This is a picture of the facade of Grosvenor Casino in Blackpool, one of the bigger casinos of the UK (details, address, opening hours, dress code, entrance fee and a video of it can be found in the casino list on this page). Under this picture, on this page, you can find a list of the top 10 best rated and biggest terrestrial UK casinos, info about the legal status of gaming venues, slot halls, their taxation regime, licensing system, and you can find a list of UK licensed online casinos, which accept players from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

UK Casino Guide

This is a guide to brick and mortar as well as online casinos in United Kingdom (officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, UK for short, an ex member of the EU, Europe’s second biggest economy, with a population of 67 million, and has very strict gambling laws). Find out which are the best land-based casinos and licensed online casino sites in the UK, or learn more about the legal status of casino gambling in the country.

UPDATE 2022: The 3 British crown dependencies have received their own standalone casino pages, you can find them here: Isle of Man, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey. This should make the guide a little bit less complicated and shorter. This guide only focuses on casinos in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

 

Contents:

 

Online casinos in the UK

Legal status of digital casinos in the UK: legal since 2005, operators require a licence

 

Detailed legal status of internet casinos in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and in the Channel Islands:

Territory:  Online casinos:
Great Britain (Scotland+England+Wales) legal
Northern Ireland not regulated
Isle of Man legal
Bailiwick of Guernsey legal
Bailiwick of Jersey legal

 

Online casinos are legal in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and in the British Crown Dependencies since 2005, expect in Northern Ireland, where the outdated gambling legislation does not really address casino games over the internet.

Players can play freely online from the UK in licensed online casinos. Even in Northern Ireland players can freely use UK licensed casino websites, even though online gambling is not regulated by the NI gambling legislation.

The main piece of the gambling legislation, which regulates online casinos is the 2005 Gaming Act1, and the second most important act is the 2014 Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Bill2, which modernized and overhauled the UK online gambling sector.

The 2014 bill introduced new stricter standards for online gambling operators within the UK. This resulted in very strict laws, but they opened up the online gambling sector for private operators, in compliance with the EU directives. This allowed the authorities to block and prosecute unlicensed offshore online gambling companies.

Prior to 2014 foreign online gambling operators could accept players from the country without a licence or paying taxes (due to various EU laws restricting the UK authorities to effectively combat them, namely Article 56 TFEU3 and Article 8 of Directive 98/34/EC).

This was a golden age for the unlicensed offshore operators, and it made many online gambling companies very rich (and the government missed out on a significant amount of taxes, these companies were all registered and based in offshore tax havens and they didn’t pay any taxes in the UK, many of them reportedly had ties to organized crime groups).

/Comment: It might appear very strange that they allowed these rouge internet gambling companies to operate for so long, but the truth is, their hands were tied. Because of the EU they couldn’t properly block or prosecute these unscrupulous companies./

Only licensed casino websites with a UK, so called, remote gambling licence can accept players legally from the UK (you can see a list of digital casino websites, which accept players from the UK below). Playing in unlicensed online casinos is illegal.

The British ISPs (internet service providers) block unlicensed  gambling websites. And British financial institutions block transactions to and from offshore operators.

UPDATE 2021: Due to changes in regulations, laws regarding online gambling, Paypal will be the main way to pay or receive money in online casinos going forward, for UK players. Starting from 2020 April 14 it will be the standard form of payment in UK licensed casinos, and credit cards will be phased out slowly, over the years.

The UK license application process is one of the strictest in the world and UK licensees also need to go through frequent stringent audits by the Gambling Commission. Therefore, any internet casino in possession of a UK licence can be considered secure and reliable.

The UK remote licence is one of the best licences in the world with many player protection mechanisms in place.

/Comment: But it’s definitely not pro-business. They require fundamental changes to how the company conducts its activities, not just in the UK, but also worldwide, therefore not many companies are actually willing to get a UK licence and subject themselves to the scrutiny of the Gambling Commission. 

Additionally, because of the high costs associated with compliance, and the high cost of licensing fees and high tax rates, only the biggest gambling companies are able to afford a UK licence./

By scrolling below you can find a list of online casinos, which accept UK players.

 

Can tourists play online while visiting the United Kingdom?

Yes, tourists, expats (or illegal migrants) can play online freely while enjoying their stay in the country. Although, the ISPs (internet service providers) still block unlicensed gambling websites regardless, as long as you are using the UK internet infrastructure.

 

Online casino licensing and regulatory body of the UK: 

Great Britain online casino licensing

The Gambling Commission of Great Britain is responsible for issuing online casino licences to gambling companies all throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. You have to contact them if you want to set up any sort of digital casino business in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (overseas territories and crown dependencies have their own licensing systems in place).

Licensing fees and requirements can be found in the 2014 Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act and on the Gambling Commission’s website.

A gambling company will need to acquire an operating licence and key personnel also need to be licensed as well.

The online gambling licensing procedure has been streamlined in 2014, and it has been made much easier and even cheaper, compared to the complicated, lengthy and expensive brick & mortar casino licensing process (see below, in the UK land-based casinos section).

 

The three main types of licences are:

Non-remote (a.k.a land-based, terrestrial), remote (online) and ancillary (e.g.: software provider). An online casino will need a remote licence.

Remote (a.k.a online, digital) licence is valid for:

  • online casino gambling
  • online poker
  • online bingo
  • online slots
  • online betting
  • binary options or other types of financial betting (this also requires other types of licences related to online trading)

 

The license is a type of “pick and choose” licence. You can put together what type of activities you need, and then calculate the cost of the licence using the help of their online calculator here.

However, you can’t combine activities from the various different types .

/Comment: E.g.: If you are developing and supplying online casino games but you are also operating an online casino you need an ancillary and a remote licence. That’s two separate procedures, two different licenses, twice the fees, and time./

Costs are usually in the millions of GBP, per year, for a full fledged online gambling website. If you don’t have that sort of capital, it’s best to not even start the process.

 

Northern Ireland gambling licensing system

Online gambling licenses are not issued in Norther Ireland (except online lottery, but that is a monopoly of the UK National Lottery, private companies can not apply). The licenses issued by the UK Gambling Commission are valid within NI as well, and they allow companies to accept players from the territory. No special licensing requirement or fees, the same as above.

