The wide world of online casinos is as varied as it is enjoyable. However, with new sites being launched all the time, it can be difficult for prospective players to choose the best online casino available. There are certain factors to take into account when selecting a site, which we’ll cover in this article.
To make the decision process that bit easier, Bestcasinosites.net is regularly updated with the best online casino sites, and we’ve taken our cue from some of their recommendations.
In the table above, you’ll see all of the topics we’ll be covering in this article. If any one topic in particular appeals to you, you can use the above link to be taken directly to that section. Otherwise, stick around to get the full low-down on all things related to the best casino sites.
Ranking the Best Casino Sites for 2021
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what to look out for, we’ve decided to skip straight to the good stuff – the best casino sites themselves. The following are a mix of older and newer sites, all of which carry Gambling Commission licences and are legally able to operate within the UK.
If you want to get some first-hand experience, you can click on the links provided or players can go to onlinecasinos.net to check out a bigger list of the best online casinos UK. Alternatively, stick around, as we’ll be explaining why these are some of the best online casino sites available right now.
| Online Casino | Slots | Roulette | Blackjack | Live Games | Play Here | |
| 1. |  |
400+ | 10+ | 30+ | Yes | The Grand Ivy
|
| 2. |  |
400+ | 10+ | 20+ | Yes | Casimba
|
| 3. |  |
250+ | 40+ | 40+ | Yes | Ladbrokes
|
| 4. |  |
200+ | 8 | 3 | Yes | Karamba
|
| 5. |  |
280+ | 5 | 6 | Yes | Grosvenor Casinos
|
| 6. |  |
800+ | 1 | 10+ | Yes | Playzee
|
| 7. |  |
400+ | 10+ | 10+ | Yes | BetVictor
|
| 8. |  |
100+ | 20+ | 10+ | Yes | Casino.com
|
| 9. |  |
650+ | 30+ | 50+ | Yes | PlayOJO
|
| 10. |  |
240+ | 30+ | 20+ | Yes | Mansion Casino
|
We do, of course, recognize that even just choosing from the table above can be tricky. After all, different players want different things from their casino experiences. No matter what takes your fancy, there’s a site that’s right for you. Here, we’ve broken down our best online casinos further for your convenience.
The Best Online Casinos UK by Category:
- Top Site for Newcomers: The Grand Ivy
- Best Bonus Terms: Casino.com
- Perfect for Slots Fans: PlayOJO
- Most Varied Offerings: Ladbrokes
- Top New Casino: Casimba
- Best Mobile Casino: Karamba
- Ideal for Loyal Players: Playzee
- Great Live Casino: Grosvenor Casino
- Fan Favourite Game Library: BetVictor
- Top Payment Methods: Mansion Casino
The Current UK Online Casino Legislation
The law in the UK, as it currently stands, allows for both online and land-based casinos to operate legally. All casino operations are regulated by the Gambling Commission, which issues licences to casinos and betting shops based on their adherence to the nation’s legal requirements.
We’ll be explaining more about these licences in due course, but for now it’s just important to note that any casino operating in the UK without such a licence is operating illegally and shouldn’t be trusted. All of our recommended sites have been fully vetted and hold valid licences, so nothing to worry about on that score.
How to Find Great Casino Sites
According to bestcasinos.net, and many of their competitors, there’s a couple of factors to look out for when selecting from the available UK casino sites. We’ll be exploring each of these factors over the next couple of sections, and hopefully this will shine a light on why we chose the UK online casinos featured on this page.
Additionally, if you decide against gambling at any of the featured sites and would rather go it alone, we hope that this set of criteria will help you to discern what makes online casino sites worth your while. Before getting into the heavy details, here are the main things to look out for:
Features of a Good Online Casino:
- Security: The site carries a valid licence and is regularly tested for fairness.
- Games: The games library has a healthy mix of slots, blackjack, roulette and other table games.
- Payment Methods: Players can make payments using a range of options, like debit cards, e-wallets and pre-paid cards.
- Bonuses: The casino offers new players a rewarding bonus with fair and transparent terms.
- Mobile Compatibility: Players can play at the casino on a variety of devices with ease, including their smartphone or tablet.
- Customer Support: In the event that something goes wrong, players can contact a member of the support team through a variety of methods.
