How to Get a Gaming Licence

These new UK online casino sites are legit and run under the supervision of the UKGC. We offer an array of resources to help you filter through all UK online casino from one sole list. Together with valuable information about latest online casino offers and much more, our mission is to always provide you with the best online casino choice, based on your own criteria’s. And since online gaming can be addictive, you should also never wager more money than you can afford to lose. 2026 has brought structural shifts to safer gambling regulation, including capped bonus wagering requirements at 10x and a strict ban on mixed-product promotions.

Types of gaming licenses in UK

After receiving a license, the company is required to regularly update its internal policies, submit reports, and notify the regulator of any changes. Before starting operations, set up responsible gaming tools, integration with GAMSTOP, age and personal data verification, as well as transaction monitoring and reporting systems. After successfully passing the check, the UKGC issues a license.

The key difference is that UKGC licensing specifically covers UK players under British law, while the GLA is a Gibraltar-based authority. For full legal protection, stick to UKGC-licensed casinos. Genting Casino — UKGC licensed, one of the UK’s most established gambling brands with physical casino locations nationwide.

The UK gambling landscape is evolving, with UK gambling laws 2025 introducing stricter measures. Adhering to UK casino employer laws fosters a fair and secure workplace. Health and safety rules also apply, requiring safe premises with proper lighting, ventilation, and emergency protocols.

However, to mitigate against gambling-related harm, the reform of the rule also seeks to ensure that a genuine offer of lower staking Category C and D machines remain available for customers. Additionally, the reform seeks to allow operators to reduce their energy costs through the removal of unused but energy intensive Category C and D machines and/or increase GGY through increased numbers of higher yielding Category B machines. This would also apply for in-fill and tablet gaming machines.

The region’s licensing system is valued for its rigor, responsiveness, and faithfulness to the industry’s strict ethical criteria. Player protection, AML procedures, reporting transparency, and responsible gaming frameworks are no longer optional extras. It affects market access, banking relationships, payment processing, player trust, advertising permissions, and long term scalability.

Only people with a right to occupy premises are eligible to apply for a premises licence. 427.These sections prescribe the procedure for making an application for a premises licence. 426.In addition to responsible authorities, a wider group of people may play a role in the premises licensing process under this Part. As responsible authorities they have particular rights to be involved and/or consulted in relation to applications for premises licences and other procedures under this Part. The first two matters are not, and cannot be, delegated to a licensing committee, and must be taken by the authority as a whole.

Colombia has run its regulated online gambling market since 2016 through Coljuegos, which is the national gambling authority of the Republic of Colombia. Operating a fully licensed casino in Brazil is expensive because federal authorisation runs around R$30 million, alongside a required R$30 million in paid-in share capital, and it requires a local Brazilian entity with at least 20% Brazilian shareholding. The best way for those operators who want to target African markets in 2026 is combining a general offshore license like Curaçao or Anjouan with country-specific compliance work for each market they want to enter. Under the new Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), online operators face much higher entry requirements, including a proposed security deposit of up to KSh 200 million.

Under Option 2(a), the Bingo Association has advised that 2 substantial multi-site bingo club operators and several single site operators would be disadvantaged by comparison to the current regime. The evidence provided by this operator projected that under Option 2(a), no further increases in Category B machines could be made, although 5% to 10% of Category C machines and up to 80% of Category D machines could be removed. Option 2(a) had more varied views across bingo operators. While the majority of operators were supportive of Option 2(b), one small multi-site operator stated that this option would be commercially detrimental, requiring it to make an additional 12 Category C or D cabinets available to meet this ratio.

So far, as we’ve already seen, obtaining an online gambling licence can be somewhat tedious and complicated. For operators already with their own licence – a standalone turnkey casino solution can be ideal for full operational control in other jurisdictions. A robust, all-in-one solution for running online casinos. For best results, consider an all-in-one casino platform solution with the expertise to support operators in obtaining international licences that cater to a variety of markets. Every country has unique rules and regulations governing online gambling and betting.

The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement oversees all gambling activities in the state, which also include lotteries and horse racing, the latter of which is still very popular to this day. The government will increase the maximum cap that licensing authorities can charge by 15% through a made negative statutory instrument. As outlined in the consultation, the fees payable for gaming machine notifications and gaming machine permits are not in scope of this review. This change will be made in respect of licensing authorities in England and Wales.

The key distinction to carry into any license assessment is that a license being valid is not the same as it offering meaningful player protection. Normally, it can take anywhere from 22 to 60 weeks, with some exceptions, to obtain gambling licences. Securing a gaming licence can be a complex process involving considerable time, effort, and costs.

The new body was brought in to try to raise the standards of gambling operators in the jurisdiction and to try to rehabilitate the authority’s international reputation. The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) is a relatively new regulatory body that was established to replace Curaçao’s outdated system of master and sub-licenses. The GSC is known for its strict licensing process that focuses on financial transparency and its commitment to protecting players.