 

UK gambling whitelist

Online gambling operators, which are licensed in one of the countries on the whitelist are legally allowed to advertise in and accept players from the UK and Northern Ireland.

These countries are:

 

Additionally, every country, which is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) qualifies as well (UPDATE: this hasn’t changed after the Brexit). Because of their privileged position all of these locations became selective online gambling hubs, and licenses issued by them are very much coveted by online gambling companies.

 

Free advertisement for licensed local lawyers, law firms from this country

Get featured on this website, here, just right under the taxation section. Advertise your services, get a link to your own website, or the law firm's website you work for, on a page that is visited by businessmen, company representatives looking for help with: setting up a gambling business, licensing, setting up a company, help with an existing gambling business, consulting etc....
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.

How to get featured

In order to get the free placement you must have a website (social media profile is not enough). Here is what you have to do:
  • send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
  • send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
  • send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)

The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Taxation of online casino sites in the UK: 

Great Britain online casino tax:

The following apply to England, Scotland, Wales, these are all annual tax rates5.

UK casino gambling tax rates
Activity: Tax rate: Tax base:
online gambling tax 21% (used to be 15% prior to 2019) profits from remote gaming with UK persons

Gambling taxes are on top of regular taxes (e.g: corporate tax, which is 19%). Gambling is VAT exempt.

The gambling tax rate is considered average, by European standards (high by international standards).

In case of foreign companies with a UK gambling license tax is payable only on the activates of UK customers.

 

Northern Ireland online casino tax: N/A

Northern Ireland does not have a set online casino tax rate. They also don’t issue online casino licences. However, UK licensed online casinos can accept players from Northern Ireland and they pay taxes on the earnings from NI players, as if they were from Great Britain, according to the tax rates above.

 

For the players, taxation of online casino gambling winnings in the UK:

  • In Great Britain: Gambling winnings are not taxable. You don’t have to pay any taxes on your winnings.
  • In Northern Ireland: Gambling winnings are not taxable. You don’t have to pay any taxes on your winnings.
  • Crown dependencies: Gambling winnings are not taxable. You don’t have to pay any taxes on your winnings.

 

Free advertisement for local accountants, CPAs and accounting firms from this country

Get featured on this website, here, just right under the taxation section. Advertise your services, get a link to your own website, or the accounting firm's website you work for, on a page that is visited by gamblers looking for help with their gambling winnings, and gambling companies looking for consultants and help with their projects.
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.

How to get featured

In order to get the free advertisement you must have a website (social media profile is not enough). Here is what you have to do:
  • send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
  • send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
  • send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)

The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Age requirement of UK online casinos: 18+ (everywhere in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland + crown dependencies)

 

Sources, main pieces of the United Kingdom online casino gambling legislation:

1UK Legislation – Gambling Act 2005

2Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Bill, 2014

3JSTOR – Freedom to provide services — Article 56 TFEU — Games of chance

4Independent – Online gamblers will no longer be allowed to use credit cards for betting

5UK Government – Official Gaming Duty Rates

 

List of online casinos, which accept players from the UK

The following online gambling websites accept players from the United Kingdom. They all accept players from the country, and are accessible from within the country, at the time of writing. If they no longer accept players from the UK, or if they are blocked for some reason, please leave a message in the comments section, so I can investigate it. Thank you.

 

Free bitcoin giveaway

This is a banner of freebitco.in bitcoin and fun token crypto wagering website. The banner displays information about the current 2023 virtual currency raffle, and no registration promotion currently offered by the Indian digital gambling website. You can read more information about the gambling platform and their hourly cryptocurrency giveaway. By clicking on the picture you will be taken to the virtual currency betting website. By placing bets on the website we get a percentage of your bets placed as affiliate commision. Thank you for supporting the website.

Free bitcoin giveaway, $0.1 to $ 200 every hour, real no deposit promotion, no wagering requirement bitcoin gambling and betting

One of the rare, genuine ways to actually get free bitcoins online. 100% legitimate, in operation for 10+ years, no deposit or registration required (we are using this site for 1+ years, payout guaranteed, not a scam).You have to manually enter the bitcoin raffle every hour and you will be able to win anywhere between 0.00000009 BTC - 0.00878696 BTC + occasional special prizes.


You can realistically make around €200 per month if you roll every hour and participate in all the other promotions they have as well (wheel of fortune, lottery tickets etc..., all free).

/However, you have to manually spin every hour to get this amount, including at night, therefore, realistically, the amount you can expect will be less./

They also have many other ways to win bitcoin, or FUN tokens, including: online casino section, sports betting, betting on cryptocurrency prices, wheel of fortune, lottery etc...

No wagering, playthrough requirement, limitations.

Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries

Because this is a crypto-only gambling website there are no restricted countries. Everyone over the age of 18 can play (or 24, depending on what is the legal online gambling age in your country).Only bitcoin and FUN tokens are accepted. You have to deposit bitcoin to a specific bitcoin address and it will show up on your balance.

No wagering and playthrough limitations, requirements.

The only hidden fee is that if you win items, physical prizes, in those cases the shipping cost is not paid by them and you will required to pay for shipping (or you can opt to receive the equivalent of the prize in bitcoins if you don't want to pay for transportation).

UPDATE 2023: They also offer an annual 4- 5% interest rate on the FunFair (FUN) tokens you purchase with bitcoin (it's their own cryptocurrency).

 

UK Land-based casinos

Legal status of casinos in the UK: legal since 1960, operators require a licence, slot halls are also legal

 

Detailed legal status of brick & mortar casinos in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and in the Channel Islands:

Territory:  Casinos:
Great Britain (Scotland+England+Wales) legal
Northern Ireland illegal, but slot halls are legal (they are called bingo clubs)
Isle of Man legal
Bailiwick of Guernsey legal, non-profit only
Bailiwick of Jersey legal, non-profit only

 

Casinos, along with many other forms of gambling, were first legalised in the UK in 1960, with the passing of the Betting and Gaming Act1.

The Casino Club Port Talbot in Wales is considered the first legal UK casino. It was established in 1961 by gambling mogul George Alfred James. The first casinos in the country were only allowed to operate as members-only clubs and were severely limited in size and the types of games they could offer as well.

