The licence check is the most important two minutes you will spend on any betting site, because it decides whether you are a protected customer or on your own. This guide shows exactly how to do it.
You do not need to take anyone's word for it, including ours. Everything here you can verify yourself on the official register, for free, before you deposit a penny.
01
Why the UKGC licence is the line that matters
A UK Gambling Commission licence is the difference between a business you have rights against and one you do not. Under the Gambling Act 2005, only licensed operators may lawfully offer betting to customers in Great Britain, and the licence brings rules on fair terms, safer gambling, how your money is handled and access to independent dispute resolution.
That is why the licence is the first thing to confirm and the one check you must never take on trust. A logo on a website means nothing on its own; the entry on the official register is what counts.
02
Finding a site on the public register
The Commission keeps a public register that anyone can search for free, and it is updated every day. You can look up an operator by business name, by trading name, by website address or by the account number shown in a site's footer, so you are not reliant on the name alone.
Type in what the site calls itself and see whether an active licence appears. If nothing comes up, the site cannot legally take bets from customers in Great Britain, and no amount of polish on the page changes that.
A common example
A site trades under a catchy brand but its footer lists a different company name and an account number. Search the account number on the register and you get a definitive answer in seconds, even when the branding was designed to be hard to pin down.
03
Reading a licence entry the right way
An entry shows the licensed company, the activities it is permitted to offer, the trading names attached to it and the current status of the licence. Check that the status is active and that the activity actually covers betting, not merely some other product.
Match the trading names and web addresses on the entry to the site in front of you. A mismatch, or a domain that is not listed, is a reason to be cautious even when a licence exists for the company behind it.
| What the entry shows | Why it matters | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Licence status | Only an active licence gives you cover | That it reads active, not lapsed |
| Permitted activities | Confirms betting is actually covered | Betting is listed, not just other products |
| Trading names and domains | Links the brand to the licence | The site you are on is listed |
04
Trading names, web addresses and account numbers
Operators often run several brands under one licence, so the name on the site and the name on the licence can differ legitimately. The register links them together, which is why searching by trading name or web address is so useful.
The account number is the most precise way to check. It is a fixed reference for the licensed business, so if you can find it in the site's footer you can confirm the exact company you are dealing with rather than guessing from a brand name.
Key points
- The public register is free, searchable and updated daily, so there is no excuse to skip the check.
- Search by account number for a definitive answer when a brand name is deliberately vague.
- A foreign or missing UK licence means no UK protection; see our warning signs guide.
05
What a missing or foreign licence really tells you
If a site is not on the UK register, it is not licensed to serve customers in Great Britain, whatever it claims. Some sites advertise licences from other jurisdictions, but a foreign licence gives you no UK legal protection and no route to the Commission or to UK dispute resolution.
Sites that market themselves as an alternative to the UK system, including so-called non-GamStop sites, sit outside these protections by design. The absence of a UK licence is not a detail to work around; it is a reason to stop.
A common example
A site displays a badge naming an overseas regulator and calls itself fully licensed. It may well be licensed somewhere, but not for Great Britain, so if a dispute arises you would have no UK body to turn to. The badge is real; the protection you assumed it gave you is not.
06
What enforcement action and fines mean for you
The Commission enforces its rules and publishes the outcomes, so a licensed operator can still have a history of penalties for failings such as weak anti-money-laundering controls or poor safer-gambling practice. That record is worth a look, because it shows how a firm has behaved when tested.
A single historic fine does not automatically make a site unsafe, but a pattern of repeated failings is a fair reason to prefer somewhere else. Enforcement is a sign the system is working, and a sign to read before you commit.
07
Checking again when a site changes hands
Ownership changes, brands are sold and licences are transferred, so a check you did a year ago may be out of date. If a familiar site suddenly looks different, changes its terms or its payment options, take a moment to confirm the licence again on the register.
Because the register is updated daily, a quick repeat check costs you nothing and catches the rare case where a site you trusted is no longer the licensed business you first signed up with.
Related reading on this site
- How to choose
- Odds and markets
- Payments and withdrawals
- Safer gambling and GAMSTOP
- Warning signs to avoid
How we check our facts
The Commission's public register is the primary source for everything here, and you can search it yourself at the Gambling Commission. Facts are dated to September 2026 and this page was last reviewed on 25 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a betting site's licence account number
It is usually printed in the small text at the bottom of the site, often near a line saying the operator is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission. Copy that number into the public register and you can confirm the exact licensed company, which is more reliable than searching by a brand name alone.
Is a licence from another country good enough for UK betting
No. Only a UK Gambling Commission licence lets an operator lawfully serve customers in Great Britain, and only it gives you UK legal protection and a dispute route. A licence from another jurisdiction may be genuine but is irrelevant to your rights here, so treat the lack of a UK licence as a reason to stop.
What does it mean if a site has been fined by the Commission
It means the regulator found failings and acted, which shows the system working. A single historic penalty is not proof a site is unsafe today, but a repeated pattern of failings is a fair reason to prefer another operator. The Commission publishes these outcomes so you can weigh them yourself.
Do I need to check the licence more than once
It is worth rechecking if a site changes ownership, terms or payment options, because licences can be transferred or surrendered. The register is updated daily, so a repeat check takes under a minute and catches the rare case where the site you trusted is no longer the licensed business you joined.