.

This is the reason why we have carefully selected some of the top-quality online casinos that accept players from the United Kingdom. All of them are best known for having fair software system, high-quality customer support and fast payouts. They offer the most commonly used deposit and withdrawal options which enable UK citizens to choose the most convenient for them payment method. Moreover, in most cases no additional fees apply and players’ funds are processed instantly and securely.

Legislation

Casino Deposit Methods

Games & Live Dealers

Most Popular UK Casinos

Legislation

It should not come as a surprise that the United Kingdom offers many different forms of gambling since it is considered one of the major gaming industries. Nowadays, any gambling activity that is offered to UK residents is strictly regulated and monitored by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) that was set up under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005. As a result, the commercial gambling in the country changed significantly as a number of new opportunities were created.

Prior to 2014, online casinos that were not based in the UK could offer their services to British residents without having to acquire a licence. Today, in order to provide gambling services to residents of the country, even remote operators and casinos have to be approved and licensed by the authority. It is important to note that all gambling enthusiasts who reside within the UK are allowed to participate in any online gambling and betting activity, as long as it is licensed and regulated. This includes online casinos, sportsbooks and racebooks, lottery and bingo sites, as well as online poker rooms.

Every online casino that provides gaming services to UK players is subject to a verification process conducted by the UK Gambling Commission in order to obtain a valid license. Only on the condition that it has successfully met all requirements and it has proven to be trustworthy and fair, it is granted an operating license. This is the reason why it is essential to always check whether an online casino holds such a license as it is a clear indicator of its credibility. Casinos are obligated to display on their websites all relevant information regarding their licences.

However, several jurisdictions are allowed to advertise and offer gambling services on the territory of the United Kingdom. These include countries within the European Economic Area (EEA), Alderney (The Alderney Gambling Control Commission), Antigua and Barbuda (The Directorate of Offshore Gaming), Gibraltar (The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner), Isle of Man (The Gambling Supervision Commission), and Tasmania (The Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission).

While the regulations in the UK affect only gambling operators, customers need to know that underage gambling is strictly prohibited. This means that only UK residents aged 18 or older can gamble legally. On the other hand, gambling winnings are not considered taxable income, so casino players do not need to pay taxes on any winnings generated from playing real-money games.

FAQ

Deposit Methods

Most of the online casinos in the UK offer its players the opportunity to choose among a large number of payment methods. Online users can make deposits into their casino accounts not only securely but also instantly. Due to the growing demand for online payment services on the Internet gaming market, a number of new payment methods have emerged as well. Nowadays, it is so easy and convenient to pay online that it is no wonder why web-based casinos are gaining so much popularity.

Some of the most popular and reliable payment methods that are accepted at a number of reputable online casinos are credit and debit cards, EntroPay, Paysafecard, EcoPayz, Instant Banking by Citadel, AstroPay Card, Euteller, Neteller, Trustly, PayPal, Skrill, iDeal, Instadebit, WebMoney, Wire Transfer and others. Thanks to the huge diversity of payment solutions, players have the chance to choose their most trusted one. Some methods can be used for making deposits only, whereas others offer both options for withdrawing money and funding a casino account.

It is worth noting that the available deposit methods differ from one casino to another which is the reason why it is best if players check their payment options in advance. The same goes for the processing time as well as for the fees that apply, as in most cases, these specific details also vary, depending on the payment solution. There are a number of available methods such as Visa, Skrill, or Neteller that transfer funds instantly and securely.

Credit and Debit Cards

Almost all reputable online casinos offer MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards as a way to fund your casino account and withdraw your winnings. Unless your bank has strict policies against using its cards for gambling-related activities, you will be able to make instant and extremely safe deposits into your gaming balance. While some cards have the conventional card number, CVC/CVV code, and expiration date, there are additional tools for enhancing the security of cards. Free services such as „Verified by Visa” and MasterCard’s „SecureCode” help customers protect themselves from online fraud. They add another level of validation by personal passwords.

Credit and debit cards can also be used for withdrawing winnings from UK online casinos, as well. It takes 2 to 5 days for the transactions to be processed, depending on the bank and the casino. In some cases, withdrawals to MasterCard-branded cards may be canceled by the card issuing institution. Other options that are also available in certain casinos are Discover and Amex cards.

Digital Wallets

Digital or e-wallets, as they are also called, have become extremely popular among online casino players, because they offer instant transactions, high levels of security and accessibility. They function easily – customers create an online account, fund it through their online banking or credit card, and then, they can use it for online payments and deposits into web-based casinos. The great thing about e-wallets is that casino deposits show up immediately into your gaming balance, while withdrawals are processed within a few hours or on the next day. There are no service fees and the transfer is totally secure.

The e-wallets, available to UK-based casino players, are Skrill (previously known as Moneybookers), Neteller, PayPal, ClickandBuy, Click2Pay, and WebMoney.

