Online casinos in United Kingdom

In Great Britain, yes, for adults aged 18 and over, as long as the site holds a Gambling Commission licence. The rules come from the Gambling Act 2005, as amended in 2014 so that any operator serving British players needs a Commission licence wherever it is based. Northern Ireland is different: it runs under its own 1985 Order, and the Commission does not regulate gambling there apart from the National Lottery.

Scroll to the footer of the site and find the licence statement and its link to the Commission. Then search the Gambling Commission public register by business name, trading name, domain name or account number. Check that the licence status is Active and that the exact domain you are on is listed against that business. If the domain is missing or marked Inactive, do not deposit.

No. The Gambling Commission states that winnings from gambling are tax-free for customers, regardless of the amount won. The tax falls on operators, who pay duties on their gambling profits; Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. This is general information, not tax advice, so speak to an accountant if your situation is unusual, for example if gambling is part of a business.

Since 9 April 2025 the limit has been £5 per game cycle for players aged 25 and over. Since 21 May 2025 players aged 18 to 24 have been limited to £2. The caps apply to online slots only, not to roulette, blackjack or other casino games, and they are a condition on every remote casino licence. Details are in the Commission's stake limit guidance.

No. Licensed gambling businesses have not been allowed to accept credit card payments since 14 April 2020. The ban covers online and land-based gambling, with exceptions only for things like lottery tickets bought in a shop alongside other goods. Operators can only take e-wallet payments if the e-wallet stops credit cards being used for gambling. Debit cards, bank transfers and e-wallets funded from a bank account are the usual alternatives.

GAMSTOP is a free self-exclusion service covering online gambling with operators licensed in Great Britain. You choose 6 months, 1 year or 5 years, and you cannot cancel early. When the period ends the exclusion stays in place until you contact GAMSTOP to remove it, which comes with a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours. You can register at gamstop.co.uk.

Start with the casino's own complaints process; it has 8 weeks from receiving your complaint to resolve it. If you are still unhappy after that, you can take it to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider, which is free and independent. The casino should tell you which ADR provider it uses. If it will not, contact the Gambling Commission, which explains the steps on its how to complain page.