• Gambling is estimated to cause of 500 suicides in the UK a year. Aaron Sluman, 23, killed himself after losing £750 in one night of gambling. Some 430,000 people in Britain are problem gamblers.
• The industry kept on growing, and the gross gambling yield in the UK grew from £8.4 billion to £14.4 billion between 2011 and 2018, with most of that growth due to the online industry.

In the UK at least, the history of sports betting and gambling advertising has a few interesting points that really stand out. Starting in 1845 with the Gaming Act that pretty much outlawed gambling. Unless you were upper class, since it specifically excluded the tote for horse races, the act basically made other wagers unenforceable as a legal. Since 1 November 2014, all operators advertising gambling services in the UK and/or transacting with customers physically located in Great Britain, must hold a licence from the Commission. The UK Liberal Democrat Party have announced they will ban the use of credit cards for gambling if the party wins a majority in the country’s upcoming election on 12 December. Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat shadow spokesperson for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said problem gambling had become an epidemic in the UK.

Online gambling is 100% legal in the United Kingdom and heavily regulated by the UK gaming commission. Learn how to stay compliant as a UK player and which sites are considered the most reputable.

UK residents are fortunate in that they have a wide range of legal online gambling options to choose from. You will find casino, poker and sportsbook gambling available online, as well as lottery, horse racing and bingo. The key to remaining on the legal side of the fence when enjoying online gambling in Great Britain is to make sure you only visit legally licensed destinations that have been certified to offer their services to UK players. This guide will provide you with insight into the legalities of online gambling in the UK, as well as information on the industry's leading gambling sites that welcome British players.

Informed players will be able to better navigate the complexities involved in selecting a premium online gambling destination that is legally operating within the industry and compliant with all UK gambling laws. Therefor our objective is to provide a comprehensive resource for you that leaves you well with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions regarding your involvement with legal UK online gambling entertainment. Below you will find a listing of gambling sites that have been vetted by our team of analysts and approved as reputable and high quality brands.

Is Online Gambling Legal In The United Kingdom?

Online Gambling Is 100% Legal in The United Kingdom and is widely enjoyed by millions of European players. All UK gambling sites are highly regulated and must adhere to stringent standards by the UK Gaming Commission. We only recommend sites that are licensed by the UGC which we know to be fair, safe and legitimate gambling options for players.

Are Online Casinos Legal In The UK?

As one of the most accepting regions when it comes to online gambling, there are a number of options available to UK players seeking legal real money casino games online. Not only do British players have a nice selection of UK based gambling sites, but the nation also embraces offshore betting sites as well. Residents from Great Britain probably have the longest list of available online casinos to choose from as compared to other nations. That being the case, making informed decisions regarding which destinations you will consider playing at is crucial. While each site must be approved by the UK Gambling Commission and meet minimal licensing requirements, not all approved casinos are created equal. There are clear industry leaders that offer the most secure, high quality, reliable and customer oriented experiences out there.

The online casinos that we recommend for UK players are among the most trusted and respected brands in the business, and are all legally sanctioned to provide their services to residents of England. They include destinations that are powered by the top software solutions such as Microgaming, and Playtech, and that make UK players a priority. Many of our featured brands also offer players the option of enjoying their online casino via their smartphone or tablet, with responsive technology that accommodates nearly all mobile devices and networks.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In The UK?

Legal UK sports betting sites are among the top sportsbooks in the world. Since online and offline betting is legal and embraced in Great Britain, bookmakers have been given the opportunity to openly perfect their services and features. The legal UK online sportsbooks cover sports on a global scale, so players in England can bet on sports from regions all around the world.

Naturally one of the biggest sections of any UK friendly sportsbook is going to be football, and we're not talking the NFL. British and European soccer leagues dominate the sports culture across the pond, and finding great betting lines and odds for wagering on these matches is a priority for many English sports fans. You will find the options are quite extensive and comprehensive at our recommended sportsbooks. The sportsbooks that we recommend also typically offer a strong mobile betting experience that includes features such as live betting and in play betting, and sometimes live streaming of events.

Is Online Poker Legal In The UK?

Poker is extremely popular throughout the UK, both online and offline. The gambling laws in Great Britain do permit online poker gambling from both an operator and a player perspective. UK residents enjoy a nice selection of legally licensed poker rooms that can legitimately offer gaming services to them. The addition of the 2014 Gambling Bill, also known as the Advertising and Licensing Bill, has chased away a few prominent brands from the UK market due to the added tax burden and licensing requirements. However, the UK online gambling market is so very lucrative, that most offshore brands are willing to endure the new hoops they have to jump through because the revenue stream is so worthwhile.