Instant Banking

Many instant banking or direct online banking service providers have been established in the past few years, allowing online users to make instant payments directly from their bank accounts without sharing any banking details with the merchants. These service providers are typically local or regional and act as intermediaries between banks and online merchants or casinos. While banks process payments within days, these new products shorten this time frame to mere minutes.

Casino players in the UK can use Citadel and Sofort, while other similar services are available to players residing elsewhere. InstaDebit and iDebit, for instance, are popular online payment methods for Canadian players, POLi is available to players in Australia and New Zealand, Euteller is for residents of Finland, and Przelewy24 is a Polish direct online banking service provider. Some of these services require customers to open an account and link it to their bank account, while others are readily available, as long as the user has an account at a bank they work with. It should be noted that not all instant banking service providers can process withdrawals from online casino accounts, so players should always check in advance.

Prepaid Cards and Electronic Vouchers

Another popular method to fund a casino gaming balance is via prepaid cards. There are many products of this type available to UK-based players – some of them are plastic cards, which can be purchased from local shops and kiosks, while others are available only as virtual cards or vouchers. Since these cards are prepaid, they help customers control their spending (which is extremely important in online gambling, in particular). They are loaded with a fixed amount of funds and usually can be used until these funds are depleted. Some prepaid cards can be re-loaded and used almost like debit cards.

However, the typical prepaid voucher or card is a disposable payment method which can be used only for depositing into online casinos and not withdrawing your winnings. Among the most popular prepaid solutions on the market right now are Paysafecard, Entropay, ecoPayz and AstroPay. In some cases, these companies also offer e-wallet products, which allow withdrawals to be made, as well.

Popular Games & Live Dealers

Every leading online casino offers a broad selection of top-notch online games that players can enjoy at the comfort of their home. Some of the most popular ones include Video Poker, Craps, Slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Live Dealer Games and others. The quality and the diversity of the online games available at casinos greatly depend on their software provider and thus, the best casinos are the ones that cooperate with prominent software developers. Microgaming, Playtech, Amaya, NetEnt, Evolution Gaming have proven to be some of the best software providers on the current online gaming market.

Casino games have changed dramatically since the rise of online casinos. One of the best types of games, and certainly the most popular one, is online slots. The slots released today have amazing graphics, impressive animations and unique gameplay that includes complete storylines, different levels, achievements, great characters and soundtracks, etc. Of course, most of the popular online slots also come with free spins, bonus rounds, and plenty of other surprises for the players. Some games also feature progressive jackpots – networked jackpots that increase with every bet placed on the particular game. Logically, the popular progressive slots are those that are the largest ones.

All kinds of virtual table and card games can also be found in online casinos – roulette, blackjack, and baccarat are real classics, but most gambling websites add craps, various dice games, and of course, poker. All these come in different versions where the rules, bet limits and payouts may be slightly different, while usually, the designs vary considerably from one software provider to the other. Video poker is an odd category of casino games, which despite looking similar to slots, is in fact, based on the rules of traditional table poker. This game has existed for more than 30 years and today, UK online casinos offer dozens of its variations.

One of the biggest innovations of the online casinos is the live dealer games. It did not take much time for them to gain in popularity and to become the most played games on the Internet. The reason why is that live games provide players with the opportunity to get an extremely realistic feeling as if they were in an actual land-based casino. In most cases, they are hosted by well-presented dealers who operate the game in real time. Moreover, players are able to witness the whole gaming process thanks to the advance live streaming technology most online casinos use. Some of the most popular live dealer games are Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Live Roulette and Live Poker. Players also have the chance to try a number of interesting variations and diversify their online gaming experience significantly.

In order to be fair and random, virtual casino games (and some live games) are based on a Random Number Generator (RNG). It brings the needed peace of mind to players, so they can be certain that the outcome of the game is not determined in advance. This technology comprises of algorithms that generate long, random sequences of numbers determined by a fixed number, the so-called seed value. This happens all the time – thousands of time each second, which means that even when you are not playing a casino game, its RNG inside is still working. Interestingly enough, once you hit the Spin button on a slot machine, for instance, the RNG software picks a random number and the outcome of the spin is already determined. Everything else such as the spinning rees is a visual representation.

It has never been so easy and accessible to enjoy some of the casino classics without the need to go to a brick and mortar casino. Most online casinos have a mobile platform that is compatible with a large number of modern devices, meaning that players can even enjoy their favorite games on the move. There are two options for mobile casinos – those that open in the browsers of phones and tablets, and those that open through a native application, specifically created for this purpose. While some customers prefer to download and install a casino app on their phone, an increasing number of online casinos switch from Flash-based lobbies to HTML5, which means such mobile casinos will be just as good as applications, or even better.

Blackjack

Roulette

Baccarat

Slots

Poker

Video Poker

Craps

Deposit Methods