Enjoying your favourite games without worrying about your safety and your funds when playing online casino games would be best. This is the reason we recommend gambling at the UKGC casino. Gambling sites that the UKGC fully licenses are audited regularly to protect punters and their cash.
Normally, the UK gambling commission works similarly to other licensing institutions across the world. The only difference is that the UK Gambling Commission takes its job seriously and will ensure it doesn’t leave any stone unturned before issuing its license to any gambling website. The UKGC is responsible for regulating offline and online gambling activities in the UK. This means it provides the United Kingdom License to local and international online casinos that want to operate within the UK jurisdiction on the county’s borders.
Suppose there is an online casino that desires to start offering its services to Punters in Britain. The first thing they have to do is apply for a license as implied by the Gambling Act and wait to become among the best casinos with a UKGC License if everything works perfectly. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it sounds; before a site can be enlisted online casinos licensed in the UK, the UK Gambling Commission must comprehensively check the online casino site’s security and safety. In addition, the owners of the casinos must provide several documents that prove their ownership and confirm that they have adequate cash to payout future winnings to British players.
Once a casino acquires the UK online gambling license in the UK, the UK gambling commission continues to monitor the casino, and in case something goes wrong, the license can be revoked. The casino will be scraped from the list of casinos regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. The commission also works with the government to prevent money laundering.
The work of the commission is to protect players. Therefore, if the UKGC realizes that the online gambling site accepts bets from minors or does not protect vulnerable customers well, which leads to addictions and overspending, nothing will stop the commission from canceling a license.
UKGC Casinos Online Features
The UKGC has several important features that are worth noting. As a player from Great Britain, it is not advised to play in foreign, non UK Gambling Commission Casinos because you are unprotected. Continue reading to see the features of the UKGC online casino.
Accepts players from Britain
All UKGC online casinos accept Brit players. Some casino sites might have other licenses from other commissions, like the Malta Gambling Authority. But a casino is focused on serving UK players if it holds a UK Gambling Commission license. In these casinos, you can enjoy legit gambling and secure payment and play using GBP currency.
Provides clear bonus terms for fair gambling
Among the responsibilities of UKGC is tightening up practices around gambling advertising, keeping track of casino promotions, and ensuring they’re fair and legit. You will never find unfair terms or fake bonuses in casino websites licensed by UKGC. For instance, some casino sites advertise no deposit bonus, and once you register, they turn out to be a deposit bonus. This is different in UKGC casino as they regulate all bonus promotions.
Law Breaking can lead to fines
This is among the crucial roles of the UKGC. If you enter and register at a foreign casino with illegal gambling practices, such as rigged games or not paying winnings, you can do nothing about it. You won’t be in a position to contact anyone, be it your payment provider or the UK; this is because gaming wasn’t legal. Conversely, every illegal action in UKGC casinos online results in fines. In case you notice any illegal activity on an online gaming site, contact UKGC and they will address it.
Must adhere to advertisement policies
There is no room for misleading or fake advertising in the UK Gambling Commission casino. Every marketing material must be true, exact, and legal, especially for bonus offers. All bonus offers must have terms and conditions clearly stated in the UKGC.
Types of Licenses Issued by the UK Gambling Commission
The UK Gambling Commission offers several separate licenses. Online casinos licensed in the UK may require only one or all of them. This depends on the games and services they offer to gamblers. Here are the types of licenses the UKGC casinos may need to apply for in case they need to operate in the UK to encourage fair and responsible gambling.
Operating License
This is the main document that all the online casinos regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission should have. The license gives casinos the go-ahead to operate and provide gambling services to punters in the United Kingdom. Operating license has a long list of subtypes, depending on the games the casino offers. These subtypes include bingo license for online and offline casinos, separate gambling software license, limited and unlimited remote gambling licenses, arcade operating license for family entertainment centers, and more. For players, knowing the exact license the casino has is hard and unnecessary. The crucial thing to know is that licensed United Kingdom casinos, irrespective of their license type, are safe and offer the highest level of gambling services, and promote responsible gambling.
Personal Management License
Every individual in key positions must get a license. This includes individuals responsible for general strategy, finances, regulatory compliance, IT provision and security, and so on. These people need to provide their personal declaration, application forms, and IDs to be reviewed and separately reviewed and approved by the UK gambling commission.
Personal Function License
This license is given to each casino employee who will be involved in the casino’s gaming activities or handling money. It is thus applicable for offline rather than online casinos. Employees who require a personal functional license from the UKGC comprise cashiers, gaming supervisors, croupiers, and security staff, including the ones who perform monitoring surveillance. The documents needed for this process include all residential addresses within the last five years, police and credit reports, and Id verification documents.
Premise License
As the name suggests, this license is issued to land-based casinos or any other offline gambling business like bingo or arcade halls. In case the casino is located outside Great Britain, it needs to get a premise license from the local regulators and then provide the licensing documents to the UK Gambling Commission.
