Frequently asked questions

Yes. In Great Britain online gambling is legal and regulated under the Gambling Act 2005. Any operator offering gambling to consumers in Great Britain — wherever the operator itself is based — must hold a licence from the Gambling Commission. Northern Ireland has its own separate gambling legislation.

The Gambling Commission is the independent statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain. It issues operating licences, sets the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) that operators must follow, takes enforcement action, and publishes a public register of every licensed business.

Search the Gambling Commission public register by business name, trading name, domain or account number, and check that the licence is shown as active and that the exact website address is listed under the licensee’s domain names. Every review on this site states the licence holder and account number and links straight to the register entry.

Both Betano (betano.co.uk) and SmoothSpins (smoothspins.co.uk) are operated in Great Britain by BV Gaming Limited, Gambling Commission account number 39576, licence number 039576-R-319370-028. Its remote casino, remote bingo and remote general betting activities are all shown as active, and both domains are listed on its register entry.

We strongly advise against it. Unlicensed sites are not supervised by the Gambling Commission, are not part of GAMSTOP, are not bound by UK rules on age verification, stake limits or fair treatment, and give you no access to an approved dispute resolution service. Unlicensed gambling can be reported to the Gambling Commission.

You must be 18 or over and resident in the UK. Licensed operators must verify your name, address and date of birth before you can deposit or gamble, usually through electronic checks. You may be asked for photo ID, proof of address or, in some cases, information about the source of your funds.

UK-licensed operators typically accept Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer and, at some sites, PayPal or other e-wallets. All accounts are held in pounds sterling. Credit cards cannot be used: gambling with credit cards, including through e-wallets funded by a credit card, has been banned in Great Britain since 14 April 2020.

It depends on the operator and the method. At the operators we have reviewed, card withdrawals using Visa Fast Funds can arrive within an hour, card and wallet withdrawals are usually processed within 24 hours, and bank transfers take one to three working days. Your account must be fully verified first.

No. Players in the UK do not pay tax on gambling winnings — duty is paid by the operator. This is general information, not tax advice; if your circumstances are unusual, check with HMRC or a qualified adviser.

Yes. Since 19 January 2026, wagering requirements on gambling bonuses are capped at 10 times the bonus amount, and promotions can no longer combine different products such as casino and betting. Online slots have maximum stakes of £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 per spin for players aged 18 to 24.

GAMSTOP is a free national scheme. Once you register, you are blocked from every gambling website and app licensed in Great Britain for the period you choose — 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. All UKGC-licensed online operators must take part. You can also self-exclude directly with an individual operator.

Licensed operators must let you set deposit limits and must offer time-outs and self-exclusion. Most also offer reality checks, loss limits and spending history. Reducing a limit takes effect immediately; an increase only applies after a cooling-off period.

The National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day, run by GamCare. GambleAware provides information and access to treatment, and Gamblers Anonymous runs local and online meetings across the UK. All of them are linked in the footer of every page.

Yes. Online casino gambling is strictly for adults aged 18 and over. Licensed operators must verify your age before you can deposit or play, including free-to-play versions of their games. This site is likewise intended only for those aged 18 and over.

No. We are an independent information publication. We do not accept bets, process payments, manage player accounts or pay prizes. All gambling takes place on the licensed operators’ own sites.

Through affiliate commissions. If you open an account with an operator through one of our links, that operator may pay us a commission. It costs you nothing and the terms you receive are exactly the same. The detailed explanation is on our Disclosure page.

No. Ratings come from a fixed scorecard of 28 criteria applied identically to every operator. No operator can buy a score, a position or the removal of a criticism.

Every review is revisited at least quarterly, and immediately whenever the operator’s status changes on the Gambling Commission register. The date of the last update is shown on each review.