Remote gambling licence UK

What a remote gambling licence is in the UK

The Gambling Act 2005 divides gambling into "non-remote" (in a venue, face to face or on a machine you can touch) and "remote" (over the internet, by phone or through any other remote communication). A business offering the second kind needs a remote operating licence from the Gambling Commission. Unlike a high-street casino, an online casino needs no council premises licence, because it has no premises.

An operating licence is not a single blanket permission. It lists one or more licence activities, and each activity has its own conditions and fees. The Commission's guide to licence activities (opens in a new tab) treats the remote casino operating licence as its own activity, so a company licensed only for online betting cannot legally run online slots. More background sits in our UK rules section.

Types of remote licence and what each allows

Many brands hold several activities on one account. PlayOJO's operator, for example, has held a casino licence since 2014 and added bingo in February 2020, according to its register entry. Senior staff also need their own Personal Management Licences, which cost £463 and must be renewed every five years; the roles covered were widened on 29 November 2024.

Who needs a UK remote gambling licence

The short rule is in the Commission's guide to operating licences (opens in a new tab): remote providers that advertise to consumers in Britain need a Commission licence. Since 1 November 2014, under the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, this has applied wherever the operator is based. Before then, some overseas sites could serve British players on foreign licences. The change is known as point of consumption licensing.

• Location of the company. There is no requirement to be incorporated in a particular country, but a UK address for service is required.
• Location of the player. What triggers the requirement is offering gambling to people in Britain. Northern Ireland is outside the Commission's reach.
• Suppliers as well as casinos. Game makers need licences too, and the Commission holds them to account if their games reach British players through the wrong channels. In July 2026 Evolution Malta Holding agreed to pay £4.75m after its games reached British players through unlicensed sites.

What a remote casino licence obliges the operator to do

The licence is a contract with conditions. By accepting it, the operator agrees to the licence conditions and codes of practice and the remote technical standards. These are the obligations you are most likely to notice.

What the licence means for the cost of play

A licence does not lower the house edge, but it fixes it. Online games may not be adaptive or "compensated": outcomes cannot be adjusted to hit a target return, and the rules, payouts and probabilities cannot change while a game is available. So a slot that displays a 96% RTP returns £96 for every £100 staked over the very long run, and the expected cost of £100 of spins is £4. Your own session can land far above or below that figure; the licence guarantees the maths, not the result. Our page on RTP explains why short sessions swing so much.

Remote licences held by the casinos we cover

Every casino on this site holds a Commission remote casino licence. The details below come from the Commission's register. Where a footer shows a Gibraltar or Malta licence, that is an additional licence; the British one is the one on the register.

Two of these operators have faced Commission action in the past. Skill On Net agreed a £305,150 settlement in May 2023 for social responsibility and anti-money-laundering failures, and Blue Star Planet faced a £620,000 regulatory action in February 2023, as the Commission's notices on Skill On Net (opens in a new tab) and Blue Star Planet (opens in a new tab) record. Register entries may not list every past settlement, so the Commission's news pages are worth checking too.

How to check a remote gambling licence in the UK

1. Find the operator's company name and Commission account number, usually in the site footer or terms.
2. Search the Commission's public register (opens in a new tab) by account number, company name, trading name or domain.
3. Confirm the licence status reads Active. Expired, Suspended, Revoked or Surrendered all mean you should not play.
4. Check the activities list includes remote casino if you want slots or table games.
5. Open the domain names tab and make sure the exact address you are using is listed as active.
6. Read the regulatory actions tab, then search the Commission's news pages for the company name.

Licensed against unlicensed: what you lose offshore

Unlicensed sites that target British players are acting illegally, and the difference shows up the moment something goes wrong.

If a site you have never heard of takes credit card deposits, has autoplay on slots or sells feature buy-ins (not offered to British players since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020), that alone suggests it is not licensed for Britain. Our answer on whether online casinos are legal in the UK covers the position for players.

What a UK remote licence does not promise

• Not a quality rating. A licence is a minimum standard. It says nothing about game choice, withdrawal speed or customer service.
• Not absolute protection of your balance. Customer funds can be rated not protected, medium or high. At a "not protected" operator, your balance counts as a company asset if it goes bust; since 31 October 2025 such operators must remind you every six months. Our customer funds page explains the ratings.
• Not a winning chance. Every licensed game still has a house edge, so losses are likely over time.
• Not cover in Northern Ireland. The Commission's rules apply to Great Britain only; see our Northern Ireland page.

Licensed casinos and their current welcome offers

The three offers below come from casinos whose licences are listed above. They are slot offers, unrelated to licensing, and 18+ and full terms apply.

• Coral Casino: new players who deposit (some methods excluded) and bet £10 or more on slots get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days. Free spin winnings have no wagering. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify.
• PlayOJO: new UK customers, excluding Northern Ireland, receive 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each after a first deposit of £10 or more. No wagering applies and winnings are paid as cash; the offer can't be combined with others and is available only through the designated link.
• Ladbrokes Casino: new customers who deposit and spend £10 or more on slots get 50 free spins a day for the first 10 days, up to 500, each worth 10p on selected games. Claim them before 23:59 each day; they last 7 days and carry no wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits are excluded.

Coral and Ladbrokes share one licence holder, so you may not be able to claim new-customer offers at both.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.