Reputation and Players Protection of the UK Gambling Commision
Each reliable licensing body has its own set of principles of operation that shows casinos their license, pose no risk to players, and are good for players.
The UK Gambling Commission’s major concerns include player protection, fair gaming, fund security, and operator responsibility. Keep reading to see what these signify.
Protection of the Players
One of the things to appreciate when playing UKGC-licensed casino is that your personal and financial information is kept secure. Your information isn’t shared with third parties (except if approved in the Terms and Conditions) and will not be stolen. This also applies to mobile casinos.
The UKGC ensures the casino can keep your information secure from cyber-attacks and will never issue a license to a casino that does not offer this assurance. Play at online gaming sites licensed as they promote responsible gambling.
So as to reduce online gambling popularity and protect players from gambling addiction, the UKGC implements measures such as increasing fees for gamers. GamStop is an exclusive service offered by UK casinos that self-excludes players from playing. To be safe, you should play at UK-licensed casino sites and sites on the GamStop casinos list, even if you play at a single online casino site.
Fair Gaming
We all sign up at licensed UK online casinos to enjoy casino games, and the games must be fair; if not, what is the point if the games are unfair? Therefore, the most important thing the UKGC checks before issuing the license to a casino is the use of Random Number Generators. This gives players a real chance of winning, and if they clearly state the Return to-player rate for every game, you can know your chances from the start. Sports betting, online slots, and live casino games are a few spots you can enjoy at UKGC licensed casinos. Take advantage of bonuses as bonus funds count.
Protection of Funds
Apart from personal information, players’ money must be safe in the casino. The UK Gambling Commission ensures that players’ cash funds are kept separately from casino operation funds and oversees the payment option that can be used for online gambling in the country.
Talks on prohibiting credit card payments for online gambling have already started. Although these discussions are more likely to damage the gambling industry, players will be protected from the disclosure of financial information and overspending.
Operator Responsibilities
The main objective of the UK gambling commission is that the casino operator is answerable and responsible for any action the player takes. This means in case there is an issue or gamblers suspect any shady activities, they can fill in the form on the UK gambling Commission website and get a quick response that will be followed by real actions.
What We Look for Reviewing UKGC Casino Websites
We have noticed that most UK players, especially newbies, find it very hard to find UKGC licensed casino. This has made most players play in unsafe or unlicensed casino sites.
When reviewing UKGC casino sites, we check whether the site has a genuine license that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission issues.
Payment options are also crucial. We ensure that the UKGC online casinos offer multiple options for deposits and withdrawals.
Promotional bonus offers and game selection are also great indicators of safe casino sites. A reliable UK online casino offers customers welcome bonuses in the form of free spins. A massive game selection from trusted software developers is also an important factor.
Clear bonus terms are also crucial when reviewing UKGC casino websites. UKGC casinos must provide customers with clear, concise, and easy-to-understand bonus terms. They must clarify the total bonus bettors can get, the max bet, and max cash they stand to win from cash credited as bonus.
UKGC Casinos versus Unlicensed Casinos
Even though it is very enticing to be lured by big bonus offers and other casino incentives, it is important to confirm whether an online casino has a license prior to signing up. Players from the UK are lucky since their online casino industry is regulated well. Meaning there are numerous websites to select from and gamble responsibly.
Here is how you are protected at UKGC licensed online casinos compared to unlicensed casinos.
UKGC Online Casinos Licensed
Online casinos are penalized if any UKGC rules or punters’ rights are breached.
Offers a fair environment to gamblers with RNG games and random outcomes
In UK licensed casinos, the protection of your financial details and personal information is top-notch.
Wagering requirements are standard x35-40, whereas bonus terms are easy and clear to comprehend, as outlined by UK Gambling Comission.
Reputation is key in UKGC casinos as they understand they have to answer to UK Gambling Comission if an issue arises.
Unlicensed casinos
You won’t have players’ rights as they are not accountable to any governing body.
Games fairness is in question as third-party auditors carry out no checks.
Lack of investment in top-notch security measures.
Unattainable bonus wagering requirements and constantly changing promotional terms to scam players.
Rarely operate for long, only for a while to pocket your money.
It is important to note that other regulatory bodies like Curacao and Malta Gaming Authority license reputable casinos. However, playing at UKGC licensed casinos is advisable as a local gambling authority can protect you more.
UKGC Online Casino FAQ
What does the UKGC do?
The UKGC is a reputable body that regulates gambling in the United Kingdom. The commission also issues licenses to casino operators who want to accept players from the UK.
How do I contact the Gambling Commission?
You can contact the UK Gambling Commision by phone or email. Use the number 01212306666 to reach them by phone and at [email protected] if you prefer to send them an email.
What type of licenses does the UKGC offer?
The UKGC issues licenses for brick and mortar casino operations and online casino sites in the UK.
Are online casinos regulated?
In the UK, online casino sites are regulated. Before they can begin their operations legally, they need to be licensed by the UK gambling commission.
