- Licensed by the UKGC
- Scanned by McAfee
- Tested by eCOGRA
- It was founded on 2 August 1898 by Geoffroy Guichard under the corporate name Guichard-Perrachon & Co. Casino Group is the source of many innovations such as the first distributor's brand in 1901, the first self-service store in 1948 or even the display of a sell-by date on consumer products in 1959.
- Www.grosvenor-casinos.co.uk A division of Rank Group Plc. 28% owned by Malaysia's Guoco Group Ltd. The company has 33 British casinos plus Blankenberge and Middelkerke in Belgium.
- Bienvenue sur le site du Groupe Casino. Since 17 March 2020, Casino Group’s 220,000 employees in France, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina and the Indian Ocean have rallied to continue supplying our 11,172 stores and serving millions of customers every day.
It was founded on 2 August 1898 by Geoffroy Guichard under the corporate name Guichard-Perrachon & Co. Casino Group is the source of many innovations such as the first distributor's brand in 1901, the first self-service store in 1948 or even the display of a sell-by date on consumer products in 1959. UK online casinos, as pointed out in the text above, feature all the regular gameplay options found at the top online casinos worldwide. Therefore, all you have to do is go through their RTPs, or simply choose from the casino games already known to offer the best chances of a big payout – blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps and video poker.
Are you new to online gambling and concerned about who you can trust? Have you played at online casinos before and had a nasty experience? Whatever your reason for searching for trusted casinos, rest assured that you are looking for the right thing. This is, without doubt, the most important factor to consider when deciding which online casino to play at. After all, what’s the point of taking risks when you are handing over your hard-earned cash? Gamble on your favourite games, not the safety of your personal information.
I’ve thoroughly researched and tested online casinos and in this article, I’ll show you how to spot a trustworthy and reliable casino from a rogue. To aid you even further, I’ll give you my top recommendations for genuine casinos where you will be guaranteed a safe and secure experience. And at the top of that list is a casino that has been confirmed to be the best by both industry experts and players – 888 Casino.
Why Is It Important to Choose a Secure Casino?
Online casinos are no different to any business out there, along with all the reputable, trustworthy companies available, there will always be those rogues out there trying to scam you. When you play at an online casino, you need to divulge your personal and banking information. The consequences of which can be catastrophic if they fall into the wrong hands. Take it from somebody who knows! I’ve been on the receiving end myself, and wish I knew then what I know now. It could have saved a lot of time, effort, and money! Fortunately, there are some clear indicators that you can look out for to ensure that you will be in safe hands. I’ve selected 3 of the most reputable and honest casinos out there, where you can play with complete peace of mind. Pick any of these, and you will be guaranteed a fair and secure environment to play your favourite games.
Online Casino | Bonus Offer | Operator Highlights and Certificates | License Nr | Secure Link | T&C |
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888 Casino | £100 + Up to £88 Free Play Bonus | eCOGRA ‘Safe and Fair’ Seal, McAfee Secure Certified Site | Licence Nr. Reference: 39028 | Play Here! | Full T&Cs apply. No Deposit Offer: New players only. £88 is granted in FreePlay (FP). FP must be claimed within 48 hrs of receiving the email and expires after 14 days. FP wins are credited as bonus and capped at £15, exc. JP win. Deposit Bonus Offer: £20 min deposit. 100% up to £100 Bonus. Bonus wins are capped at £500. To withdraw bonus & related wins, wager 30x (bonus amount) within 90 days. Restrictions apply to deposit until wagering requirement fulfilled. |
Betvictor Casino | £50 for £10 wagered | Independantly Audited by eCOGRA,GambleAware Trust Seal | Licence Nr. Reference: 39576 | Play Here! | Full T&Cs apply. New customers only. Deposit via Card only and wager £10 within 7 days of opening new account. Receive 2 x £20 bonuses and 3 £10 bonuses for selected games up to 60x wagering. Bonuses expire in 3 days. Geographical Restrictions apply, Please Gamble Responsibly. |
Betway Casino | £250 Welcome Bonus | Regularly Audited by eCOGRA,Approved by GambleAware | Licence Nr. Reference: 39372 | Play Here! | Full T&Cs apply. 18+ *New customers only. Opt-in required. 100% Match Bonus up to £250 on 1st deposit of £20+. 50x bonus wagering applies as do weighting requirements. Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. This offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. Irregular gameplay may invalidate your bonus. |
So what makes these 3 trustworthy? There are certain criteria that these casinos meet which prove their authenticity. First and foremost, they hold valid licences from official regulatory bodies – this means that they are 100% legal to play at and strictly regulated. They also use the most sophisticated technology to provide secure transactions, protecting your personal banking data. They use reliable software, with the fairness and integrity of the games independently tested and proven. What’s more, all 3 are socially responsible operators. On top of all this, they provide genuine and fair bonus offers. Read further down this page to learn more about our crieria when choosing the best and safest casino sites out there.