In 1968 regulations loosened up and the more commercial gambling venues and casinos were allowed in the country. In 2005, with the enactment of the Gambling Bill2, the UK allowed for the establishment of ‘Super Casinos’, which would’ve been much greater in size than any existing UK casino.

A Super Casino (a.k.a. regional casino) is the largest type of casino allowed under UK law. A Super Casino is a venue:

  • That has at least 5000 m2 of customer area;
  • at most 1250 unlimited-jackpot slot machines;

 

The first of these venues was initially proposed to be in the City of Manchester, but the project was scrapped by the UK government in 2008, after Gordon Brown became Prime Minister3, who was against the idea.

UPDATE 2022: None of the super casinos projects over the years have been approved in the UK. So far there aren’t any super casinos.

The other types of casinos in the UK are:

  • Large casinos: has a minimum 1000 m2 customer area, up to 150 slot machines, maximum jackpot of £4000.
  • Small casinos: has a minimum 750 m2 customer area, up to 80 slot machines, maximum jackpot of £4000.

 

And this is the reason why even the biggest casinos in the UK only have 150 slot machines.

There are only 6 large casinos in the UK, these are located in: Westfield Stratford City, Milton Keynes, Newham, Solihull, Birmingham and Leeds. The biggest of these venues is the Aspers Casino in Stratford City, London.

There are 135 casinos currently (down from around 150 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). The number of casinos is on the decline for the past 10 or so years.

Slot halls are also legal in the UK, and there are around 600 slot halls, the number of slot halls shows a steady increase, which was not halted during the pandemic, they are much more restricted than casinos. Slot halls are also legal in Northern Ireland, they are called bingo clubs in NI, but they can also operate a few gaming machines as well.

In most of Europe slot halls are already banned. It is a well-known fact in the gambling industry that slot halls are worse than regular casinos in terms of problem gambling and addiction.

In the UK the opposite seems to be happening, there is a clear trend: the number of slot halls keeps increasing, while the number of casinos keeps decreasing, slot halls slowly replace casinos, which will inevitably lead to an increase in gambling addition and problem gambling.

UPDATE COVID-19: The global pandemic seems to have accelerated this process, many gambling companies abandoned their costly casino projects in favour of less expensive and probably more profitable slot halls instead. Additionally, very few slot halls closed permanently out of the 600 in operation, on the other hand, the casinos were much more severely affected because of the higher upkeep, license fees and operating costs.

The biggest casino groups active on the UK market are:

  1. Grosvenor wit 53 casinos out of the 155 casinos, owned and operated by Grosvenor Casinos Limited (a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 00877080), whose registered office address is TOR, Saint-Cloud Way, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8BN.
  2. Genting Casinos Group is the second biggest, with their still very impressive 42 casinos. The big two control 2/3 of the casino market. The third biggest is Caesar’s Entertainment.

 

In the UK casinos are required to ask patrons, who bet higher amounts (colloquially known as “high-rollers”) to show documents to verify their identity and source of income.

These documents must clarify the source of your money (in place to avoid money laundering), and info about the guest’s occupation, business interests, a trust or inheritance.

Documents you may be asked for include:

  • bank statements
  • savings account statements
  • a letter from a solicitor confirming the trust or inheritance
  • payslips

 

This is the only country in the world with such measure are in place. It’s really uncomfortable for both the employees and the patrons, and it can easily ruin an otherwise pleasurable casino experience. Guest who do not comply will be asked to leave. Until the documents are shown you are not allowed to place more bets.

You can find all the currently operating brick and mortar casinos in the list below.

 

Can locals visit the casinos in the UK?

Yes, both locals and tourists can visit the casinos in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, unlike in some other countries (e.g.: in the entire Muslim world casinos are only available to the tourists, locals can not enter).

 

Casino licensing and regulatory body of Ukraine:

Casino licenses are issued, controlled, and managed by the Ukrainian Gambling Council (Всеукраїнська Рада Гемблінгу). You have to contact them if you wish to set up any sort of gambling business in Ukraine. Their website is available in English as well, although not everything is translated into English.

The following casino gambling licenses are available since the the 2020 gambling relegalisation:

  • land-based casino
  • slot machine hall
  • poker hall

 

If you apply for a casino licence you need the following two licences as well:

  • gaming table license
  • slot machine license

 

There is no limit on the number of casino licenses. However, casinos must be connected to five-star hotels in the capital city, Kiev, and four-star hotels in the countryside.

The license fee is $2 million for hotels with a capacity of more than 150 rooms, per year, and $1 million for hotels with a capacity of over 100 rooms but less than 150 rooms, per year, per licence.

Hotels with three stars can only operate slot machines. The license fee of such a slot parlour is $250,000 per year, and $100 per month for each slot machine. The facilities can have up to 50-250 machines with a single license.

/Comment: And hotels below 3 stars can not operate any sort of gambling establishment./

The licensing requirements also reveal a strong political bias. They are a good example of how much the current leadership is against Russia, due to their recent conflict. They made it impossible for Russian companies, Russian people, and companies with Russian ties to acquire any kind of Ukrainian gambling licence.

/Comment: Instead, they are hoping that US gambling giants will invest in the country. But at least for now, they do not seem to be interested (they have much better investment opportunities). UPDATE 2022: No longer true, Hilton started opening casinos attached to their hotels in Kiev./

 

Free advertisement for licensed local lawyers, law firms from this country

Get featured on this website, here, just right under the taxation section. Advertise your services, get a link to your own website, or the law firm's website you work for, on a page that is visited by businessmen, company representatives looking for help with: setting up a gambling business, licensing, setting up a company, help with an existing gambling business, consulting etc....
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.

How to get featured

In order to get the free placement you must have a website (social media profile is not enough). Here is what you have to do:
  • send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
  • send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
  • send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)

The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Taxation of brick & mortar gambling establishments in the UK:

Great Britain casino tax

Gambling tax is called “gaming duty” in the UK legislation4. The up to date applicable tax rates can be found on the governments’ website here. The following is just a summary of the 2022 tax rates.

The following apply to England, Scotland, Wales, these are all annual tax rates.

