Casino licences
A casino's licence tells you who checks it and where you can go if it won't pay. The licence number in the footer is only a claim: check it in the regulator's own register, and make sure the website you are on is listed for that company.
Each licence below has its own guide, written from the regulator's pages and the law, with the date we checked them. None of these regulators settles your individual dispute itself; what differs is the route they give you and the rules the casino has to follow.
What a licence means for you
- Complaints: the casino's own procedure comes first, then an independent body, with deadlines set by the regulator.
- Checks: a public register or whitelist where you can confirm the licence and the website.
- Rules: limits, game rules and self-exclusion that the casino must apply to you.
- Market: a licence covers what its regulator regulates; it doesn't make a casino legal everywhere.
Casino licences compared
| Licence | Regulator | After the casino's own complaints process | Self-exclusion | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UKGC | Gambling Commission | Free ADR provider after 8 weeks | GAMSTOP and the casino's tools | Public register |
| MGA | Malta Gaming Authority | ADR entity named by the casino | The casino's tools | Licensee Register |
| Germany | GGL | Report breaches to the GGL; private claims under German law | OASIS for all licensed operators | GGL whitelist |
| Ontario | AGCO and iGaming Ontario | AGCO after up to 90 days (can't recover money) | The site's tools | iGO logo and operator list |
| Curaçao | Curaçao Gaming Authority | Independent dispute resolution paid by the operator | The casino's tools | Licence details against CGA information |
Our review method explains how we weigh a casino's licence, and our responsible gambling page lists free help lines.
