How to Check a Casino Licence
Verify any online casino on the official regulator register before you play.
A licence logo on a casino website proves nothing on its own. The only reliable proof is the regulator’s own public register, which records who is authorised, under what number, and whether that authorisation is still active. This guide explains how online casino licensing actually works, how to verify a licence yourself in a few minutes, and why the answer always depends on the country you play from.
Why a casino licence matters
A licence is the formal permission a gambling operator must hold to offer real-money games legally. It is issued by a public authority that sets rules on fairness, payouts, anti-money-laundering checks, player funds protection and responsible-gambling tools. When a casino is properly licensed, you have somewhere to turn if a withdrawal is refused, a bonus term is misapplied, or your account is closed unfairly: the regulator can investigate, mediate and, in serious cases, sanction or remove the operator. Without a licence that actually covers you, those protections largely disappear, and a dispute becomes your word against an operator that answers to no one. That is why verifying the licence yourself is the single most important check before you deposit a cent.
There is no single global casino regulator
One of the most common misunderstandings is that there is a worldwide gambling authority that licenses every online casino. There is not. Legality and licensing are decided country by country, and each jurisdiction runs its own regulator and its own register. Major examples include the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC, gamblingcommission.gov.uk), the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA, mga.org.mt), Sweden’s Spelinspektionen (spelinspektionen.se), Denmark’s Spillemyndigheden (spillemyndigheden.dk), Gibraltar’s Gambling Division, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, Romania’s ONJN, Ontario’s iGaming Ontario together with the AGCO, and the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (gamingcontrolcuracao.org), which was reformed under the 2024 LOK ordinance. Because no global authority exists, the right question is never “is this casino licensed?” in the abstract, but “is it licensed by the regulator that governs my country?”
How to read the licence number in the footer
Almost every legitimate casino displays its licensing details in the website footer: the name of the regulator, a licence or permit number, and often the legal name of the company that holds it. Start there, but treat it only as a claim to be checked, never as proof. Note three things: which regulator is named, the exact licence number, and the operating company’s name. Be cautious if the footer is vague (“licensed and regulated” with no authority named), if the licence belongs to a regulator that has nothing to do with your country, or if the company name in the footer does not match the brand you are playing on. These are the details you will carry over to the official register in the next step.
Verify on the regulator’s official register
This is the step that actually proves a licence. A logo can be copied and pasted onto any website; an entry in the regulator’s public register cannot be faked. Go directly to the regulator’s own site — type the address yourself rather than clicking a link on the casino — and open its public register or licensee list. Search for the licence number or the operator name from the footer, then confirm two things: the status reads something like “active” or “authorised”, and the operator name on the register matches the company behind the casino. Useful official registers include the UKGC Public Register (gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-register), the MGA Licensee Register (authorisation.mga.org.mt), Spelinspektionen’s licensee list, Spillemyndigheden’s list of licholders, and the Curaçao Gaming Control Board portal. If you cannot find the licence number on the register of the regulator the casino claims, treat the site as unverified and do not deposit. Always cross-check against the regulator that should govern your own country, not just any regulator that happens to look reputable.
The regulator signal: read it honestly
It helps to think of the regulator’s record as a signal rather than a marketing badge. That signal can say several things: the operator is verified and listed on the register; the operator is not listed on that regulator’s register at all; or the domain appears on an official blocklist of illegal gambling sites. Each of those is meaningful, and each should be read for exactly what it says — no more. A register entry confirms only what the register states: a specific company, a specific number, a specific status, on a specific date. It does not turn an offshore licence into a local one, and a casino’s own marketing claims about being “regulated” are a separate, self-declared signal that should never be confused with the regulator’s verdict. Keeping these signals honest and separate is the whole point: trust what the official register shows, label everything else as a claim, and let the strongest negative signal — a domain on an official illegal-gambling blocklist — weigh heavily in your decision.
A licence in one country is not a passport
Even a genuine, verifiable licence does not automatically authorise a casino to serve players everywhere. Within the European Union there is no EU-wide gambling law and no mutual recognition of licences. Under Article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), member states organise their own gambling markets, and the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) allows them to restrict cross-border supply to protect minors, fight problem gambling and prevent crime. The practical consequence is blunt: a licence held in Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man or Curaçao does not by itself make a casino legal for a resident of, say, Sweden or Denmark. Regulatory models also vary widely — locally licensed open markets (UK, Malta, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Ontario), state monopolies or restricted regimes (Norway via Norsk Tipping, parts of the United States, Finland), and markets where players in practice rely on offshore or EU/EEA-licensed sites. Offshore-licensed casinos are often legally grey or outright prohibited for players in regulated markets, so the only correct answer is the one given for your own country.
Country-specific checks and where to confirm
Because the rules change at every border, the verification you do must be anchored to your own jurisdiction. If you live in a locally licensed market, find your national regulator and confirm the casino on its register: the UKGC in Britain, Spelinspektionen in Sweden, Spillemyndigheden in Denmark, the ONJN in Romania, iGaming Ontario and the AGCO in Ontario. If your country runs a monopoly or restricted model, recognise that many international casinos are simply not authorised to serve you, however legitimate their foreign licence looks. Where players rely on EU/EEA or offshore licences (Malta, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Curaçao), understand that this is a legally grey area in many regulated markets and verify the licence on that regulator’s own portal before trusting it. The specific legal status, the right regulator and the official register link differ by market, so always confirm with the authority for your country — our per-country guides, reachable from the site menu and the Guides hub, name and link the correct regulator for each market. Live-dealer games are a good example of why this matters: the studios that run live tables are licensed, but the casino offering them to you must itself be licensed in your own country for play to be properly covered.
Responsible gambling
Gambling is for adults only — you must be at least 18, or the legal age in your jurisdiction. Treat it as entertainment, never as a way to make money or recover losses, and only ever stake what you can afford to lose. Licensed casinos are required to offer tools such as deposit limits, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion; use them. If gambling stops feeling fun, take a break and seek support — each of our country guides links the relevant national help resources. You can read more on our responsible gambling page.
FAQ
Is there one global online casino licence?
No. There is no single worldwide regulator and no universal licence. Each country decides its own rules and runs its own regulator and register, so a casino must be authorised by the authority that governs the player’s own country.
Can I trust the licence logos on a casino’s website?
Not on their own. Logos and badges can be copied onto any site. The only reliable proof is the regulator’s official public register, where you confirm that the licence number exists, the status is active or authorised, and the operator name matches.
What should I do if I cannot find the licence on the register?
Treat the casino as unverified and do not deposit. If the licence number from the footer does not appear on the register of the regulator the site claims, the claim is unproven, regardless of how professional the website looks.
Does a Malta or Curaçao licence mean a casino is legal for me?
Not automatically. There is no mutual recognition of gambling licences within the EU, and offshore or EU/EEA licences are often legally grey or prohibited for players in regulated markets. Always check the rules and the regulator for your own country.
Where do I find the right regulator for my country?
Use your national authority’s website and its public register — for example the UKGC, Spelinspektionen or Spillemyndigheden. Our per-country guides, linked from the menu and the Guides hub, name and link the correct regulator for each market.