The licence holder does not have to take any action other than make sure it adjusts its operation to deliver the changes included in the Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (opens in new tab). More information on licence applications is available from the Commission’s webpage Operating Licences. For non-remote betting facilities, this would be a non-remote general betting (standard) operating licence. The government has indicated that it will not proceed with the other deregulatory changes in Scotland without accompanying protective measures also being in place and is in ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government.

Step 2: Register on the UKGC eServices Portal

The casinos are also easy to use and load faster, with zero lag and buffering, compared to desktop versions. But what are the benefits of using mobile casino sites or casino apps as a UK player, and why should you play at them? These casinos offer both mobile browser sites and downloadable mobile apps that you can get from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The casinos are also built with advanced HTML5 technology that allows them to run smoothly even on mobile devices with smaller screens. The casino also offers an extensive game library with over 3,000 games, including a great selection of live casino games. Pub Casino is another top-rated new online casino in the UK, and it stands out for no-wagering bonuses, particularly no-wagering cashback offers.

• E-wallets are also great for casual players, as well as budgeting, as they allow you to make small deposits to your casino account.
• This guide breaks down the most important iGaming regulatory licenses, grouped by reputation, strictness, cost, and strategic value for operators.
• Part 10 of the Act contains provisions on when such equipment counts as a gaming machine.
• The Estonia casino license allows operators to offer a wide range of online gaming services, including casino games, sports betting, and poker.

For those who want to provide interactive gaming services (online casinos) from the hosting facility in Kahnawake, the regulator issues the so-called Client Provider Authorization license. In fact, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission has four types of gambling licenses issued according to the regulations concerning interactive gaming. In 1996, Kahnawake Gaming Commission was created, which, among other things, provides licenses for online casinos. The new legal system, in particular Interactive Gambling Amendment Act 2017, prohibited the work of foreign casinos without a special Australian license, resulting in lots of gambling businesses leaving the country. However, local legal regulations may be inconsistent, and a country which had no issues with online casinos before may enact a law that blocks the activity of gambling sites on its soil.

Curaçao upgraded its entire licensing law in December 2024 and shut down the old sub-licensing system for good. Introduction Sweepstakes software has become a game-changer in the online Some markets apply broader gambling or consumer protection rules, so legal treatment should be confirmed before launch. It is required by major regulators and should be started before or during the licence application. Do I need a separate licence for every country I operate in?

Georgia recently launched a license built specifically for operators who have no interest in serving Georgian players at all. Is a free-to-play casino app exempt from gambling licence requirements? Which is the best non gamstop casinos best jurisdiction for an online casino gambling licence?

That is why a high-street bookmaker holds a licence both nationally and locally. So the regulator vets the people running the business, not just the company. Any operator targeting Great Britain, wherever it sits in the world, must hold a UKGC operating licence for the activity it offers.

The Gambling Act 2005 is the principal statute for gambling in Great Britain. Guidance, information and policies by the sectors we licence. This includes over 60 compliance and enforcement managers working across Great Britain. The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain. The Government said new licensing safeguards will strengthen public safety… The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published its gambling white paper in April 2023, which set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of the gambling sector.

Protecting children is one of the three licensing objectives, so the rules go beyond a simple age gate. But for any real-money casino or betting activity, 18 is the firm threshold. The legal age for almost all gambling in the UK is 18. Anti-money-laundering (AML) law binds every UK gambling operator, principally the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations.

Additionally, total licensing costs can vary significantly depending on the jurisdiction, which can make some permits financially unattainable for newcomers to the iGaming industry. This includes the ownership structure and management model of the business, the organization’s charter, the identities of key personnel, the legal entity’s financial condition and technical facilities, etc. Successfully completing these initial steps is essential for progressing smoothly through the subsequent licensing stages.

In order to include SSBTs as part of a sportsbook offering, casinos would be required to apply for a remote general betting standard real events licence. Small 2005 Act casinos will also experience a reduction in their required minimum table gaming area, from 500sqm to 250sqm. Despite respondents indicating a preference for venues to be made to reduce their gambling area, we think this is a fair exemption for the small number of casinos that it will apply to.

Where an operator holds an Anjouan license as its only credential, Online.Casino reflects that in the OC Score. The UKGC is one of the most demanding licensing authorities in the world. The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) replaced the previous self-regulated system in 2023 with a centralized licensing regime.

Casino Kings is also one of the top online bingo casinos for UK players, and it offers free bingo games, live bingo rooms, and free multiplayer bingo games. With UKGC licence number 38758, Pub Casino is one of the best new online casinos for UK players. So, before including a casino in our list of the best online casinos for UK players, we examine the variety and quality of games you can play at the casino. Our blacklisted casinos page covers operators that have lost licenses or accumulated verified player complaints that we no longer recommend.