As with the online casinos that accept UK players, you must also be diligent when selecting an online poker site at which to play. Our team of industry analysts has performed extensive reviews on the many poker sites offering services to poker players in Great Britain, and has comprised a listing of top recommendations based on the results of our research. A little further down on this page, you can see a list of some of the key criteria that is required for any brand to be included in our guide. They are all licensed and regulated, and legally offer poker gaming to British players in accordance to all gambling laws in the UK.

FAQ's

As previously mentioned, online gambling is legal in the UK. From 2005 through 2014 the primary law governing online gambling in Great Britain was the Gambling Act of 2005. This piece of legislation served to regulate the industry and to create the UK Gambling Commission. The law allowed gambling sites that were licensed by the commission to advertise and provide betting services to UK residents. The governing body also managed a 'white list' of approved offshore gambling sites that could also participate in the UK online gambling market.

When Did Gambling Become Legal In Ukraine

Some of this changed with the 2014 Gambling Bill, which requires any online gambling business that intends to advertise to and provide services to UK residents to acquire a license through the UK Gambling Commission and pay a 15% flat tax, as well as licensing fees. As you can see, all of the regulatory oversight associated with legal UK online gambling is directed at business operators, and does not really affect players. As long as British players are at least 18 years of age, they are legally able to engage in licensed online gambling. The UK region is one of the more progressive areas when it comes to Internet betting laws, providing one of the widest variety of options for gamblers. Below we provide information on casino, poker and sportsbook gambling, but UK players also have access to enjoying online bingo, lottery, skills games, and racing.

This is actually the most critical factor when enjoying online gambling. Finding a legally sanctioned, reputable and high quality destination is paramount to a successful betting experience. Not every single sportsbook that welcomes players from the United Kingdom is legitimate or reputable, no matter how professional their appearance may be. Savvy web design skills have seduced many a bettor who didn't perform their due diligence in vetting a betting site and ended up at risk for fraud and theft. Our goal is to provide you with information that is concise and direct for avoiding a questionable, fraudulent or simply low quality gambling site. We implement an intense review process that places each brand under the microscope concerning every tiny piece of their operation. As industry professionals, we know what to look for to determine the legitimacy, quality and commitment of any gambling site. Here is just a small listing of some of the criteria we demand when evaluating any gambling site.

• Verifiable proof of licensing, compliance certifications and fair gaming practices as documented by third party audits through legitimate governing bodies
• Sophisticated security profile that rivals that of world class financial institutions, and that has been tested by an industry respected testing authority
• Comprehensive banking suite that accepts GBP (British Pounds) and Euro currencies for transactions and offers a strong selection of payment and withdrawal methods
• Industry leading software solutions that power the interface and functionality of the gambling site
• A customer support team that demonstrates that they are knowledgeable, competent and responsive
• Bonus offers that carry reasonable wagering requirements
• Consistent expansion of game menus and features as is applicable to their platform
• Strong proof of identity required during registration and/or account funding to ensure no underage players are involved

The full list of criteria that we look for is much longer, but you get the idea. We don't settle for brands that simply meet the minimum licensing requirements, we want to see a commitment to providing a premium gambling experience for each customer on every visit.

When Did Gambling Become Legal In Illinois

While the 2014 Gambling Bill did stir the pot a bit and drive away some premium gambling brands who were not interested in the new requirements this law administered, all in all it is business as usual for UK players. There are currently no threats of any major negative changes to the market, and in fact fantasy sports has just made a debut to the British sports community. We expect most changes for the near future to be in the way of expansion of the industry due to its strong revenue stream and financial benefits to the bottom line in Great Britain.

The British Open, otherwise known as the Open Championship, is the oldest of the 4 major championships … Read more

Resources For UK Players

Gamcare - Gamcare is an excellent website for anyone living in the United Kingdom who needs help with gambling addiction.