UK casino tax
Revenue: Tax rate: Tax base:
first £ 2,548,500 15 15% gross gambling revenue
the next £ 1,757,000 20 20% gross gambling revenue
the next £ 3,077,000 30 30% gross gambling revenue
the next £ 6,494,500 40 40% gross gambling revenue
remainder 50% gross gambling revenue

 

Slot halls pay the following tax rates on their gaming machines:

UK gaming machine tax rates (colloquially known as ‘slots tax’)
Type of machine: Cost per spin, per bet, to play one game: Maximum prize: Tax rate: Tax base:
Machine type 1 20 pence  or less £10 5% total net takings
Machine type 2 21 pence to £5 £11 or more 20% total net takings
all other types more than £5 no hard limit 25% total net takings

 

Machine games duty does not apply to video lottery terminals, the lottery tax is applicable to them regardless of the type of game.

If you have difficulty calculating the gaming duty payable, use the handy calculation guide here.

Gambling taxes are on top of regular taxes (e.g: corporate tax, which is 19%). Gambling is VAT exempt.

The gambling tax rates are considered average, by European standards (high by international standards).

 

Gambling tax does not apply if it’s a:

  • charity event,
  • social gambling,
  • tournament,
  • or if the equipment is for domestic use only.

 

Northern Ireland gambling tax

Same as in Great Britain, the same tax rates apply as above.

 

Free advertisement for local accountants, CPAs and accounting firms from this country

Get featured on this website, here, just right under the taxation section. Advertise your services, get a link to your own website, or the accounting firm's website you work for, on a page that is visited by gamblers looking for help with their gambling winnings, and gambling companies looking for consultants and help with their projects.
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.

How to get featured

In order to get the free advertisement you must have a website (social media profile is not enough). Here is what you have to do:
  • send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
  • send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
  • send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)

The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Age requirement of land-based casinos, slot parlours in the UK: 18+

 

Sources, main pieces of the land-based casino legislation in the UK:

1Sage journals – Betting and Gaming Act 1960

2UK Parliament Official Website – Gambling Bill

3Super-casino proposal is ditched

4UK Government – Official Gaming Duty Rates

 

List of the top 10 best rated and biggest casinos in the UK

This is a list of the 10 biggest and best rated casinos in the UK, with address, opening hours, number and types of games, dress code, entrance fee, reviews and a video of each gambling establishment, if one is available.

 

UPDATE 2022: To make the guide shorter and simpler the casinos in the British Crown Dependencies got their own pages, you can find these casino lists here:

 

+Extra: You can find the casino pages of the British Overseas Territories here:

 

1., Aspers Casino Stratford
This is a picture of Aspers Casino in Stradford, London, the capital of UK. This is the first casino on this list of the top 10 biggest and best rated United Kingdom gaming venues. This is the biggest casino (in terms of number of games) in the UK right now. You can find the other venues on this list, underneath this one. You can read more about this gaming venue to the right of the picture: its' address, opening hours, dress code, entrance fee, and you can watch a video of the venue as well.

Aspers Casino Stratford Aspers Group

1., Aspers Casino Stratford, address: The Loft, Olympic Park, 312 Montfichet Rd, London E20 1ET

Aspers Casino Stratford (officially: Westfield Stratford City Casino) is currently the biggest UK casino (but it still not a supercasino project, it is officially in the “large casino” category, that’s why it only has 150 slots, despite its size).

By international standards this is still just a medium sized casino venue (but a very luxurious, elegant, upscale one, you can check out the interior of the casino on the video below).

This is the flagship and biggest casino of the Aspers Group, which operates 4 casino in total, these are:

  • Westfield Stratford City Casino (this one)
  • Newcastle Casino
  • Milton Keynes Casino
  • Northhampton Casino

 

You can find many of these casino on this list below.

They also operate an online casino.

 

Games: around 150 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and around 40 tables (blackjack, American Roulette, punto banco, Three Card Poker, casino war, Spread-Bet Roulette*, Dueling for Dollars**) + electronic roulette and baccarat

They also have a poker section as well, you can find the online tournament schedule and information about the cash games here.

There is a sports bar section as well with sports betting terminals.

 

*Spread-Bet Roulette explanation, tutorial, how to play: It is a fun, but rare roulette variant.

Apart from regular European or American roulette (both can be made into spread-bet roulette) combinations, you have to also correctly guess the random number from a side wheel (can be physical or computer generated).

RTP is around 90% with the side bet, in comparison slots have 96% (the higher the RTP the better), and European roulette without the side bet has around 97.30%. Therefore, it is strongly not recommended to use this side bet, unless you don’t mind losing, and you are only playing for fun. Because it significantly lowers your chances at winning money.

You can see how Spread-Bet Roulette is palyed on this video:

 

**Dueling for Dollars explanation, tutorial, how to play: A card game that is played with 6 decks (standard 52-card decks). It’s rare to find this in casinos nowadays.

You can learn how to play Duelling for Dollars by following this tutorial here.

 

Video of Westfield Stratford City Casino:

If the video is unavailable for technical reasons you can watch the video on their Facebook page as well.

 

Opening hours: 10am to 5am, daily

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: smart casual, from the official website:

“To make sure the ambiance of the casino is kept smart, relaxed and stylish, all of our guests are asked to follow a smart-casual dress code.

Wearing the follow items may mean you are refused entry to the casino:

  • Soiled and ripped clothing
  • Working clothing
  • Clothing with extreme wording
  • Vests, sleeveless shirts
  • Swimming shorts or cut-off jeans
  • Tracksuits
  • Steel toe capped boots/shoes or trainers
  • T-shirts or sweatshirts with adult slogans or images”

 

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: The casino gets between 4/5 and 3/5 on review sites, which is not as good as I expected from UK’s biggest casino. Alarmingly, recent  (in the last 2-3 years) reviews tend to be getting worse, more on the 3/5 side, which might mean that the establishment is in the decline.

If you area regular at this casino and you can shed some light on why this would be the case please leave a comment. Thank you.

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

2., Alea Casino Glasgow
This is a picture of the entrance gate of Alea Casino in Glasgow, the biggest city of Scotland. You can read more about this gaming venue, its' address, opening g hours, dress code, entrance fee, to the right of the picture, and you can watch a video of the venue as well.

Alea Casino Glasgow

Alea Casino Glasgow, address: Unit C Springfield Quay, Paisley Rd, Glasgow G5 8NP

Alea Casino Glasgow is the biggest casino of Scotland. Despite this it’s actually a small venue.

The casino is owned by the US casino company Caesar’s Entertainment.

