Landscape mode in casino apps

What landscape mode means

The term comes from painting, where a landscape canvas is wider than it is tall. On a phone, landscape mode is simply the screen turned through 90 degrees, so the long edge runs left to right. Phones and tablets switch to it automatically when you rotate them, unless rotation is locked.

Its opposite is portrait mode, the upright way most people hold a phone. Both entries sit in our casino app glossary, alongside other display and device terms such as HTML5.

How landscape mode works in a casino app

Your phone's motion sensors detect the turn and tell the app the screen shape has changed. The app or the game then redraws its layout for the wider space. Some games are built for one orientation only, so they may ask you to rotate the phone, or stay sideways whatever you do.

Whether a particular game supports landscape, portrait or both is a choice made by the studio and the operator. There's no single rule across apps, so the quickest check is simply to turn the phone and see what the game does.

Two settings decide whether anything happens at all:

• Rotation lock on iPhone: the portrait orientation lock in Control Centre keeps the screen upright even when you turn the phone.
• Auto-rotate on Android: the auto-rotate tile in quick settings has to be on for the screen to follow the phone.
• The game's own design: a game built for one orientation can override what you'd prefer.

Landscape mode vs portrait mode at a glance

Neither orientation is better in general. Each suits different games and different ways of holding a phone. Our landscape vs portrait guide goes deeper; this table gives the short version.

Where you meet landscape mode in casino apps

Live casino. Video of a real table is usually shot wide, so turning the phone often fills more of the screen with the dealer and the betting layout. Pragmatic Play, for example, says its live casino studios (opens in a new tab) film with multiple 4K cameras and that its live games run in HTML5 on desktop and mobile. See what a live dealer game involves and how mobile data affects live casino play.

Table games. A single-zero roulette layout has 37 numbers plus outside bets, and a wider screen makes the chip spots larger. Our page on roulette bets on a phone screen covers the bet types themselves.

Tablets and Macs. Several casino apps also run on bigger screens. The App Store listings for Coral and Ladbrokes, for instance, list iPad, Mac with Apple M1 or later (marked Designed for iPad, not verified for macOS) and Apple Vision. On an iPad or a foldable phone opened out, a sideways layout is often the natural one.

Landscape mode and the UK rules: what stays the same

Turning your phone changes the picture, not the game. The Gambling Commission's design rules apply whichever way you hold it:

• Slots must take at least 2.5 seconds per spin, with no autoplay, turbo or slam-stop.
• Other online casino games must allow at least 5 seconds per game cycle, and autoplay has been banned for all of them since 17 January 2025.
• Online slot stakes are capped at £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds.
• Your net position and the time you've been playing must be shown in real time.

One rule speaks directly to full-screen play. Under RTS 13 on time requirements (opens in a new tab), a full-screen app that hides the device clock must show either the time of day or the time elapsed. Sideways games often fill the whole display, so this is where you'll notice it. The same standard covers reality checks, which you can set to appear at intervals you choose. More detail is on our game design rules page.

A worked example: same stake, either orientation

Say you play a slot listed at 96% RTP at 20p a spin for 300 spins. That's £60 staked. The expected cost is £60 × 4% = £2.40, and that figure is identical whether the reels are drawn sideways or upright, because the result of each spin is produced by the game server, not by your screen.

What does change is comfort. A wider layout can make paytable text and buttons bigger, which some players find easier to read, while others prefer one-handed upright play. Our guide to casino app accessibility features covers text size and other display settings.

Related terms

• Portrait mode: the upright orientation most phone games and lobbies use.
• HTML5: the web technology most mobile casino games are built with.
• Game show: live entertainment-style games, often shown wide.
• Game cycle: the unit the UK speed and stake rules are measured in.

Casino apps to try landscape play on

Landscape mode isn't a feature any one brand owns, so this isn't a reason on its own to pick an app. If you're choosing one for live tables or tablet play, these are the partner apps we feature, all 18+ with terms applying. Coral and Ladbrokes are both run by LC International Limited (Entain), so you may not be able to open new accounts with both.

• Coral: new players who deposit (certain payment types excluded) and bet £10 or more on slots between 1 October 2026 and 1 February 2027 get 100 free spins on selected games at 10p each; accept within 48 hours, use within 7 days, no wagering on the winnings.
• Ladbrokes: new customers who deposit and spend £10 or more on slots get 50 free spins a day for 10 days (up to 500), 10p each on selected games, claimed by 23:59 each day and valid for 7 days, with no wagering. PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, Moneybookers and prepaid card deposits don't qualify.
• PlayOJO: new UK customers (not Northern Ireland) who make a first deposit of £10 or more get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each, with winnings paid in cash and no wagering; it can't be combined with other offers.

Spin offers are for slots, not live tables. For a ranked view of table-focused apps, see the best live casino apps.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.