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The internet is a big place. In the casino world alone, there are hundreds of casino sites suitable for UK players, but here's a question: what if you just want to find the best online casinos in the UK?
Casino Meter has the answer. On this page, you'll see a curated list of the top UK casinos put together by our team of experts. We use data-driven methodology to separate the wheat from the chaff, so you'll only see sites that meet our high standards.
Continue reading to find:
Top UK online casinos to choose from
This page presents you with a selection of the top online casinos in the United Kingdom, which have been assessed by Casino Meter's team of experts. They have awarded each site a special Meter rating from 0 to 100, based on its performance. The list is ordered from best to worst by default, so the sites with the very best ratings are at the top.
As you scroll down the list, you'll see that each UK casino has its own information box which sums up its key features – such as special offers, types of game and payment methods – in a few words. You'll also be able to see the site's rating, and click icons to see the site's review or visit the casino itself.
How we rate online casino sites
To give you the most accurate score for each site, our team takes into account a wide range of factors about its performance. We can summarise these as follows:
- Casino safety and fairness
- User experience
- UK player preferences, such as popular games and payment methods
- Casino Meter's own expert evaluation
We then condense this into the Meter rating, which gives you an instant idea of whether the casino is worth your time.
Online Gambling Laws in the UK Explained
Each casino on this list is licensed by the Gambling Commission (GC), the UK's number 1 betting regulator, which is run by the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The GC holds casinos to strict Safer Gambling standards, helps players to know their legal rights, and raises money for good causes.
Experts consider the UK gambling industry to be one of the best-regulated in the world and the GC is responsible for ensuring that they follow its strict rules.
Here are some key aspects of the national gambling regulation that affect online casino players:
- Players must be over the age of 18
- Betting sites must follow strict advertising rules
- Gambling with credit cards is banned
- All gambling businesses must sign up to GAMSTOP, an online self-exclusion scheme, and provide details of other GC-verified safe gambling tools
- All gambling entities must adhere to specific Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidelines that require transparency around offers like online casino bonuses
- Every business must pay an application and annual licensing fee, and a special gambling tax rate.
The UK adopts an open licensing model, which means that any gambling entity can obtain a license providing they meet the tough standards set out. This model ensures that these businesses are properly taxed, and that players can choose from a wide range of legal betting sites.
How to select the best online casino
There's nothing wrong with being a little picky when it comes to choosing a top UK online casino to play on. After all, it's important to find a site that:
- Treats its players fairly
- Pays out big wins promptly
- Offers a decent selection of games
- Has a range of safer gambling tools available
We also realise that each player is different: the type of casino that you like is probably different to your friend's favourite casino sites, for example.
For these reasons, you can use this page to find the top online casino, according to your own personal preferences.
As mentioned, the sites are automatically ordered by their Meter rating, but you can use the following filters and sort to rearrange them according to other criteria.
New casinos
You may want to play on new casinos, and you wouldn't be alone. Many players like to check out the freshest sites as they often have exciting offers in a bid to make a name for themselves. These sites may be a little rough around the edges, though, and we can't vouch for their safety like we can with established casinos that we know more about.
Click on the 'Newest' sorting option to see these new casino sites at the top of the list.
Mobile casinos
Gone are the days when we could only play on internet casinos via a desktop. Mobile casinos are very much the standard nowadays, but there may be a few older sites that aren't compatible with mobile devices. Get rid of these by selecting the 'Mobile Casinos' filter.
Payment methods
Imagine finding a casino you like, only to find you can't make a deposit because it doesn't accept your card. Use this filter to find online casinos with payment methods such as PayPal and Mastercard.
Game provider
What do Microgaming and Red Tiger have in common? They're both GC regulated and have their headquarters in London! You may want to find more than just UK-based gaming developers, though, and you can choose from them via this filter.
Game types
Casino games come in various forms. Whether you're a fan of roulette sites or slots sites, you can pick sites with your preferred game type from this list of options.
Once you're done with sorting through the list of casinos with these filters, you'll end up with a tailored selection to choose from. If you'd like to learn about each one in more detail, then you'll see a review of it in its info box. This will help you make an even more informed decision about which casino to go for.
Responsible gambling tips for online casinos
Choosing the best possible online casino will protect us from some of the dangers of gambling, but we still need to gamble responsibly once we've signed up to stay as safe as possible.
Problem gambling is something that can creep up on us without us realising, especially with the vast array of online gambling content available to us nowadays. When we gamble online, we're extra vulnerable to the dangers of betting: we often do it alone, and with no friends there to question our behaviour; plus, we're not spending physical money, so it might not 'feel' like we're losing it in the same way as when we part with banknotes and coins.