 

Games: around 30 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and around 15 tables (blackjack, American Roulette, Three Card Poker) + 40 electronic roulette terminals

They also have a poker section as well, you can find the online tournament schedule and information about the cash games here.

There is a sports bar section as well with sports betting terminals.

 

Video of Alea Casino Glasgow:

 

Opening hours: 12 noon until 6am, daily

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: smart casual

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 4/5 on review sites, no major problems, it’s one of the best rated UK casinos, despite its small size, their restaurant, the Waterfront Restaurant seems to be particularly praised

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

3., Resorts World Birmingham
This is a picture of the building of Resorts World Birmingham, in the UK, at night. This is the third casino on this list of UK casinos. You can read the details of this establishment to the right of the picture.

Resorts World Birmingham

Resorts World Birmingham, address: Pendigo Way, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1PU

Resorts World Birmingham is the biggest of the British Resorts World casinos, and it is the flagship venue of the Genting Casinos Group.

/Comment: Resorts Worlds is a subsidiary of Genting Casinos Group (the second biggest casino group in the UK)./

The casino is located within the Resorts World complex (on the picture to the left), the complex houses many shops, restaurants, a cinema and even a Vortex Gaming arcade, the casino itself only takes up a small section of it.

The casino is one of the larger venues by British standards with 100 slots.

 

Games: around 100 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and around 30 tables (blackjack, American Roulette, baccarat, Three Card Poker, 5 Card Poker) + 40 electronic roulette and blackjack terminals (Dragonfire roulette)

They have a high stake area for high rollers.

There is a sports bar section as well with sports betting terminals.

 

Video of Resorts World Birmingham:

You can”t film in this casino, it’s forbidden for some reason, and because of this there are no videos of this casino online.

 

Opening hours: 12pm and 5am Mon – Thurs (live tables from 2pm) and 12pm to 5am Friday through to Monday morning

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: smart casual

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 4/5 on review sites, no major problems

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

4., Genting Casino Stoke
This is a picture of Genting Casino in Stoke-on-Trent. You can read more about this gaming venue, its' address, opening g hours, dress code, entrance fee, and you can watch a video of the venue as well to the right of the picture.

Genting Casino Stoke

Genting Casino Stoke, address: Etruria Rd, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5NH

Genting Casino in Stoke-on-Trent is the second biggest casino of the Genting Casino Group in the UK.

Genting Casinos has around 42 casinos in the UK, which makes them the second biggest casino operator in the country.

 

Games: around 70 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and around 20 tables (blackjack, American Roulette, baccarat, Three Card Poker, 5 Card Poker) + 20 electronic roulette and blackjack terminals

They have a poker section as well, cash games are from Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7 pm to 3:30 am, but they don’t have an online tournament schedule sadly.

There will be two choice of tables for customers:

£1/£1 sit down Texas Hold’em cash game with a minimum buy in of £40.

£1/£2 sit down Texas Hold’em cash game with a minimum buy in of £100.

Customers must buy their chips from the cash desk before sitting down at the tables as cash is not allowed at the table.

 

 

Video of Genting Casino Stoke:

You can”t film in this casino, it’s forbidden for some reason, and because of this there are no videos of this casino online.

 

Opening hours: 12 pm – 4am, daily

Electronic tables and slots open from 12 pm and live dealer games open from 4pm

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: smart casual

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 4/5 on review sites, no major problems

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

5., Grosvenor Casino Blackpool
This is a picture of the Blackpool casino of Grosvenor UK gambling group, this is their biggest, flagship casino. This is the fifth gaming venue on this list of the 10 best rated and biggest UK casinos. You can see the other Great Britain terrestrial gambling establishments below and above this one. And you can read about this casino to the right of the picture.

Grosvenor Blackpool Casino

Grosvenor Casino Blackpool, address: The Sandcastle, Promenade, Blackpool FY4 1BB

The Blackpool venue of the Grosvenor group is their biggest and flagship casino (it’s a medium sized casino by British standards).

This is the gambling establishment on the picture at the top of the page.

Grosvenor Casino Blackpool also has a restaurant, bar, and an entertainment lounge.

Grosvenor Group is the biggest casino operator in the UK with over 50 casinos throughout the country.

 

Games: around 60 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and around 12 tables (blackjack, American Roulette, Three Card Poker, 2 Way Poker) + 20 electronic roulette and blackjack terminals

They have a poker section as well, the Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour regularly stops here, info about the cash games and the online tournament schedule can only be found on their mobile app.

 

Video of Grosvenor Casino Blackpool:

There are no videos of this casino online. If you know of any please let me know in the comments section. Thank you.

 

Opening hours: 24/7

Live dealer games are from 2pm-5am, daily

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: smart casual

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 4/5 on review sites, no major problems

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

6., Les Croupiers Casino
This a picture of Les Croupiers Casino in Cardiff, UK. You can read more about this casino to the right of the picture, including address, opening hours, dress code, entrance fee and a video of the venue.

Les Croupiers Casino in Cardiff

Les Croupiers Casino, address: Capital Shopping Park, Leckwith Rd, Cardiff CF11 8EG

Les Croupiers is better known as the The Croups and it has been established in the 1980s (if you know exactly when please drop a comment).

It is a smaller independent casino (but the biggest among the independent ones), not part of any of the casino chains in the UK.

They are one of the few casinos in the UK that has Mahjong.

The Croups also has the highest limits in Wales.

They don’t really have a dress code, it’s very easy going, casual casino, according to their official website they are known for “personality, warm welcome and its good gaming”.

The only casino in the UK with complementary chicken wings and fries. Complimentary refreshments at the gaming tables, including tea, coffee and soft drinks, chicken wings with fries, prawns in batter served in the basket or a range of freshly made filled baguettes. Sounds really good.

 

Games: around 60 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and around 20 tables (blackjack, American Roulette, Three Card Poker, craps, Rapid Roulette, Texas Hold’em, Mahjong) + around 20 electronic roulette terminals

There is a dedicated poker room (the largest poker room in Wales) with 20 tables, capable of seating up to 200 concurrent players (Texas Holdem and Omaha). The poker room is open from 6:00pm until 4:00am seven days a week (according to their official website), you can find info about the cash games and tournaments here.

They also have a Sky TV Sports Lounge, sports betting point.

