App store rules for gambling apps

App store rules for gambling apps: the short version

Two sets of rules decide whether a casino app reaches your phone. The first is the store's: Apple's App Review Guidelines on iPhone and iPad, and Google Play's real-money gambling policy on Android. The second is the law where you live, which in Great Britain means a licence from the Gambling Commission.

The stores aren't gambling regulators. They check that the developer has the right licences, then add their own conditions about payments, age ratings and location. An app has to pass both layers, which is why a real-money casino you can't find in the store may simply not hold a licence for the UK, as our answer on why you can't find a casino app in the App Store explains.

This page covers the store rules as policy. For the practical install steps, see our guides to the Apple App Store rules for casino apps and Google Play rules for casino apps.

Apple App Store rules for real-money gambling apps

Apple groups gaming, gambling and lotteries under section 5.3 of its App Review Guidelines (opens in a new tab), last updated on 16 October 2026. It describes them as among the most regulated offerings on the App Store and tells developers to expect extra time in review.

• 5.3.4, licences and location: real money gaming apps, such as casino games, sports betting, poker and lotteries, must have the necessary licences and permissions where the app is used, must be geo-restricted to those places, and must be free on the App Store.
• 5.3.3, no in-app purchase: apps may not use Apple in-app purchase to buy credit or currency for real money gaming of any kind.
• 5.1.1(ix), who submits: apps in highly regulated fields, explicitly including gambling, should be submitted by the legal entity that provides the service, not by an individual developer.
• 5.3.4, gambling aids: illegal gambling aids, including card counters, aren't permitted.
• 5.3.1 and 5.3.2, sweepstakes and contests: these must be sponsored by the developer, with official rules in the app that make clear Apple isn't a sponsor.

Notice what 5.3.3 means for deposits. Because Apple in-app purchase can't be used, a casino app's cashier runs its own payment methods, with the operator handling your money rather than Apple. Which methods each partner accepts is covered on its payments page, such as the Coral Casino iPhone app guide.

App Store age ratings and the gambling label

Apple separates real gambling from games that only imitate it. Its age ratings reference (opens in a new tab) defines 'Gambling' as betting or wagering with real money, or with in-game currency that can be exchanged for real money. 'Simulated Gambling' is betting without real money or anything exchangeable for it.

Apple says these tiers apply to devices running iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and the matching versions of its other systems. Older versions use a different scheme we haven't been able to confirm. Every partner app we cover shows an 18+ rating on its UK App Store listing.

Free 'social casino' apps that use coins with no cash value fall under simulated gambling, not gambling. Our guide to social casino apps vs real money apps explains why they're treated differently.

Google Play rules for gambling apps in the UK

Google Play allows real-money gambling apps only in listed countries. Its country and region allowances page (opens in a new tab) includes the United Kingdom for online casino games, sports betting (including daily fantasy sports where legal) and lotteries. Google's January 2020 Play Console announcement already counted the UK among existing permitted countries.

Within those countries, Google's real-money gambling policy (opens in a new tab) sets the conditions:

• The developer must complete Google's gambling application process.
• It must hold a valid gambling licence for each country or region where the app is distributed, and stay within that licence's scope.
• The app must stop under-age users and block access from places its licence doesn't cover.
• It must be free to download and install, can't be sold as a paid app, and can't use Google Play In-app Billing.
• Gambling ads in apps must follow local rules, mustn't target users known to be under 18, and aren't allowed in Designed for Families apps.

The application form goes further. It asks for one submission per market with the licensee's name and address, licence type, regulator, licence number and dates, and the app's package name. Required features include an Adults Only rating, a responsible gambling statement with local help resources, an 18+ notice and no install incentives in the store listing.

Apple vs Google Play: gambling app rules side by side

The two stores reach similar outcomes by different routes. Apple writes general rules and enforces them in review; Google adds an upfront application with licence documents for each market.

Neither store says how geo-restriction must work. It could use device location or network information, and the rules don't specify GPS. Our guide on whether casino apps track your location covers what the store listings say.

