Licence: meaning for UK casino apps

Licence meaning in UK gambling

A gambling licence lets a business provide a defined gambling activity, such as remote casino or remote betting, and binds it to the regulator’s conditions. Lose the licence, or breach it badly enough, and the business must stop offering that activity to people in Britain.

A quick spelling note, since it trips people up: in UK English the noun is licence, with a c, while the verb takes an s (to license). A company is licensed by the Commission and holds a licence. Neighbouring entries in our casino app glossary include operator and LCCP.

Types of gambling licence in Great Britain

PMLs cost £463 and must be renewed every five years, and the rules on who needs one were extended on 29 November 2024. The Commission sets out the list on its Do I need a licence page (opens in a new tab).

The remote casino licence behind every casino app

Remote casino operating licence is a distinct activity on the Commission’s licence activities list (opens in a new tab). Any business providing remote gambling and advertising to consumers in Britain needs one, and since 1 November 2014 that applies wherever the business is based. There’s no requirement to be incorporated in the UK, but a UK address for service is required.

Many operators also hold licences elsewhere: Skill On Net, which runs PlayOJO, is also licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority. When you load a site from outside Britain, its footer may show only that other licence, so the Commission’s register is the reliable check for UK status. Our remote gambling licences page goes deeper.

What a licence commits a casino operator to

A licence is a bundle of obligations called the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice. The current online version took effect on 29 July 2026, and the online LCCP (opens in a new tab) is public. A few conditions you’ll feel directly in an app:

Licensees should also show their licence and account number in the site or app footer. More on each rule is in our pages on the credit card ban and the 10x wagering cap.

Licences and the App Store and Google Play

The stores add their own layer. Under Apple’s guideline 5.3.4, an app offering real-money gaming has to be properly licensed in every location it serves and must block use from anywhere else. Google Play requires a valid gambling licence for each country where the app is distributed, and its application form asks for the licensee name, issuing regulator, licence number and dates, plus copies of the licences.

So a UK casino app in either store has been through a licence check by the platform as well as by the Commission. Our page on app store rules for gambling apps compares the two policies.

Licence statuses and what they mean for you

The public register shows each licence as Active, Expired, Suspended, Revoked or Surrendered. Only an active licence covers current gambling. A suspension can follow serious failures: in November 2022 the Commission suspended LEBOM Limited for failing to take part in GAMSTOP.

1. Search the register for the account number or the company named in the app’s terms.
2. Check the status reads Active for remote casino.
3. Open the domains or trading names list and find the brand you’re using.
4. Look through regulatory actions for anything recent.

Our answer on how to know a casino app is licensed shows what a healthy entry looks like.

Where a UK gambling licence doesn’t reach

The Gambling Act 2005 and the Commission’s rules cover Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own law, the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, and online gambling there has no comprehensive regulatory regime, so GB licence protections can’t be taken for granted. Our Northern Ireland gambling law page explains the gap.

A licence also says nothing about sites outside the system. An unlicensed casino offers none of the conditions above, which is why our guide to spotting an unlicensed casino app is worth reading before trying an unfamiliar brand.

Related glossary terms

• Gambling Commission: the body that grants and enforces licences.
• White label: a brand running on someone else’s licence.
• RTS: the technical standards attached to remote licences.
• Wagering cap: the 10x bonus limit set through licence conditions.

Licensed partner apps and their offers

We only promote offers from brands with active Commission licences, listed in the table above. These three are slot offers for new customers; 18+ and terms apply.

• Coral (LC International Limited, 54743): deposit and bet £10+ on slots between 1 October 2026 and 1 February 2027 to get 100 free spins at 10p on selected games. You have 48 hours to accept and 7 days to use them, and spin winnings carry no wagering. Deposits by PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don’t qualify.
• Ladbrokes (LC International Limited, 54743): deposit and spend £10+ on slots, then collect 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500, at 10p each. Claim before 23:59 daily and use within 7 days; no wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers are excluded.
• PlayOJO (Skill On Net Limited, 39326): new UK customers outside Northern Ireland get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p with a first deposit of at least £10. No wagering; winnings paid in cash; designated offer link only; not combinable.

Coral and Ladbrokes share one licence, and signing up to the second after the first could be refused. A licence protects how you’re treated, not your stake: the house edge still makes losses likely over time.

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.