 

Video of Les Croupiers Casino:

There is a video of the gaming floor of the casino here, on the Facebook page. You can only watch it on their Facebook page, it’s not embeddable.

 

Opening hours: 14:00 until 05:00, daily

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: no dress code, “everyone is welcome” according to their website

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 4/5 on review sites, no major problems, although some people complain about rude staff, but that’s few and far between

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

7., Park Lane Casino Club
This is a picture of the building of Park Lane Casino. You can read about this elite private casino club right next to the picture. It's members only.

Park Lane Casino

Park Lane Casino Club, address: 22 Park Ln, Mayfair, London W1K 1BE

Park Lane Club is an expensive, posh casino club for the wealthy, in the building of the London Mayfair 5 star Hilton Hotel.

According to their marketing material it is : “London’s newest and most desirable private members’ club” (Most desirable? Determined by whom? By yourself?)

Sure it looks good (you can watch the videos below, gorgeous interior and decor), and has a good location, but it’s small (only 20 slots and a few tables) and “the gaming terrace” they so heavily advertise on their website (advertised as a “private gaming salon”) is just a roulette table on a small terrace, not impressive at all.

/Comment: Especially not considering that you have to pay £1000 to become a member and be able to enter./

They also have a restaurant and a bar, and you can even buy cigars there.

The company behind the venue is Silverbond Enterprises Ltd..

 

UPDATE 2022: It seems like there is something dodgy going on with the casino, again. Their licence was revoked in 2021*. However, they have appealed the decision and are allowed to operate in the meantime, during the appeal process.

I would still avoid it in the meantime, plenty of other casinos in London that would happily take your money, it’s best to be safe.

/Comment: Usually, in my experience writing about gambling for the past 10 years, this means that funds were funneled through an offshore bank account to pay for casino related expenses. Sadly, most really rich people and companies keep most of their money on offshore bank accounts in tax havens (e.g.: in the Caribbean), to avoid taxation legally. 

The Gambling Commission probably has picked up on this. I’m really curios what the final verdict will be, because this is standard practice in the gambling industry, and there will be other on the chopping block if they found them guilty./

Source:

*Gambling Commission of Great Britain – Silverbond Enterprises Ltd – licence revocation

 

It’s not the first time the casino was involved in some sort of  scandal, here are a few I have stumbled upon over the years, by no means an exhaustive list:

 

I strongly recommend avoiding this casino, it has a bad reputation as you can see.

 

Games: around 20 gaming machines (slots), and a few tables (American Roulette, baccarat, Three Card Poker, blackjack) + a few electronic roulette machines

The casino has really high stakes, e.g.: the maximum stake for Baccarat is £100,000.

 

Video of Park Lane Casino Club:

You can watch videos of the place here.

 

Opening hours: 24/7

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: not known, no info about it on their website, but it’s probably semi-formal or smart casual, usually casino clubs have strict dress codes (although, according to reviews this is not that strictly enforced, but reviews are subjective of course)

Entrance fee: you have to become a member, annual membership is £1000

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 3.5/5 – 4/5 on review sites, okay reviews, although some people complain about management and staff, but nothing serious

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

8., Genting Casino Leicester
This is the building of Genting Casino in Leicester. You can read more about the casino next to the picture, including address, opening hours, dress code, entrance fee and a video of the venue.

Genting Casino Leicester

Genting Casino Leicester, address: 17-19 E Bond St, Leicester LE1 4SU

This is the biggest casino of the Leicester area. Despite this, it’s barely bigger than your average slot hall.

The venue is part of the Genting Casino Group.

 

Games: around 30 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and 7 tables (American Roulette, blackjack, Blackjack Aces) + 20 electronic roulette terminals

 

Video of Genting Casino Leicester:

There are no videos of this casino online. If you know of any please let me know in the comments section. Thank you.

 

Opening hours: 12pm – 4am, daily

Electronic tables open from 12pm & live tables open from 4pm.

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: smart casual like all Genting casinos

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 3.5/5 on review sites, okay reviews, although some people complain about management and staff, but nothing serious

 

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

9., Casino Forty Five Kensington
This is a picture of Casino Forty Five in Kensington, UK. This is the 9th gambling establishment on this list of the top 10 biggest and best rated UK gaming venues. You can find the 10th, and last venue on this list underneath his one. You can read the details of this gaming establishment to the right of the picture.

Casino Forty Five

Casino Forty Five Kensington, address: 43, 45 Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2EF

This is an upscale, casino club of the Genting Casinos Group (formerly Cromwell Mint, rebranded and refurbished in 2019). The casino is very small, barely bigger than your average slot hall, but it looks fantastic.

/Comment: This is the second best looking casino in London IMO, after the Hippodrome casino below./

 

Games: around 20 gaming machines (slots, video poker), and 15 tables (American Roulette, blackjack, baccarat, 3 Card Poker) + around 20 electronic roulette terminals

They also have an “e-lounge”, a room with electronic roulette, blackjack, 3 card poker and baccarat.

 

Video of Casino Forty Five Kensington:

There are no videos of this casino online. If you know of any please let me know in the comments section. Thank you.

 

Opening hours: 15:00 – 05:00, daily
Live gaming is from 4pm, daily

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: not specified on the official website, but it’s smart casual like all the other Genting casinos

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 3.5/5 on review sites, okay reviews, although some people complain about unfriendly staff and inexperienced dealers and croupiers

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

10., Hippodrome Casino
This is a picture of Hippodrome Casino in London, the best looking casino club of the UK. This is the 10th and final casino on this list of the top10 best rated and biggest UK gaming venues. You can find the other venues above this one. You can read the details of this gaming establishment to the right of the picture.

Hippodrome Casino

Hippodrome Casino London, address: Cranbourn St, Leicester Square, West End, London WC2H

Hippodrome Casino is located in the prestigious West End district of London. It is London’s best looking casino, and it is also a well-known live entertainment venue, as the casino puts it “an established cornerstone of West End life”.

Avoid it if you are not fine with crowds because the casino gets millions of visitors every year.

The building that houses the casino is a gorgeous former theater from the 1900. They also have a rooftop terrace to relax if the casino gets too loud.

The Hippodrome is not part of the big casino groups, it is independent. The slogan of the venue is “Life can be extraordinary”.

