Is online betting legal in the UK?

Online betting is legal in Great Britain for anyone aged 18 or over using an operator licensed by the Gambling Commission. That licence is the whole test: an operator without one is committing an offence by taking your bet, and you have none of the protections the law provides.

What a licence means

A licensed operator must verify your age and identity before you can deposit, keep your money separate from its own at a stated level of protection, offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, connect to GamStop, and belong to an approved dispute resolution scheme. The Commission can fine it, restrict it or remove the licence, and publishes every regulatory action.

How to check a licence

Every licensed site shows the Commission’s logo with its account number in the footer; clicking it opens the register entry. We show the licensee and account number on each review and link to the register. If a site shows a licence from Curacao, Malta or nowhere, it is not licensed for Britain.

Tax

Winnings are not taxed. The duties are paid by operators.

What has changed recently

The 2023 white paper reforms brought stake limits on online slots (£5 a spin, £2 for under-25s), financial risk checks at higher loss levels, a statutory levy on operators to fund treatment, and tighter rules on bonuses. The minimum age for the National Lottery rose to 18 in 2021. Credit cards were banned for gambling in 2020.

Northern Ireland

Different, older law (the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985) and no Commission licensing of remote operators, though UK-licensed sites take customers there.