How To Check A UK Casino Licence

To check a UK casino licence, find the operator in the Gambling Commission’s public register and compare its record with the website you intend to use. Check the exact domain, current licence status and permitted activities before opening an account. A familiar logo or a licence number in a footer is a starting point, but it does not complete the check.

How to find casino licensing details

Scroll to the bottom of the casino website and read its legal notice. Look for the company operating the service, its Gambling Commission account number and a link to its register entry. The Commission’s guidance on opening an account shows where this information normally appears. More than one account number can appear where multiple licences apply.

Copy the domain from your address bar as well. A brand can use different websites for different markets, so an operator named on another country’s version may not answer your question. Keep the actual address in your notes, including its ending. Do not rely on a brand name copied from a search result.

How to check an online casino licence step by step

1. Open the official business register

You can follow the casino’s licence link, but check that the hostname in your address bar is exactly gamblingcommission.gov.uk or www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk. Alternatively, open the register independently using the link above. A logo, a screenshot or a page hosted by the casino is not the live register entry.

2. Search using the details you collected

The register accepts a business name, trading name, domain or account number. Use the account number if one is supplied, then compare the result with the company named on the website. If a brand search fails, try its legal operator instead. Similar names are not enough to establish a match.

3. Compare the website and operator

Open the business record and inspect its domains and trading names. Check the address you intend to visit, not just another familiar brand on the list. If you were redirected to a different domain, check that final address too.

The Commission’s before-you-gamble checklist specifically recommends matching the website’s licence details, activities and domains against the register. A company name that matches while the website address does not still needs investigation.

4. Check the licence and the relevant activity

Read the current licence status, then examine the permitted activities. For an online casino, check the relevant remote casino permission rather than assuming that any gambling licence covers the service. The Commission distinguishes remote, non-remote and ancillary operating licences in its operating licence guidance.

Keep licence status separate from domain status. The register may label a domain “Active”, “Inactive” or “White label”. Those labels are not substitutes for checking the licence and activity details.

5. Read any regulatory action in context

Follow any action linked from the record and read its date, subject and outcome. A historical notice and the current status answer different questions. Avoid treating an old suspension announcement as a complete account of what happened afterwards, or an active licence as proof that no action has ever occurred.

6. Save what you checked

Keep the register link, operator name, domain and date of your check. This gives you a reference if the legal notice changes later. Reopen the record when you return after a long break or notice a new operator name. A saved screenshot records one moment; it cannot confirm today’s position.

What the licence status tells you

Use the definitions alongside the register’s status fields. The most useful distinctions are these.

A result appearing in a search does not itself establish current permission. The Commission retains licence records for three years after a licence ends. It also retains published sanctions and settlements for three years. The register is therefore useful for checking recent history, but it is not a complete lifetime record of a business.

What to do when the details do not match

Domain and trading-name data are supplied by businesses, and the Commission does not guarantee their accuracy. If a discrepancy remains, hold off depositing and seek clarification. Keep the URL and the conflicting wording so you can explain exactly what needs checking.

If you suspect unlawful gambling activity, the Commission’s guidance on gambling businesses provides its reporting route. A report about suspected wrongdoing is separate from asking the casino to explain its own terms.

Check the market as well as the licence

This guide concerns Gambling Commission checks for consumers in Great Britain, meaning England, Scotland and Wales. The Commission’s operating licence guidance says that businesses providing remote gambling and advertising to consumers in Great Britain need its licence. An overseas licence logo alone does not establish that permission.

Use the legal notice and terms for the version of the website available to you. If the footer lists several regulators, identify which company and licence apply to that service. Do not choose whichever badge looks most reassuring while ignoring the account terms.

What a licence check cannot tell you

A licence check addresses the operator and its permissions. It does not promise that you will win, receive an instant withdrawal or qualify for an advertised offer. Read the account, withdrawal and bonus terms separately before deciding whether to register.

It also does not establish that two brands share balances, login details or offer eligibility. If the same operator appears on several records, our guide to how casino sister sites are connected explains the relationship question. The sister-site bonus eligibility guide covers the separate conditions that can affect an offer.