These dangers make gambling responsibly essential, and Casino Meter is on hand to provide some safe gambling tips for when you use UK online casinos, or any other betting site.
These include:
- Don't treat gambling as a way to make money.
- Don't combine gambling with alcohol or drugs.
- Only gamble with money that you can afford to lose, which we can do by setting spending limits in advance.
- Don't chase your losses.
UK casinos are also obliged to provide problem gambling support, through national schemes GAMSTOP and GambleAware. Both are dedicated towards tackling the growing wave of problem gambling, and are available to anyone who feels that their betting is getting out of hand.
How to choose the best online casino bonus
The high number of top casinos sites in the UK means they need to compete for new customers, so casino bonuses are an important marketing tool for many of them.
As a player, you can also benefit from these offers, as long as you understand how they work, what their limits are, and that most are subject to wagering requirements. You can read more about this in our guide on How Casino Bonuses Work, which covers every detail you need to know.
The deposit bonus, which you receive after putting money into your casino account, is the most common type of casino bonus offers. A UK casino may also offer you a no deposit bonus, which you get just for signing up. Both types come in the form of bonus money or free spins which you can use to try out on certain casino games, and you can find them on their dedicated Casino Meter pages.
Once you have a list of bonuses in front of you, you can order these by certain factors, such as the 'Recommended' and 'Newest' offers, similar to when you look through online casinos.
You can also use the following filters specifically for bonuses.
- Bonus amount
- Wagering requirements (WR)
- Bonus maximum cashout
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best online casino in the UK?
This is a very difficult question to answer, given the hundreds of factors that go towards making a good online casino. It's also very subjective, as each person's tastes are different.
This is why we've pooled the opinions of our team of experts to award each site a special Meter rating.
You'll be able to see which casino scored the highest (and is technically the UK's best casino according to our team) by looking at the top of the list. However, we must stress, this doesn't mean that it will be to everyone's tastes!
Are online casinos in the UK safe to play?
Every casino on this page is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission and is safe to play on.
However, there are other casinos out there who are unregulated and operate in a black market of sorts. We advise you not to play on these, and to stick with the legal UK casino sites you can find on Casino Meter.
Where can I find the best casino bonus?
What makes the best bonus is a tricky question to answer objectively, as everyone's taste is different.
You can, however, look on our online casino bonus pages and use the different filters there to find the one that's the best in your opinion.
Are online casino sites legal in the United Kingdom?
Online casino sites are legal in the UK, as long as they possess the GC license. This means all the sites you see on Casino Meter will hold GC certification.
Following the 2005 Gambling Act, the Gambling Commission is the official regulator and is responsible for making sure these sites abide by the law.
How do I get the best welcome bonus for online slots?
Start by going to the Deposit Bonuses page, where you'll see a list of welcome bonuses available to UK players.
From there, you can organise the list according to various factors. For bonuses you can use in online slots games, go to the 'Casino Games' filter and choose 'slots'.
It's up to you to decide which is the best bonus for you, as it will depend on your own preferences.
Can I win real money at online casinos in UK?
You certainly can. However, it's important to remember that all casino games have a built-in mathematical advantage, known as a house edge, which means that the longer you play, the more likely you are to lose money.
You might get lucky and land a win right away. In which case, the best thing to do, from a financial perspective, is to walk away with the money. The simple fact is that the odds are stacked in the casino's favour.
How can I be sure that an online casino will pay out?
While our aim is to help you find the best online casinos that pay out, you can never be 100% sure.
However, all UK casinos are obliged to treat players according to GC requirements and paying out winnings is a big part of that.
If a casino refuses to pay out and doesn't give a fair reason, then it risks losing its license and/or getting whacked with a heavy fine.
Should a casino refuse to pay out and you feel their reasoning is unfair, there are several steps you can take, which include writing a formal complaint to the casino, reporting them to the GC, and using an intermediary service like Casino Guru to resolve disputes.
Remember that you're never alone when it comes to challenging unfair player treatment.
Which are the biggest online casinos for UK players?
The UK has a popular online casino market which attracts some of the biggest names in the gambling world. Determining what makes a casino 'big' is tricky, but there are several factors we can look at, including the annual revenue, the number of games it offers, the number of payment methods, or the number of customers.
You can find all this out by checking out the review of each casino. With this information, you'll be able to see whether you're dealing with a big casino or not.