The casino appears very big once you are inside, because the whole gaming area is in an enormous open auditorium. It’s a good first impression, but after a few hours it can be too chaotic and loud, you either hate or love it.

The casino entertainment complex has five floors. Based on online reviews this is the best rated casino in the UK.

The casino section is actually not that big. UPDATE 2021: Although they have recently upgraded it, especially their lackluster slots section, which is now much better.

They have Pai Gow, which his very rare in a UK casino, and they have electronic tombola machines, which I haven’t seen anywhere outside of the casinos in England (a unique take on electronic roulette, in place of the wheel there is a tumbler containing 37 equally sized and weighted balls, same odds as roulette).

 

Games: around 60 gaming machines (slots, video poker, great selection, new machines, they really upgraded their selection, used be only 20 really old slots), and around 15 tables (American Roulette, blackjack, baccarat, 3 Card Poker, craps, Casino War, Pai Gow) + around 100 electronic roulette, blackjack, baccarat terminals + tombola roulette machines

There is a poker section on the third floor, it’s quite big, has seats for about 80 players. Many of the big Pokerstars tournaments take place here. You can find info about the cash games here, and the online tournament schedule is here.

 

Video of Hippodrome Casino:

 

Opening hours: open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except for Christmas Day

UPDATE COVID-19: open

Dress code: interestingly, despite the location there is no dress code, from the official website:
“We have no set dress code, smart casual is what most people opt for unless it’s a special occasion when customers go all out and dress to impress.”

Entrance fee: no entrance fee

Meta review analysis: the casino gets 4.5/5 on review sites, great reviews, this is the best rated casino in the UK

18+, ID, and passport for tourists, is needed to enter.

 

Bitcoin casinos in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Legal status: legal, operators require a licence

 

Cryptocurrencies are legal in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and in the British Crown Dependencies.

British tax authorities consider bitcoin and similar virtual currencies property, and transactions are subject to taxation and their use is regulated to some extent*.

Even though bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin and other similar crypto coins are not recognised as a currency, players can use them in the context of gambling; to place bets. However, UK licensed gambling companies generally can not accept them directly.

The stance of the UK Gambling Commission is neutral. As UKGC CEO Jenny Williams said:

“The Commission neither prohibits nor encourages bitcoin. We are interested only in ensuring the proper regulation of gambling products consumed in Britain.”

However, their regulations are quite strict and are not compliant with blockchain technology. Therefore, at this point, it’s unlikely that a UK licensed gambling company could accept cryptocurrencies directly.

The commission also warns possible future licensees on their official website. When applying for a UK online gambling licence a company has to declare the use of virtual currencies and payment processors, which accept cryptocurrencies.

/Comment: It might be possible to accept bitcoin indirectly, through payment processors, which converts them to regular fiat currency.

The UK Gambling Commission has a page dedicated to the use of crypto-assets by gambling businesses, you can read the details there if you are interested./

Regardless, UK laws require internet casinos specialising in the cryptocurrency to obtain the same licenses and comply with the same regulations as every other UK gambling website. And because of this there are no bitcoin only online casinos with a UK licence.

The licensed online casinos below accept players from the United Kingdom and various cryptocurrencies through their payment processors.

 

Source:

*moore barlow lawyers – What is the legal status of cryptocurrency in the UK?

 

Future of the UK gambling legislation

Even though the UK is leaving the EU since 2016, it had, so far, very little actual effect on the gambling legislation and regulation of the UK, despite all the rumors and news articles claiming otherwise.

However, in December 2020, Nigel Huddleston MP finally announced ‘a call for evidence’ to begin the review of the Gambling Act. Therefore, the current situation, the current defining gambling legislation, the 2005 Gaming Act is likely to change in a meaningful way in a few years.

The expected changes include a more modernized, streamlined, easier and cheaper licensing procedure for land-based gambling establishments based on the licensing process for online casinos, overhaul of anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing laws, and inclusion, regulation of cryptocurrencies in the context of games of chance. Players will likely not notice any of the changes.

 

The following casino websites accept players from the United Kingdom:

Free bitcoin giveaway

This is a banner of freebitco.in bitcoin and fun token crypto wagering website. The banner displays information about the current 2023 virtual currency raffle, and no registration promotion currently offered by the Indian digital gambling website. You can read more information about the gambling platform and their hourly cryptocurrency giveaway. By clicking on the picture you will be taken to the virtual currency betting website. By placing bets on the website we get a percentage of your bets placed as affiliate commision. Thank you for supporting the website.

Free bitcoin giveaway, $0.1 to $ 200 every hour, real no deposit promotion, no wagering requirement bitcoin gambling and betting

One of the rare, genuine ways to actually get free bitcoins online. 100% legitimate, in operation for 10+ years, no deposit or registration required (we are using this site for 1+ years, payout guaranteed, not a scam).
You have to manually enter the bitcoin raffle every hour and you will be able to win anywhere between 0.00000009 BTC - 0.00878696 BTC + occasional special prizes.


You can realistically make around €200 per month if you roll every hour and participate in all the other promotions they have as well (wheel of fortune, lottery tickets etc..., all free).

/However, you have to manually spin every hour to get this amount, including at night, therefore, realistically, the amount you can expect will be less./

They also have many other ways to win bitcoin, or FUN tokens, including: online casino section, sports betting, betting on cryptocurrency prices, wheel of fortune, lottery etc...

No wagering, playthrough requirement, limitations.

Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries

Because this is a crypto-only gambling website there are no restricted countries. Everyone over the age of 18 can play (or 24, depending on what is the legal online gambling age in your country).
Only bitcoin and FUN tokens are accepted. You have to deposit bitcoin to a specific bitcoin address and it will show up on your balance.

No wagering and playthrough limitations, requirements.

The only hidden fee is that if you win items, physical prizes, in those cases the shipping cost is not paid by them and you will required to pay for shipping (or you can opt to receive the equivalent of the prize in bitcoins if you don't want to pay for transportation).

UPDATE 2023: They also offer an annual 4- 5% interest rate on the FunFair (FUN) tokens you purchase with bitcoin (it's their own cryptocurrency).

If you have questions or any feedback don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. Please let me know in the comments section if you think we might have gotten something wrong or if you have additional information, clarification about the casinos in the country. Especially if you are from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, or from any of the British Crown Dependencies. Thank you.

