How we research casinos using their public pages
Our own findings about named casinos come from each operator’s website, read on a recorded date: the licence in its footer and the figures in its bonus terms. Where our check cannot find a term, we say so rather than guess.
We have not opened accounts or moved money at the operators we list, and we have not verified the offers and payout times shown for them. The methodology page sets out exactly what has been checked and what has not.
What our casino research covers, and its limits
Is the licence on the regulator’s records?
Checked on the regulator’s own records, not on a badge. Fifteen of the sixteen operators we list appear there; the sixteenth states a licence on its own pages only.
Do different casino brands share a company and licence?
When two brands name the same company and the same licence number, the same licence stands behind both. Thirteen of our sixteen fall into five such groups.
The bonus terms that decide a payout
The wagering multiple and what it applies to, the maximum win, the maximum stake and any monthly withdrawal cap. For most operators, our check found none of them on the pages it could read.
Which casino services have we not checked?
Withdrawals, verification and support have not been tested, and the offers and payout times shown for each operator have not been verified. Anything unverified is labelled that way.
What UK protections are missing outside GamStop?
“Nongamstop” describes what a casino is not — taking part in GamStop, the UK’s online self-exclusion scheme. It means the operator is not working inside the British licensing system, so protections you may assume exist do not reach you there. British law still requires any operator serving customers in Great Britain to hold a Gambling Commission licence; being offshore does not change that.
What each offshore regulator actually enforces is in MGA versus Curaçao, and how to check a licence yourself is in the licence check.
What a British licence requires, and since when
Casinos outside GamStop are outside all of this, not only the self-exclusion scheme. These are Gambling Commission rules for operators licensed in Great Britain, with the dates they took effect.
| Rule for operators licensed in Great Britain | In force since |
|---|---|
| Age verified before you can deposit or gamble; name, address and date of birth verified before you can gamble | 7 May 2019 |
| Signed up to GamStop, the online self-exclusion scheme | 31 March 2020 |
| No gambling with credit cards | 14 April 2020 |
| A financial vulnerability check once deposits minus withdrawals pass £150 in a rolling 30 days, unless a qualifying check was made in the previous 12 months | 28 February 2025 |
| Online slots limited to £5 a spin | 9 April 2025 |
| … and to £2 a spin for players aged 18 to 24 | 21 May 2025 |
| Bonus wagering capped at ten times the bonus | 19 January 2026 |
| Free independent dispute resolution for a qualifying dispute after eight weeks of the complaints process, or sooner once the operator gives its final position | Standing requirement |
None of these guarantees a good experience, and none prevents harm on its own. They are the floor. Offshore, the floor is whatever the operator’s own licence and terms provide — which is why the licence check comes first. Sources: the Gambling Commission’s record of licence-condition changes and its guidance on slot stake limits.
Help with casino withdrawals, verification and complaints
A withdrawal that will not move, a verification that keeps failing, a balance that vanished, a licence that does not check out. None of these pages carries an affiliate link — a page written for someone in trouble should not also be selling to them.
One page earns commission. The guides do not.
Affiliate links appear on a single page: the comparison of sixteen operators. If you open an account through one of them, the operator may pay us. That page says so above the content, and the affiliate disclosure explains how casino commission works — including the uncomfortable part, that it can grow as referred customers lose.
What commission does not touch is the record. A licence is either on a regulator’s record or it is not, and we list only operators for which we found one: fifteen of the sixteen are on a regulator’s records, and one states its licence only on its own pages. If you think we have something wrong, tell us: corrections are made on the page, with the date.
Common questions
Can GamStop be cancelled early?
No. A GamStop exclusion cannot be deactivated before the minimum period you chose — six months, one year or five years — has ended. When that period ends it does not lapse by itself: removing it takes GamStop’s own process and a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours.
Are gambling winnings taxed in the UK?
Generally not, for an individual. HMRC does not treat ordinary gambling as a trade, so winnings are not taxed as trading income, and they are not chargeable gains for Capital Gains Tax. The other side of that is that gambling losses cannot be set against other income.
Will the Gambling Commission help if an offshore casino will not pay?
No. It regulates operators licensed in Great Britain, and even for those it is a regulator, not an ombudsman — it does not recover customers’ money. It does take reports of unlicensed gambling aimed at people in Great Britain.
How can I block the sites GamStop does not cover?
Install a device-level blocker — BetBlocker is free, GAMBAN is paid — and switch on your bank’s gambling block if it has one: HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds, Santander, Monzo, Starling, TSB, Nationwide, Bank of Scotland and first direct all describe one. The National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day.
Does this site test the casinos it lists?
No. We record what each operator publishes on its own website, with dates, and say plainly what we have not checked. We have not opened accounts or made withdrawals, and we do not rate operators.
If you registered with GamStop, this site is not for you
Self-exclusion is a decision you made about yourself at a point when the problem was clear. Looking for operators that ignore it is worth treating as information about where things stand, not as a workaround.
BetBlocker (free) and GAMBAN (paid) can block gambling sites at device level, including many that GamStop does not reach. The National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133.
