Licence Check
A licence badge on a casino’s own footer proves nothing — anyone can paste a logo. Look the operator up on the regulator’s own register instead.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the regulator for any operator accepting players in Great Britain. Every UKGC licence has a unique account number, an issue date, a trading name, and a status (active, suspended, or revoked). The public register is updated within 24 hours of any change. We link to it directly from each row below.
If a casino claims to be UKGC-licensed and is not on the public register, treat that as the strongest possible signal to avoid it. Operating without a licence is a criminal offence under the Gambling Act 2005, and player funds at unlicensed sites are not protected.
Regulator registers
Not all licences are equal. What a regulator can actually do for you when a casino refuses to pay varies enormously.
Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (Spain)
Strong protectionSpanish licence. Bonuses restricted until identity is verified.
Open the DGOJ registerGibraltar Regulatory Authority
Strong protectionSmall licensee list, heavily vetted. Mostly long-established operators.
Open the Gibraltar registerMalta Gaming Authority
Strong protectionPlayer funds protection and a formal complaints process. Widely recognised across the EU.
Open the MGA registerSpelinspektionen (Sweden)
Strong protectionSwedish licence. One bonus per player for life, Spelpaus enrolment.
Open the Spelinspektionen registerUK Gambling Commission
Strong protectionSegregated player funds, mandatory dispute resolution, GamStop enrolment. The strongest protection available.
Open the UKGC registerBeyond the UK: MGA, GGL, AGCO and other regulators
UKGC covers Great Britain only. Operators serving other UK crown dependencies, EU markets, or Canadian provinces typically hold a licence from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Germany's GGL, the Dutch KSA, or Ontario's iGaming Ontario. These regulators run their own public registers with comparable information.
For players in Ireland, the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 is being phased in; most licensed operators serving Ireland currently hold an MGA or UKGC licence while the local regulator ramps up. For players in Australia, the domestic online casino market is closed and offshore licences (typically Curaçao) do not carry the same player protection standards.
If a casino claims a licence but you cannot find it on the relevant public register, do not deposit. The licence badge itself proves nothing — only a live entry on the regulator's own database proves the licence is real.