 

FAQ – frequently asked questions about UK online casinos

 

FAQ section

The following are some of the frequently asked questions about casinos in the UK. Click on the dropdown menu below to see the questions and answers.

Q&A

Are casinos legal in the UK?

Yes, casinos are legal in UK since 1960, slot halls are also legal.

Are online casinos legal in the UK?

Yes, online casinos are legal in UK since 2005.

Are there any casinos in the UK?

Yes, there are around 135 casinos in the country (down from 150 pre-coronavirus) and there are around 600 slot halls.

Can I play in an online casino from the UK?

Yes, UK players can play in online casinos with a remote gambling licence from the UK Gambling Commission of Great Britain. You can see a list of them on this page. Placing bets on unlicensed offshore gambling websites is illegal.

Are bitcoin casinos legal in the UK?

Cryptocurrency accepting casinos are not yet specifically addressed by the UK gambling legislation. However, players can use virtual currencies to place bets, and licensed online casinos can accept cryptocurrencies if it is approved by the UK Gambling Commission.

Are there online casinos, which accept players from the UK?

Yes, the licensed online casinos listed on this page accept players from UK. Because of the strict requirements and high fees not that many gambling companies are willing to get a UK remote gambling licence.

Can tourists play in the UK casinos?

Yes, both tourists and locals can play in the 135 casinos and 600 slot halls in the UK (+ there are 8200+ betting shops as well, fun fact: the highest per capita rate of betting shops in the world, tourists will have no shortage of gambling establishments during their stay in the country).

Can tourists place bets in online casinos from the UK?

Yes, the casino gambling laws and regulations mentioned on this page only apply to locals, tourists visiting the United Kingdom and Great Britain can play freely online.

What is the age requirement of United Kingdom online casinos?

The age limit of both land-based and digital casinos is 18+.

Do UK casinos have dress codes?

Yes, it's usually smart casual, but it's not that strictly enforced. Although, the bigger more posh venues definitely enforce it (they also have entrance fees). On the other hand slot halls don't have dress codes. You can find more info about the dress codes of British casinos in the casino list on this page.

How much tax do I have to pay in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland on my gambling winnings from an online casino?

Gambling winnings regardless of the source and amount are tax exempt in UK and in Northern Ireland.

Are there any digital casinos licensed in the UK?

Yes, online casino licenses are issued since 2005. Around 200 remote gambling licenses were issued since 2005, although not all of the licensees operate digital casino platforms currently.

How many casinos are there in the UK?

There are around 135 casinos in the UK (including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, but excluding British Overseas Territories).

Do casinos in the United Kingdom of Great Britain have entrance fees?

Casinos in the UK usually do not charge an entrance fee, it's not customary. However, some of the more posh, prestigious, upscale venues do have entrance fees (and a strict dress code). You can find more info about the entrance fees of British casinos in the casino list on this page.

Which is the biggest casino in the UK?

The biggest casino in the UK is Aspers Casino Stratford (officially Westfield Stratford City).

Which is the biggest casino group in the UK?

The biggest casino group in the UK is Grosvenor.

 

This article is an extension of the UK online gambling guide.

Simon’s Guide to Land-based and Online Casinos in the UK is part of Simon’s Guide to Online and Land-based Casinos with Interactive Global Map.

 

Last updated: 2023-01-30

 

Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer

Last Updated on 2023-01-30 by Simon

Thank you for visiting:
This is a selfie of the author and owner of Simon's Casino Gambling Blog, me, Simon András Péter, a.k.a. by the internet pseudonym SimonTheSorcerer, owner of Simon's Online Marketing Kft. This is the homepage of my online casino gambling blog, you can see what's on the website, the links to all the different sections of the website.

That's me, Simon, thank you for visiting.

Don't worry, this is not an ad! ;) Just wanted to make sure to tell you that I'm glad you visited this gambling blog. I'm Simon, the only author and the man behind this blog (if you are interested, my unusual life story can be found on the homepage, under the "About me" dropdown section).
I'm an independent gambling blogger since 2012. In this sector dominated by huge media companies, casino operators and online marketing networks, who can easily spend $ millions on their online gambling blogs, it's not easy for an independent nobody like me to survive. It took me about 6 years, working my ass off, to even have a chance to be noticed by visitors like you. I'm lucky enough that for a few years now, I make enough money to be able to do this full time (before that, I had part-time jobs, ghost writing gigs, online marketing this and that).
Now I can finally do this full time, thanks to visitors like you! And it means a lot! If you are interested, please bookmark this site (no social media profiles, I no longer have any, but please feel free to share anything on any social media networks, if you still use them). I don't have any money to advertise, and if you have a personal blog, any social media profile, please mention my gambling blog and link back to it. This the only way for a small website like this to grow. Thank you!

Logo of Kiva.org. You can read about my non-profit activity right next to the picture.
Charity: As a way to help others, to give back, I sometimes donate to Kiva. If you click on the ads on the website, I make some money. And in a good month, if I make more than my expenses, I donate to people and projects on Kiva.
Kiva helps young entrepreneurs in developing countries, which is an issue close to my heart for obvious reasons. If you have the means, please sign up with the revolutionary non-profit company Kiva.org and help people lift themselves out of poverty, through hard-work, and an initial investment (non-profit loan). These non-profit loans encourage entrepreneurship and hard work instead of creating a dependent class that is afraid to get a job, or start a business (because if they did, they would no longer get support and free money, disincentivizing hard work and entrepreneurship). This is the right way to fight poverty in developing countries (or anywhere else really), and if this is something you are interested in, and if you would like to know more, or to help out, please check out Kiva.org here. Thank you!
By being on this site, you agree to terms and conditions, and privacy policy. You must be at least 18, and if you are a gambling addict, or a citizen of Hungary, please leave the site.
Summary:
Simon's Guide to Online Casinos in the UK
Article Name:
Simon's Guide to Online Casinos in the UK
Description:
A guide to the legal status of terrestrial casinos and licensed online casinos in the UK, including a list of the biggest and best rated terrestrial casinos of the country, and a list of licensed internet casino platforms, which accept UK players.
Author:
Simon András Péter (SimonTheSorcerer)
Publisher:
Simon's Online Casino Gambling Blog
Publisher Logo: