Remote gambling licence explained

What a remote gambling licence is

The Gambling Commission splits operating licences into non-remote (shops, casinos, bingo halls), remote (internet, phone and app gambling) and ancillary types. A remote licence covers gambling where the player and operator aren’t face to face. Its own guidance is blunt: if you provide facilities for remote gambling and advertise to consumers in Great Britain, you need a licence from the Commission.

This has been the position since November 2014, when the law moved to regulating at the point of consumption: before then, operators based overseas could serve British players under a licence from elsewhere. Today a company in Gibraltar, Malta or Cyprus must hold a UKGC licence to take bets from someone in Manchester.

Types of remote gambling licence

There isn’t one single remote licence; each activity has its own. The ones most relevant to a casino app are:

A single company often holds several, which is why one app can offer casino, bingo and sport from one account. Studios need their own software licence before their games can appear in a UK app, as our guide on how casino app games work explains.

What a remote licence holder must do

Getting a licence involves checks on identity and ownership, finances, integrity, competence and any criminality. Keeping it means following three layers of rules:

• Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP): rules on protecting customer funds, verifying identity, preventing money laundering, handling complaints and offering safer gambling tools such as self-exclusion and time-outs.
• Remote technical standards: how games, accounts and tools must work, including deposit limits, reality checks and the slot design rules.
• Testing and reporting: games must meet the technical standards on fairness, including how the RNG behaves, and operators report to the Commission regularly.

Breaking these rules can lead the Commission to review a licence, with outcomes ranging from warnings and financial penalties to suspension or revocation.

Remote gambling licence holders behind UK casino apps

The public register shows that the companies behind the apps we review are based outside Great Britain yet licensed by the Commission, which illustrates the point-of-consumption rule well:

Each must keep a UK address where legal documents can be served, even with its head office abroad.

How to check an app’s remote gambling licence

1. Find the licence wording in the app, typically in the footer, the About screen or the terms.
2. Note the company name and the Commission account number.
3. Search that number on the Gambling Commission public register.
4. Check the status is active and remote casino appears among the activities.
5. Compare the company with the developer or seller on the App Store or Google Play listing.

If the developer and licence holder differ, the store listing or the operator’s terms should explain the link, as with group companies. A full walkthrough is in how to check a casino licence, and red flags are covered in casino app red flags.

Casino apps with a UKGC remote licence

All five apps we cover hold remote casino licences you can verify on the register; compare them on our licensed casino app reviews page. 10bet and PlayOJO are shown below. 18+, terms apply, and remember that gambling is paid entertainment in which losses are the likely outcome over time.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.