How to verify a gambling licence before you deposit

A licence logo in a site's footer proves nothing by itself. Images can be copied, and regulators regularly warn about sites that display their seal without holding a licence. To verify a gambling licence, open the regulator's public register yourself, search for the website's exact domain or the company named in its terms, and confirm three things: the licence is active, the legal entity matches, and the domain you are using is covered. If any of those fails, do not deposit.

This guide is for the step before your first deposit. If you are already worried about a site, our list of unlicensed casino red flags covers the warning signs, and the guide to fake casino and sportsbook clone sites explains how scammers copy real brands.

What does a gambling licence actually tell you?

A licence means a named company is authorised by a named regulator to offer gambling, often on named websites. Each part matters:

• The legal entity. The company that holds the licence, usually stated in the site's terms and conditions ("This website is operated by ... Limited").
• The licence or account number. The reference the regulator uses for that company.
• The domains. Many regulators record which websites a licensee is allowed to use. A licensed company running an unlisted domain is a problem.
• The status. Licences can be active, suspended, expired or revoked.
• The market. A licence covers players in the regulator's territory. A Malta licence does not authorise a site to serve players in Ontario, and a Curaçao licence does not make a site legal in Great Britain.

How do you check a licence step by step?

1. Find the operator's details on the site. Scroll to the footer and open the terms and conditions. Note the company name, registered address, licence number and the regulator named.
2. Open the register yourself. Type the regulator's address into your browser or use the links below. Do not rely on a "verify" badge that links out from the casino's own page, because a fake site can link to a fake register.
3. Search by domain first, then by company name. Domain searches catch clone sites that borrow a real company's name.
4. Compare every detail. Company name, licence number, status and domain should all match what the site says.
5. Check enforcement. Many regulators also publish regulatory actions or warning lists; check those too.

How do you check a UK Gambling Commission licence?

In Great Britain, the Gambling Commission publishes a public register of gambling businesses. As of October 2026 you can search it by business name, trading name, domain name or account number.

What to check on the entry:

• Licence status. The register's status values include Active, Expired, Lapsed, Revoked, Surrendered and Suspended. Only Active should reassure you.
• Domain name status. Domains are marked Active, Inactive or White label. A white label usually means the brand you see runs on another company's licence, so the licensee name may differ from the brand name. That is normal, but the domain should still be listed.
• Regulatory actions. Any action the Commission has taken against the business is linked from the entry.

The Commission's own advice to players is to look for the site's licensed status, click through to the public register, and check that the licence details, including activities and website domain names, match the register (Gambling Commission, before you gamble). The register notes that domain and trading names are supplied by the businesses themselves, which is one more reason to search by domain rather than trust a link. Our UKGC licence explainer covers what the licence requires of operators.

How do you check a Malta Gaming Authority licence?

The Malta Gaming Authority runs a Licensee Register. As of October 2026 it can be searched by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service, and the MGA also links a separate URL checker from the same page.

Two extra checks matter for Malta:

• The unauthorised URLs list. The MGA publishes a running list of websites it has no connection with, saying any reference on them to an MGA licence is false and misleading. The list is updated often; the latest entry when we checked was dated 7 October 2026. If your site is on it, stop.
• The dynamic seal. The MGA says extra licence information can be viewed through its dynamic seal. A seal that is only a static image, with no link to the MGA's own domain, is not verification.

More detail is in our MGA licence explainer.

How do you check a Curaçao licence?

Curaçao changed its system recently. The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) says its new National Ordinance on Games of Chance, known by its Dutch initials LOK, took effect on 24 December 2024, replacing the older law (the LBH), which still applies under transitional provisions (CGA, online gaming).

To check a Curaçao licence:

1. Open the CGA's license register and look in the online gaming sections for the company named in the casino's terms.
2. Check the CGA's public warnings page. In 2026 it has published notices against several named sites.
3. Do not treat a Curaçao seal as proof. In February 2026 the CGA warned that the crypto casino trumpbet.cc was neither authorised nor licensed by it, and alleged the site had used the CGA's logo, details and Digital Authorization Seal to mislead the public. Trade press reporting the warning said the regulator's advice was to check its register rather than trust seals on operator pages (SiGMA News, 13 February 2026).

Two limits to understand. The CGA states on its register that its overviews are not proof that a licence is currently valid, because licensing status can change over time. And the CGA says it does not handle individual complaints against gaming providers; it directs player disputes to the operator or legal channels (CGA, online gaming). A Curaçao licence that checks out is still a licence with a thin dispute route for players. Our Curaçao licence explainer goes further.

How do you check whether a site is regulated in Ontario?

