UK Gambling Commission licences: what they cover and how to check one

A UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence is what makes it lawful for a business to offer gambling to people in Great Britain, wherever the business is based. Online sites need a remote operating licence, and the people who run key functions inside them need personal licences. Any site you use in Great Britain should appear on the Commission's public register of businesses with an active licence and the exact domain you are on. A licence from Malta, Gibraltar, Curaçao or anywhere else does not replace it (Gambling Commission guidance, as of October 2026).

Who is the UK Gambling Commission and where does its power come from?

The Gambling Commission licenses and regulates commercial gambling in Great Britain under the Gambling Act 2005. For online gambling, the key change came with the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014. It amended section 36 of the 2005 Act so that the licensing offence in section 33 applies to remote gambling either when at least one piece of remote gambling equipment is in Great Britain, or when no equipment is in Great Britain but the facilities are used there. A provider commits the offence in the second case if it knows, or should know, that its facilities are being used, or are likely to be used, in Great Britain.

This is often called the "point of consumption" rule: what matters is where the player is, not where the server or company sits. The Commission puts it plainly on its remote sector page: you need a licence "if you provide facilities for remote gambling to consumers in Great Britain", and that includes a business based in Malta whose site can be played in England, Scotland or Wales.

What does a UKGC licence authorise?

There are three layers, and they do different jobs.

Remote operating licences are split by activity. The Commission lists, among others: remote casino operating, remote bingo operating, remote general betting (standard, for real or virtual events), remote pool betting, remote betting intermediary, remote casino game host, remote gambling software and remote gaming machine technical licences. An operator may only offer the activities its licence covers. A business that is licensed for betting is not thereby licensed to run an online casino.

Where is a UKGC licence valid, and where is it not?

• Valid: offering gambling to consumers in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), for the activities on the licence.
• Northern Ireland is treated separately. The licensing offence is framed around Great Britain, and the 2014 Act deals with Northern Ireland on its own terms, for example with a separate offence of advertising unlicensed remote gambling there.
• Not valid in Ontario or Alberta: those provinces require registration with their own regulators. See our explainer on Ontario's AGCO and iGaming Ontario system.
• Not valid in US states: each state that allows online casinos or sportsbooks licenses operators itself. See how US states license online gambling.

Outside Great Britain, a UKGC licence is information about the company, not permission to serve you. It does not make the site legal where you live.

How do I check a UKGC licence on the public register?

The Commission's public registers page links to separate registers for businesses, personal licences, regulatory actions, public statements and premises. For a gambling site, use the business register:

1. Open the business register. You can search by business name, trading name, domain name or account number.
2. Search the domain you are using, not just the brand. Copycat sites often use a real brand name on a different web address.
3. Check the account number matches the one in the site's footer.
4. Check licence status. "Active" means the licence is active and up to date.
5. Open the domain list and confirm your domain is shown as Active or White label. A white label is a domain the licensee runs in partnership with another organisation; the licensee stays responsible for it (Commission disclosure). Treat an Inactive domain as not something to rely on, and ask the Commission if unsure.
6. Look at regulatory actions for past sanctions or settlements.

The register notes that domain and trading names are provided by the gambling businesses and that the Commission cannot vouch for the accuracy of information from third parties, so if something does not match, contact the Commission rather than assume.

What a licence seal in a footer does and does not prove

Under licence condition 8.1.1, a remote operator must show on every screen where you can gamble: a statement that it is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission, its account number, and a link supplied by the Commission to its current licence status. It may also mention licences from other countries, but only if it is clear that it serves Great Britain under its UKGC licence.

What that footer does prove: that the operator claims a UKGC licence and has given you the number to check.

What it does not prove: that the claim is true. Logos and text can be copied onto any site. Only the register, reached by typing the Commission's address yourself (our guide on how to verify a gambling licence compares registers across regulators), shows whether the account number is real, the licence is active, and this domain is covered. Our guide to fake casino and sportsbook clone sites shows the common tricks.

What protections come with a UKGC licence?

Verified points from Commission rules and guidance (Great Britain, as of October 2026):

• Complaints and ADR. Complain to the business first. It has 8 weeks from receiving your complaint to resolve it. If you are still unhappy after its process ends, you can take it to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider, a free, independent service; the business should tell you which one. Our step-by-step guide for when a casino won't pay out covers the evidence to collect, and our UK complaints guide walks through the operator and ADR stages.
• Customer funds. Under condition 4.2.1, operators must tell you how well your balance is protected if the company becomes insolvent, using the Commission's rating system. If funds are not protected, they must remind you every six months.
• Self-exclusion. Remote operators must take part in GAMSTOP, the national online self-exclusion scheme (social responsibility code 3.5.5). From 1 April 2024 the Commission extended the requirement to all remote gambling businesses, including those taking bets by phone and email.
• Bonus terms. Social responsibility code 5.1.1 bars wagering requirements above 10 times the bonus, and bars bonuses that mix product types such as casino and betting. See our UK 10x wagering cap explainer.

What does a UKGC licence mean for players in the UK, Canada and the US?

• UK (Great Britain): it is the only licence that matters. If a site is not on the register for the domain you are using, it is not licensed to serve you, and you lose the complaint, ADR and self-exclusion protections above. Our online casinos guide explains what to look for in a licensed site.
• Canada: a UKGC licence does not authorise play in any province. In Ontario and Alberta, check the provincial regulator's list instead.
• US: a UKGC licence has no standing in US states. Only a state licence counts.

In practice

• Find the account number in the site footer.
• Type gamblingcommission.gov.uk into your browser yourself and open the business register.
• Search the exact domain, then the account number. Both should lead to the same business.
• Confirm the licence is Active and the domain is Active or White label.
• Check that the licence covers the product you want (casino, betting, bingo).
• Read the regulatory actions list before depositing.
• Note the operator's ADR provider from its complaints page and save it. If a problem starts, follow our complaints hub.
• If you have self-excluded or feel gambling is getting harder to control, start with our safer gambling page.