How do you possibly decide where to start playing, and will you be safe when playing on an online casino? There are many factors when looking for a safe online casino, but one of the most important ones is whether or not an online casino holds a valid gambling license.
Avoid being disadvantaged by a shady online casino operator
The Betsquare team works around the clock to enable our website visitors to play on safe and reliable casinos. If an online casino does not hold a valid gambling license, chances are that they are not being regulated by any authority at all and therefore do not follow the rules.
To prevent you from making any unnecessary mistakes, we have decided to provide a clear explanation of online casino and gambling licenses. On this page we explain which jurisdictions issue gambling licenses and how you can identify whether the online casino you want to play at is authorized to offer online casino games.
All listed online casinos are regulated by one of these authorities:
- UK Gambling Commission
- Maltese Gaming Authority
- Gibraltar Remote Gambling
- Curacao eGaming
Our best licensed casinos – December 2024
1. Playluck Casino
£500 Bonus + 100 Free spins
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- Rated with 4,9 / 5
- Easy registration
- Fast withdrawals
- Live Casino
2. Casiplay
£900 bonus + 120 free spins.
- Rated with 4,8 / 5
- Live Casino
- Free Spins
- 24-7 Live Chat
3. Tonybet
£400 bonus + 100 free spins.
- Rated with 4,8 / 5
- Fast withdrawals
- 24-7 live chat
- Easy registration
4. Spinhill
£250 bonus + 500 free spins.
- Rated with 4,7 / 5
- Free spins
- Live casino
- Fast Withdrawals
5. Williamhill
£500 bonus + 50 Free spins
- Rated with 4,3 / 5
- Live casino
- MGA licensed
- Free Spins
6. 32red
£150 bonus + 32 free spins
- Rated with 4,1 / 5
- Great loyalty programs
- Live Casino
- UKGC Licensed
7. Unibet
£500 bonus
- Rated with 4,0 / 5
- Complete offering
- Live Casino + Sportsbook
- Fast withdrawals
8. Pokerstars Casino
£500 Bonus + 100 Free spins
- Rated with 3,9 / 5
- Free Spins
- Big Pokerrooms
What rules do online casinos have to follow in order to be licensed?
- The ultimate beneficial owners and managers of the online casino have to undergo an in-depth background check to ensure a safe gambling environment
- In order to assure fair play, the random number generator used to keep casino games fair are regularly tested
- The casino must provide the authorities with recent data on the RTP rate for each casino game they offer
- The online casino must demonstrate that they are able to pay out winnings at all times
- Players must have the ability to set deposit limits on their casino account
- Players must be able to see how long they have been playing a certain casino game
- Casinos must provide their customers with a phone number, e-mail address and customer service
- All complaints that players have on an online casino must be handled properly
- Casinos must demonstrate how they plan on preventing minors from registrating on their casino
- Casinos must demonstrate that they have a strict know your customer and anti money laundring policy in place
UK Gambling Commission
The UK gambling commission has been active since 2014 when the online gambling industry became to big to ignore in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. This company is the supervisor of all licensees that are active in their jurisdiction. Since Great Britain is a gambling country, the gambling commission has the very important task of keeping an eye on both the online and offline casinos.
If you visit an online casino and see the logo of the UK gambling commission, you can automatically assume that this online casino complies with the laws and rules of the English gambling authority and you as a player are therefore protected.
Malta Gaming Authority
The Malta Gaming Authority is perhaps the best known authority for online gambling. Almost all large and well-known gambling sites have a licence with them to enter the European market.
Although it sounds simple, there are still strict conditions for having a gambling license in Malta. The application proces for having a gambling license issued can sometimes take up to a year and is only issued under strict conditions.
Gibraltar Remote Gambling
The Gibraltar Remote Gambling Authority is perhaps the most used European gambling license provider next to Malta. The island that lies between Spain and Morocco has a rich history in online gambling and is an ideal authority for entering the European market. An important condition for having a Gibraltar license issued is that the headquarters of the gambling company is actually located in Gibraltar.
Curacao E-gaming
The Curacao Egaming authority is a well-known but slightly less favourite option. Besides not being located in the European Union, it has licensed several shady online casino´s in the past. Nowadays they are much stricter and Curacao also tries to meet the standards of the big gambling authorities like the Maltese for example. The permits are al lot more cheaper and the application process is a lot less lengthy than on Malta or the UK.
Jaqueline Quintero
Author
Always positive, always full of energy and with a very professional approach Jaqueline is one of our best i-gaming writers. With her years of experience she is always able to create unique and over the top content for our website visitors.