In Ontario, a legal online casino or sportsbook needs two things: registration with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario (iGO). OLG.ca is the exception, operating under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

The register to use is iGO's regulated market directory, which lists all igaming sites offered by regulated operators contracted by iGO. The AGCO's own operator list page points players to the same directory. iGO's page states the conditions plainly: 19+, and you must be physically located in Ontario to play.

Search the directory for the exact site name. If it is missing, it is not part of Ontario's regulated market, whatever its footer says. See our Ontario igaming explainer.

How do you check a US state licence (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan)?

US online casinos are licensed state by state. A site that is legal in New Jersey is not automatically legal in Michigan.

New Jersey (Division of Gaming Enforcement). The DGE's Internet Gaming Information page lists internet gaming permit holders and says any site not on the list is not approved to offer internet gaming in New Jersey.

Pennsylvania (Gaming Control Board). The PGCB publishes a dated document listing each interactive gaming certificateholder, its operator, the types of gaming authorised, and the authorised websites and mobile apps. The version we opened was updated 13 February 2026 and includes a separate section of former sites. Match the exact web address, not just the brand.

Michigan (Gaming Control Board). The MGCB's legal vs illegal gaming page lists licensed internet gaming and sports betting operators and says only those operators are authorised to offer online gaming in Michigan. It also lists operators it has ordered to cease and desist, but that list is not exhaustive, so absence from it does not make a site legal.

What else should you check before depositing?

The licence is the first gate, not the last. Before you deposit, also confirm:

• The domain matches. Look for small changes: an extra letter, a hyphen, a different ending (.com vs .co). Clone sites rely on these.
• The app publisher. In an app store, the developer name should match the licensed company or a company it names.
• Contact details. A postal address and a support email on the site's own domain. Support only through Telegram or WhatsApp is a warning sign.
• Withdrawal terms. Read the minimum and maximum withdrawal, processing times, monthly caps and what triggers identity checks.
• Bonus terms. Very generous offers often carry heavy playthrough or low maximum cash-out caps. Our wagering calculator shows how much play a bonus requires before you can withdraw.
• The complaints route. The terms should explain the internal complaints process and, where the licence requires one, the independent dispute body. In Great Britain the Commission says a gambling business has 8 weeks to resolve a complaint before it can go further (Gambling Commission, how to complain). In Ontario you complain to the operator first and can then escalate to iGO, which says it cannot settle bets, refund wagers or award compensation (iGO player support).

What about Kahnawake, Anjouan and other licences?

Offshore sites also cite smaller regulators. The method is the same: find the regulator's own website, search its licensee list for the company and domain, and treat any mismatch as a fail. See our Kahnawake and Anjouan licence explainers.

What are the red flags in a licence check?

How are sweepstakes casinos different?

Sweepstakes casinos in the US do not hold state gaming licences. They argue that because a free alternative method of entry exists, they run promotional sweepstakes rather than gambling (see how sweepstakes casinos work). So there is no gambling licence register to check.

Regulators do not all accept that argument. In February 2025 the Michigan Gaming Control Board sent cease-and-desist letters to nine unlicensed online casinos and said some platforms operate "under the guise of sweepstakes" to avoid regulatory scrutiny (MGCB, 12 February 2025). State law is changing quickly; check the current position on our page about where sweepstakes casinos are banned and the sweepstakes hub.

Worked example: checking a site in three minutes

A fictional example. Player A in Great Britain finds "examplebet-casino.com". The footer shows a Gambling Commission logo.

1. Player A opens the terms. They say the site is run by "Example Gaming Ltd", account number 00000 (placeholder).
2. Player A types the Commission's register address into the browser and searches the domain "examplebet-casino.com". No result.
3. Player A searches "Example Gaming Ltd". A real, active licensee appears, but its domain list does not include this site.

Result: the company is real, but the website is not covered, a pattern that fits a clone site. Player A does not deposit.

What to do next: a pause-before-you-deposit checklist

• I found the company name and licence number in the site's terms.
• I opened the regulator's register myself, not through the site.
• The domain I am using appears on the register, or the regulator's list of authorised sites.
• The licence status is active today.
• The site is not on the regulator's warning or unauthorised list.
• The regulator covers where I live and where I will be when I play.
• I have read the withdrawal limits and the bonus terms.
• I know the complaints route, including any independent dispute body.
• My first deposit is small, and I will test a withdrawal before depositing more.

If a check fails after you have already deposited, keep screenshots of the site, the terms and your transactions, and read what to do when a casino won't pay out. For escalation routes by country, see the complaints hub.

For an overview of regulated online casinos by market, see our online casinos hub. Licence status can change at any time, so run the register check yourself each time you sign up somewhere new.