How UK gambling law sits on top of the store rules

Store rules ask for 'the necessary licences'. In Great Britain that means a remote operating licence from the Gambling Commission, required for any business offering gambling to people in Britain, wherever it's based. Our remote gambling licences page explains the types.

UK rules then shape what happens inside the app. Age verification must be completed before you can deposit or gamble, a rule in force since 7 May 2019 and covered on our age verification rules page. Stake limits, game speed rules and marketing consent all apply regardless of which store you used.

The listing details also line up with the licence. These are the publishers shown on the UK store listings for our three closest partners, beside the licence holder on the Commission's register.

All three show an 18+ App Store rating and PEGI 18 on Google Play. Read more in the PlayOJO Android app and Ladbrokes iPhone app guides.

How to check a gambling app listing before you install

The store rules make fake listings harder, but they don't make checking pointless. Copycat and unlicensed apps do appear, as our guide to fake casino apps and scams shows. These checks take a couple of minutes.

1. Search the store for the app's exact name and compare the seller or developer with the operator named in the casino's terms.
2. Confirm the age rating: 18+ on the App Store, or an adults-only rating such as PEGI 18 on Google Play.
3. Check the price says free; real-money casino apps can't be paid downloads.
4. Read the privacy label or data safety section to see what the app collects, using our guide to reading a casino app privacy label.
5. Look up the licence holder on the Gambling Commission's public register and check the status is Active.
6. After installing, make sure age and identity checks happen before you can deposit. If an app lets you gamble without them, stop.

Gambling apps outside the stores: APKs and sideloading

On Android you can install apps from outside Google Play, known as sideloading. Since Android 8.0, released in 2017, there's no single 'unknown sources' switch: you approve each app that wants to install others, and you can withdraw that approval at any time, as Google's Android developers blog (opens in a new tab) set out.

Google Play Protect checks Play apps before download and also scans for harmful apps installed from other sources. It may warn you, ask to send an unknown app to Google for checking, or deactivate it. Our guide to Google Play Protect and casino apps covers what those warnings mean.

We haven't confirmed which UK operators still offer APK downloads, so check the operator's own help pages before trusting any file. On iPhone, the App Store is the route the rules above are written for. See is it safe to download a casino APK for the risks.

Using store and device settings to block gambling apps

The same stores that carry casino apps also let you keep them off a phone. On iPhone, Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time can block installing apps or limit them by age rating. On Android, Digital Wellbeing app timers close an app when its daily allowance runs out, and its icon dims until midnight.

For a stronger barrier, Gamban, a paid blocking app, covers gambling sites and apps across devices, and GAMSTOP blocks you from all online gambling companies licensed in Great Britain for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. Step-by-step help is on our pages to block gambling apps on iPhone and block gambling apps on Android.

Timeline of app store and UK rules for gambling apps

Store policies change more often than UK law, so treat this as a snapshot. For the wider set of UK rules, return to our UK rules for casino apps hub.

Store-listed casino apps with a welcome offer

Passing the store rules is the minimum, not a reason to choose one app over another. The three partners below each have UK App Store and Google Play listings and hold Gambling Commission licences. 18+ and terms apply; the spins are for slots only, and the house edge still applies.

Coral Casino: new players aged 18+ who deposit and bet at least £10 on slots get 100 free spins on selected games, 10p per spin. The offer runs from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027; accept within 48 hours, use within 7 days, and winnings have no wagering. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify.

Ladbrokes Casino: new customers aged 18+ who deposit and spend at least £10 on slots get 50 free spins each day for 10 days, up to 500 spins, at 10p each on selected games. Claim before 23:59 each day; the spins expire after 7 days and have no wagering. PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, Moneybookers and prepaid cards are excluded.

PlayOJO: new UK customers aged 18+ (not Northern Ireland) get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each with a first deposit of at least £10. There's no wagering, so winnings are paid as cash. It can't be used with other offers and only applies through the designated offer link.

Coral and Ladbrokes are sister brands under LC International Limited (Entain); signing up as a new customer at both may not be allowed. For app-by-app download details, see our best casino apps for iPhone list.

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.