There are so many arbitrary decisions that are made in life that we all accept without any real question. If you went to a pub and ordered a pint when you were seventeen-years and three-hundred-and-sixty-four days old then you would be breaking the law. Do the same thing the following day and you won’t be. Why is it that an eighteen-year-old can be trusted to drink alcohol and not be daft with it but a seventeen-year-old can’t be? Add to that the fact that the law in the UK dictates that it’s OK for an adult to buy beer, cider or wine for someone over sixteen if they’re having a meal at a table in a licensed restaurant and you can see that the whole thing becomes even more complicated. That’s to say nothing of the fact that a child aged five to sixteen can drink alcohol at a private premises such as home without breaking any law. The fact that the United States of America says that people must be over the age of twenty-one to drink alcohol merely serves to confirm the idea of the age selection being arbitrary.

Regardless of the arbitrary nature of the cut off point for the legality of drinking, we all accept it because it is the law. The same thing can be true for the age at which we’re allowed to have sex, drive and, of course, gamble. Just as with alcohol intake, however, there are a host of various different rules and regulations around the age limit for gambling that muddy the waters somewhat. The age you need to be to gamble in a casino or place a bet at a bookmaker’s is different to the age you need to be to buy a lottery ticket, for example. So how were the rules decided on that front? Why is one form of gambling seen as less problematic than another? Should it not be a blanket decision regarding an acceptable age for gambling, regardless of the event that you’re gambling on? That’s not to say that the age should be lowered to sixteen across the board, of course; perhaps some feel that it should be raised to twenty-one. In this piece we’ll explore the various rules, how they came about and what might happen to them in the future.

New Age Verification Laws Come Into Place In 2019

Following a review of age verification procedures for UK licenced gambling business the Gambling Commission announced in 2019 that companies that offer gambling to UK citizens must now verify the age of any customer before they make a deposit or bet.

Previously brands were allowed to let people sign up, deposit and bet as long as they verified age within 72 hours or before a withdrawal was made. The commission argue however that this still potentially allows minors to gamble, even if they ultimately may not be able to withdraw.

The effects of this mean there will likely be longer delays between signing up and betting, however it will mean children are less able to bet online. The rules also extend to demo and free-to-play games online, such as slots. While this is not technically gambling as no prizes are provided the GC argue rightly that kids should not be able to play these games as they are a clear gateway to gambling proper.

What Are The Current UK Laws?

If we’re going to have a look at the age restrictions that are in place over gambling then it makes sense to first explore things as they currently are. In the United Kingdom there are several different age limits depending on what exactly it is that people are gambling on, as the table above demonstrates.

You can see from the table that the current laws are slightly complex, with the age limit in place depending entirely on what it is that someone’s hoping to gamble upon. A sixteen-year-old could spend £100 on scratchcards, football pools or the National Lottery, for example, but wouldn’t be allowed to bet £1 inside a casino. Theoretically, a five-year-old could sit and spend thousands of pounds on coin pusher-type games or teddy grabbers without stepping outside of the legal boundaries for gambling. Quite where a five-year-old would get thousands of pounds from is another matter, of course, but the point still stands that they wouldn’t be breaking the law if they did.

The issue around the age of gamblers is further complicated by the rules that individual premises choose to put in place. It is not illegal for someone under the age of eighteen to enter a bingo hall, as an example, but if they were to do any gambling whilst they were in there then that would be against the law. For that reason, most licensed bingo clubs choose to instigate a blanket ban on anyone under the age of eighteen from entering the premises. Similarly, it’s legal for those under eighteen to play bingo at a private members clubs or institute, though they need to be a member of that club to do so and membership is often limited to eighteen-year-olds and over. For more see our article on UK gambling licensing and law and our article on the Gambling Commission.

Why Are There Different Age Limits?

None of that is to say that the gambling age should be levelled out to just to stop confusion, of course. Yet there’s surely something of a contradiction when kids of any age an gamble on machines that have jackpots of less than £5 but can’t if the prize amount goes above that. Why is it that one form of gambling is seen as worse than any other? It surely can’t be because of the amount of money that can be won, given that a sixteen-year-old could play the EuroMillions and win over £100 million. It’s also difficult to believe that the rate at which young punters could invest their money on something likes roulette or blackjack makes a difference, given that you can buy, play and then re-buy a scratchcard in the same amount of time as either of those games.

Research suggests that underage gamblers are between two and four times more likely to develop a gambling problem than an adult is. What we don’t know, however, is why it was felt that one form of gambling is naturally less addictive than another. Given the high potential yield for a relatively low output, you’d have thought that something like a National Lottery would be the most addictive thing of all. It’s certainly odd that something so clearly in favour of the ‘house’ is legal for those under the age of eighteen, but other forms of gambling are not. The ‘edge’ in the lottery is around 50%, whilst in blackjack it’s closer to 1% and in roulette it’s around 2.7%.