Much of the above comes down to common sense. Ask yourself what it is you want from your gambling experience, and don’t settle for anything less. With such a vibrant, varied and well-regulated market here in the UK, there’s really no reason why you should have to play at a sub-standard site.
How to Tell if an Online Casino is Safe
We’ve already touched upon the topic of licences in this article, and with good reason. A valid licence is maybe the most important thing for a casino to have in its favour. Being licenced means that the site has met the high standards of the Gambling Commission and is operating in line with the law.
The Gambling Commission isn’t the only regulatory body you’re likely to see represented at our chosen casinos, however. Though a GC licence is a prerequisite for operating in the UK, many casinos will also hold licences from other jurisdictions. Oftentimes, you’ll find the seal of approval from the Malta Gaming Authority.
Though licences are mandatory, they’re not the only way to establish how secure a site is. A simple trick you can do is to click the padlock icon on the left side of the address bar in the web browser. This will show you whether or not the site has valid encryption software, and which company it was issued by. Up-to-date encryption software is crucial when it comes to protecting players’ money and data.
Finally, by scrolling to the bottom of your chosen casino’s homepage, you can get an overview of the responsible gambling organisations it has partnered with. These can include Gambler’s Anonymous, GamStop and BeGambleAware.
The presence of responsible gambling organizations shows that a casino cares about the well-being of its players, and has provided resources for them in the event that they feel their gambling activities are becoming a problem. Many sites will also have “self-exclusion” features, which allows players to lock themselves out of the casino.
The Best Games Available
Naturally, a casino wouldn’t be much use without its games. When it comes to screening a site for its games, experts advise to look for both quality and quantity. A library bursting at the seams with casino games might look impressive, but if the games are of a poor quality or have repetitive themes and features, it will get boring fast.
Variety is also important. You’ll soon find that slots are the reigning kings of the online casino world. Slot games easily outnumber all other game categories, and some casinos offer nothing but these classic games. However, if you’re looking for greater variety, keep an eye out for a healthy number of table games represented too, with favourites of roulette and blackjack usually well represented alongside other casino games including poker, craps, sic bo and baccarat.
Variety doesn’t just refer to the mix of available games, either. It’s equally important for there to be a good mix of betting limits, so that players of all budgets are catered to, whether they are high rollers or low ballers. Experts also recommend that you look for a broad range of software developers, as each studio has its own selling points.
Playing at a Live Casino Suite
Live casino software is one of the most exciting things to happen to the industry in recent years. As the name suggests, these games involve streams of live dealers. These are typically broadcast from studios or land-based casino resorts, where professional dealers interact with you in real time.
This really is the closest you can get to the full, immersive casino experience without leaving the comfort of your own home. You can expect to find casino classics like roulette and blackjack, alongside exclusive Wheel of Fortune-type gameshows and a host of other delights. Most casinos worth their salt will have a live suite nowadays.
Gaming on the Go: Mobile Online Casinos
There’s no escaping it, we all use our mobiles more today than ever before. Whether it’s shopping, reading the news, or even betting, our mobile devices often get more attention than our desktop computers. That’s why shrewd casinos have invested heavily in their mobile presence.
The best online casinos will either have an available downloadable app or, more recently, a mobile-ready site which can be accessed simply in your device’s browser. These are almost always available on both iOS and Android, so you won’t be locked out of the portable casino experience.
The Best Online Casino Bonuses
In addition to all the great games available, one major selling point of online casinos – as opposed to their land-based counterparts – is the welcome bonus. Casino sites regularly offer new players a bonus to encourage them to register an account, and these can often prove to be lucrative.
The variety of offers available is as multifaceted as the games themselves, and it’s always worth shopping around for the best deal. Most often, a welcome bonus will consist of a deposit match offer where the casino will add bonus funds to your account to match how much you transfer in your first deposit. Other popular welcome bonus offers include free spins and no deposit bonuses. When there are free spins on selected games they are often on popular slots like Starburst or Book of Dead.
Some offers will, of course, be better suited to certain players than others. If you’re not interested in slots, then free spins are not going to tempt you. You can click on the links to our picks of the best casino sites to be taken to their bonus offers.
If any of our top picks have caught your eye, you can use the links provided to be taken to the offer and open an account. However, we do suggest you stick around a while longer just to read a bit more about how these deals function, and what you should be aware of before registering.
