UK Live Casinos

Yes, online gambling is legal in the United Kingdom, and so are live casino games. That said, they’re also strictly regulated – which is ultimately good for customers.

To start with, all gambling companies in the UK require a license issued by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission to operate in the country. This applies to both live casinos and live gaming software providers. For example, if a UKGC-licensed casino offers games by a provider that isn’t licensed in the UK, British customers will simply be unable to play.

From the player’s perspective, most restrictions are quite reasonable. Casinos and games are only available to persons over the legal age of 18. Also, your exact address and personal information need to be disclosed to the casino operator. This is done to prevent issues like money laundering or tax evasion.

Beyond that, the UKGC vets and checks all games for fairness. If you’re a live dealer punter in Britain, you won’t have to worry whether the games you play are rigged. Merely the fact that you can access it at all means that the provider is licensed by the gambling authority. This, in turn, means that it’s been tested time and time again.

Gambling Laws & Regulations

All Gambling in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Gambling Commission on behalf of the government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under the Gambling Act 2005. This Act of Parliament significantly updated the UK’s gambling laws, including the introduction of a new structure of protections for children and vulnerable adults. It was also one of the first laws to directly address the then-young online gambling market, which solidified Britain as one of the leading authorities in the world.

This act established the Gambling Commission as we know it today, granting it the power to issue licenses and regulate all gambling activity in the country. As per the law, only UKGC-licensed companies and entities are allowed to offer gambling services to British citizens. To obtain a license, operators have to conform to a strict set of rules and guidelines, including privacy rules, KYC policies, customer protection policies, and more.

The act gives its objectives as:

1. Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime
2. Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
3. Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

This framework has served as inspiration for many regulations across the globe thanks to its efficiency and focus on fairness and responsible gambling.

Another highlight of the law is that it mandates all gambling companies to be part of the GamStop project. GamStop is essentially a nationwide self-exclusion scheme. Once a player has opted to self-exclude using GamStop, they are prevented from accessing any UKGC-licensed venue, online or otherwise. Moreover, casinos and betting shops are prohibited from advertising directly to such players, under penalty of heavy fines or license revocation.

Licensing Authorities

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission is a public body tasked with regulating all gambling activity in Great Britain. It’s responsible for issuing licenses, regulating gambling, and ensuring license-holders adhere to its laws and guidelines. Its authority covers arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, slot machines and lotteries, as well as remote gambling (such as through online casinos.)

The Commission is also tasked with preventing gambling-related issues such as underage gambling, money laundering, and so on. It also advises the goverment on issues related to these topics, such as whenever new laws or guidelines are outlined. The Commission issues licenses to gambling operators, can levy fines and revoke licenses, and is tasked with investigating and prosecuting illegal gambling.

Before 2014, the Commission strictly issued licences to those operators whose remote gambling equipment was located in the territory of Great Britain. This meant that live dealer providers had to run tables and studios physically located in the country in order to legally offer them to UK citizens. A 2014 Gambling Act changed this, which allowed companies based in other jurisdictions to acquire UKGC licenses and operate tables offshore, provided transparency and responsibility standards are met.

Key points about live casinos in the UK

• The United Kingdom is generally seen as one of the biggest online gambling markets in the world. This means that UK residents have access to more online casino sites than anyone else.
• Conversely, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, or UKGC, is arguably the most respected gambling authority that deals in remote gambling licenses. As such, the market for online casinos in the UK is highly regulated and safe.
• The British Pound is also one of the three most widely accepted currencies, next to US Dollars and Euros. Moreover, most live tables at casinos are conducted in English.
• Almost 50% of the British population takes part in some sort of gambling or another. The Lottery and sports betting are the most popular, but casinos aren’t far behind.
• As of April 2020, Brits cannot use credit cards to gamble online. Debit cards, however, are still accepted at most sites. Beyond that, banking options for online UK casinos are varied and mostly come with no fees and minimal waiting times.
• Some of the biggest operators on the planet are based in the country. For example, there’s the incredible Bet365 or William Hill. This sometimes leads to special offers or loyalty programs reserved for UK citizens.
• Registering at a live casino in the UK is generally no different from any other place. You’ll need a personal identification document to complete KYC verification, as most others do. However, UK casinos online also always require proof of address. This can be a utility bill or any sort of official note clearly stating that your provided address is indeed where you’re residing.