Licensing and identity checks

How to check an online casino licence

A licence logo is a claim, not proof. Verify the legal company, exact domain and current status on the regulator's own register before sending money or identity documents.

For a field-by-field record of the search terms, legal account, licensed activity, exact hostname and regulatory-action result, use our UKGC public-register evidence checklist.

Five steps to verify a claim

1. Find the legal operator. Check the terms, privacy notice and footer for the company name, address and licence reference.
2. Open the official register yourself. Do not rely only on a badge or link supplied by the casino.
3. Match the exact domain. Confirm that the website address appears on the licence record, including spelling and top level domain.
4. Check status and activities. Look for an active remote operating licence covering the relevant gambling activity and review any regulatory action.
5. Save the evidence. Record the register URL, result and date checked because domains, ownership and licence status can change.

For a current Curaçao claim, use the CGA certificate, exact-domain and dynamic-seal guide to distinguish a player-facing Certificate of Operation from an entity-level Licence Certificate. The result remains evidence within Curaçao's framework, not Great Britain authorisation or a safety guarantee.

Warning signs

• The footer names no legal company or physical address.
• The register lists a different domain or trading name.
• The licence link opens an image rather than the regulator's register.
• The licence is suspended, surrendered, expired or covers different activities.
• The casino describes an overseas licence as UK authorisation.

If a domain, licence number or operator identity appears copied or mismatched, use our suspected fake casino website reporting guide to preserve existing evidence and choose an official route without revisiting the site.

What verification can and cannot prove

A valid register entry confirms regulatory status at the time checked. It does not guarantee that every payment, bonus or complaint will be handled well. Continue with the withdrawal terms, complaints route and safer gambling controls described in our review method.

If the exact operator and domain cannot be verified as covered by the UKGC licensed-sector ADR route, use the offshore casino complaint route map before sending personal evidence to another body.

Apply these checks when using our No GamStop Casinos comparison, then open the relevant individual casino review to see the dated operator evidence.