The first thing to be wary of is wagering requirements. Nobody likes poring over the terms and conditions of an offer, but we assure you that it’s essential in this case. Wagering requirements refer to how many times you’ll be required to wager the value of your deposit and/or the value of the bonus funds before you can cash out on the offer.
You’ll also want to pay attention to the period of validity. Think of this as a deadline, and if you haven’t met the wagering requirements by the deadline the offer becomes void. Therefore, low wagering requirements and a long period of validity are often signs of a great deal.
The Available Payment Methods
Once you’ve set up your account the first thing you’ll want to do is deposit some cash. Without making a deposit, you likely won’t be able to opt into your chosen bonus, nor will you be able to bet on any games with real money. For this, a good selection of payment methods is crucial.
Ideally, a casino will offer a variety of methods for you to choose from, so that you can always select the method with which you feel the most comfortable. This can include debit card payments, e-wallets, pre-paid cards and bank transfers. There are, however, some methods that are no longer available in the UK, which we’ve highlighted below.
| Unavailable Methods in the UK | |
| Payment Method | Reason for Exclusion |
   |
As of 2020, online casinos can no longer legally offer credit card payments as deposit or withdrawal methods in the UK. You can read about this in greater detail by checking out the Gambling Commission’s statement on this decision. |
Contacting Customer Support
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll encounter any major issues when playing at the best casino sites, but it’s always worth knowing that there’s a crack team of support personnel on call should you run into any problems. That’s why customer support is such an important factor to screen for when selecting an online casino.
Ideally, a good casino should allow you to contact support through a variety of means. These can include, but are not limited to, email, live chat, phone and a detailed frequently asked questions section. Each method has its own advantages, depending on the urgency of your query. For example, live chat is great for pressing matters, whereas emails are better for issues that do not require immediate responses.
How to Register a Casino Account
By now, you hopefully know how to recognise a good casino versus a bad one. All that remains is to open an account with your chosen site. If you’ve never opened an account with a casino before, don’t fret. The process generally doesn’t differ much from joining any other website. To help, we’ve broken down the main steps below.
Step one: Click on the “join” or “register” button, which is typically visible on the casino’s homepage. This will bring you to the first page of the site’s registration form, which typically requires you to enter a valid email address followed by a secure password.
Step two: Once you’ve provided your email address and confirmed your desired password, you will be required to provide personal information. This generally includes your full name as it appears on your ID, your home address and your phone number. Don’t worry, these details won’t be shared with any third parties.
Step Three: Once you’ve submitted your personal information and have confirmed the creation of your new account, you’ll be free to deposit money and opt into your desired welcome bonus.
Naturally, mileage will vary depending on which casino you choose. However, the vast majority of sites all follow this three-step procedure when it comes to registering new accounts, so you shouldn’t find too many deviations from the above process. Then, all that’s left to do is play online to your heart’s content.
Concluding Thoughts – Never a Better Time for UK Casino Fans
That just about wraps things up here, so what have we learned? Well, the online casino scene in the UK is extremely lively and vibrant. There’s no shortage of high-quality, legal sites to visit, and there really is something for just about every kind of player.
Whether you choose to take the featured casinos in this article for a spin, or decide to go it alone armed with the knowledge you’ve read here, we wish you the very best of luck and hours of enjoyment. If there’s anything you’re still unsure about, you can take a look at the FAQs below.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve aimed to make this article as informative and to-the-point as possible, but even the very best among us make mistakes from time to time. If there’s anything you feel that we’ve missed, don’t hesitate to read over some of the frequently asked questions below.
What is the best online casino?
That really depends on personal taste. That said, we did get some help from bestcasinosites.net to draft up a ranking of the best casino sites currently on the market. We feel each of the sites featured there has something to offer to every kind of player.
Which online casino has the best payouts?
Games and casinos both have RTPs – or return to player rates. In the case of games, this is a theoretical rate of return expressed as a percentage, which is typically set by the game’s developer. In the case of casinos, the payout is the average RTP among all the games it offers. The closer to 100%, the better, and of the casinos we’ve covered here, Mansion Casino scores the highest with an RTP of 97.25%.
What is a live casino?
A live casino is an online casino where the games are streamed live from either a studio, a land-based casino, or both. At live casinos, players can interact with dealers in real time using a live chat function, and even enjoy a variety of exclusive titles. You can read more about it in our overview of live gaming.