One argument is that of rapid re-staking, as mentioned a moment ago. If you sit and play roulette you’ll be able to gamble more money within a minute or so of your previous bet, whereas with the lottery you have to wait a minimum amount of time of a couple of hours between placing your bet and finding out the result. Where that argument falls down, however, is once again in the fact that scratchcard gambling is legal for sixteen-year-olds. In 1998, four years after the National Lottery was launched in the UK, Oflot, the then lottery watchdog, released a report that suggested that 5% of those under sixteen had a gambling problem and 2% had an obsession with scratchcards. The question obviously remains, why isn’t the age eighteen for the lottery as it is for other forms of gambling?

The obvious answer is a rather cynical one, but it states that the National Lottery was introduced by the government and they didn’t want to miss out on the increased revenue that would be lost if they’d made the legal age two years older than it currently is. There is also little appetite to change the legal age limit for the lottery, meaning that it’s unlikely to be pushed by one political party or another when they can’t see the benefit of doing so. A petition to raise the age limit to eighteen that was set up during the Conservative Government of 2015-2017 garnered just nine signatures, for example.

Would Raising The Age Make A Difference?

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It’s intriguing that you are able to quite literally create a new life at the age of sixteen by procreating and at seventeen you can get into a motorised vehicle that would easily allow you to take a life, but you have to be another year older before you’d even be allowed to set foot in a casino. That obviously begs the question, ‘would changing the raising the legal age for gambling make any difference?’ For something approximating an answer we can turn to Finland, where a decision was taken to raise the legal age limit from fifteen to eighteen back in 2010. Research done on minors who used slot machines before and after the change in age limit was quite startling, as the table above suggests.

You can see that the difference in users of slot machines before and after the age was raised is fairly stark. Obviously, as with any survey, that is only the percentage of respondents that had used the machines, but you have to assume that it’s a fairly reflective example of the entire age group. That 40% of fourteen-year-olds were happy to gamble on slot machines a year before they were legally allowed to do so tells an interesting story, as does the fact that that figure dropped but close to one-third after the age limit changed. Of course, one of the reasons for the drop would undoubtedly be that less fourteen-year-olds will have looked close to the legal age once it was moved to eighteen, but it’s an intriguing shift nevertheless.

What’s also interesting to note is the ten percent drop between eighteen-year-olds and over using slot machines before the age limit changed and after. It’s suggestive of the idea that teens had grown accustomed to using slots in their earlier lives and had simply continued to do so as they’d grown older. It would have been interesting to see a more defined age range after eighteen, given the fact that there was a fifteen percent drop between sixteen-year-olds and eighteen-year-olds using slot machines prior to the change in the law. This is suggestive of the notion that they’d got excited when they were legally allowed to use the machines and then got bored after they’d done so. Might the same be true of nineteen or twenty-year-olds using the machines after the age range had switched to eighteen?

When Did Casinos Become Legal In The Uk

It’s also true that raising the legal age isn’t the only argument out there when it comes to talking about the legal age for gambling. As long ago as 2008 there were calls for the legal age for betting on horse racing to be lowered to sixteen. The argument put forward was that younger people will always struggle to get into racing if they’re allowed to get married before they’re allowed to place an each-way bet on a horse race. Whilst virtually every sport has its own language and communication barriers, it’s a lot easier for young people to get into football, cricket or rugby when they’re allowed to participate in those sports at school and so on. Few are able to get into horse racing in the same manner and one of the chief appeals of the sport is the ability to have a bet on it.

When Did Gambling Become Legal In Nevada

As long as there’s no real appetite from the public for the age limit to change, it’s unlikely to do so. Whether there are louder calls for the age restriction to move in either direction in the coming years remains to be seen, but as long as politicians don’t think there’s anything in it for them then they’re not likely to lead the charge. One thing that might make people sit up and take notice is the 2017 decision by the Irish Government to move the age limit for all forms of gambling to eighteen-years-old. It was already set to eighteen for the lottery in Ireland, but those under that age could enter an amusement hall or arcade and use a slot machine. It may be a matter of the British government monitoring how things go in Ireland before making a decision about a similar law here.