Reporting an unlicensed casino, step by step
Reporting a casino that seems to operate without a British licence takes five steps and a few notes; send the report through the Gambling Commission's page for telling it something in confidence. Do not deposit and do not share the site's address with others. The mistake to avoid is reporting before you have searched the register by licensee, trading name and domain.
What you need
- The web address of the site and the name it uses.
- The date you visited it.
- Screenshots of the footer and of any licence statement, or a note that there is none.
- Your register search results, including searches that found nothing.
The Commission's form decides what it asks for. The list above is what we would keep to hand; it is not a list the Commission requires.
Step 1: Search the register first
Action. Follow our seven register steps. Search by the name in the footer, then by any trading name, then by the domain.
Result. Either a licensee with an account number and an Active entry, or nothing you can match.
Mistake to avoid. Stopping after one search. Domain names in the register are entered by the business, so the entries can be wrong or out of date, and a single miss proves little.
Step 2: Note the warning signs
Action. Compare what you saw with the warning signs of an unlicensed casino: a missing licence statement, a missing account number, a studio logo standing in for a licence.
Result. A short, factual list: what the page shows and what the register shows.
Mistake to avoid. Writing conclusions instead of observations. A report that says "no account number in the footer on the date I visited" is more useful than one that says "this is a scam".
Step 3: Send the report to the Gambling Commission
Action. Use the Commission's page for telling it something in confidence: tell us something in confidence.
Result. Your report is submitted through the regulator's own channel.
Mistake to avoid. Posting the site's address on social media instead. That spreads the address and does not reach the regulator.
A licence is required to offer gambling to people in Great Britain (Gambling Act 2005, sections 33 and 36). Northern Ireland sits outside that Act; see Northern Ireland readers.
What not to do
- Do not deposit. The register check needs no money.
- Do not link to the site. Advertising unlicensed gambling is an offence under Gambling Act 2005 s.330, and advertising includes facilitating. This site does not link to such sites and does not name them.
- Do not recommend the site to anyone, even as a warning.
- Do not share account details with anyone who contacts you about the report.
After you report
We could not confirm what the Commission does with an individual report, or whether it replies, so we say nothing about timing or outcome. The Commission's page is the source for that.
If gambling is causing you harm, the National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133, free and open 24 hours a day. See also responsible gambling.
| Question | Answer on this site |
|---|---|
| Where to report | The Commission's confidential reporting page |
| Is a licence required for Great Britain | Yes, Gambling Act 2005 ss.33 and 36 |
| Reply or outcome for you | Not checked |
| Time the Commission takes | Not checked |
Quick answers
- Where do you report a casino that may be unlicensed?
To the Gambling Commission, through its page for telling it something in confidence. The address is gamblingcommission.gov.uk/contact-us/page/tell-us-something-in-confidence.
- Should you deposit to test whether a site is licensed?
No. The register check costs nothing and needs no deposit. Paying in to find out adds risk and proves nothing about the licence.
- Does a missing register entry prove a site is unlicensed?
Not on its own. Domain names in the register are entered by the business, so first search by licensee name and by trading name, then report what you could not match.
- Why does this site not link to unlicensed casinos?
Advertising unlicensed gambling to people in Great Britain is a criminal offence under Gambling Act 2005 s.330, and the word advertise includes facilitating.
- What happens after you report?
We could not confirm what the Commission does with an individual report, so we do not describe it. The Commission's own page is the place to read that.