If you, on the other hand, are looking for a website where you haven’t played yet, then we recommend you check out our list of new online casinos for British players. For more information on the topic, you can also take a look at bestcasino.co.uk UK´s best online casino Website ranking.
How to Recognise Trustworthy Online Casinos
Gambling Licence
Thanks to recent changes to the UK Gambling Act, all online casinos that offer their services to UK players need to hold a valid licence from the UK Gambling Commission. This makes life much easier for us Brits! In simple terms, if an operator does not hold a licence issued by the UKGC, then stay well clear of them.
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But why is a licence so important, you may ask. Well for starters, the UKGC don’t hand them out to any Tom, Dick or Harry. An operator has to go through stringent tests to prove the validity of the services they offer. This includes proving the fairness of the software used to provide games to players. To get a licence, casinos also need to adhere to strict privacy policies, ensuring that your personal information is not disclosed to third parties. What’s more, the UKGC make sure that money-laundering and fraud are not in operation, further protecting players from being ripped off.
You won’t have to jump through hoops to find out if a casino holds a valid licence either. Any trustworthy operator will display their licence with pride. Simply look in the footer of the casino’s front page, and you’ll find the UKGC logo, along with the licence number. If you need any further reassurance to the validity of the licence, then a quick check on the government’s official website will confirm that they have issued the licence.
Fair Games
Independent Testing Agencies | |
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– The eCOGRA ‘Safe and Fair’ seal is awarded to casinos that operate honestly and responsibly. | |
– Provides testing facilities to evaluate the integrity of online casino software and produce payout percentage reports. | |
– Offers a wide range of testing services to online casinos, assessing the fairness of games and technical security. |
Another sure fire way of confirming if you are choosing a safe online casino is by checking the fairness of the games they offer. Any honest and legitimate casino will offer transparency when it comes to confirming the integrity of their game collection. So how can you confirm the fairness of games? The best way is by checking the payouts of the games. Every reputable casino operator makes their payout reports public. The payout percentage is basically the amount of money gambled compared to how much is returned to players. Any decent casino will invite independent testing of their game results to produce reports validating the amount of money that is returned to players when they play the games on their site. Such companies include eCOGRA, TST and GLI. eCOGRA is an internationally accredited independent agency that tests and certifies the fairness and integrity of an online casino and its games. A casino will need to prove it operates honestly and responsibility to earn the eCOGRA ‘Safe and Fair’ seal. Technical Systems Testing (TST) and Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) also provide a full range of testing facilities and will issue certificates where the fairness of games is proven. All of these agencies test the Random Number Generators (RNG) of the casinos for truly random results and produce reports on the actual winnings returned to players. You’ll find these reports in the footer of the casino’s main page.
Payout Percentage
Payout Percentage Exapmles | |
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Slots | 94.10% |
Table games | 97.24% |
Card games | 98.21% |
Video poker | 100.10% |
Poker games | 97.20% |
Overall | 96.93% |
The Payout Percentage for a certain title should be very close to the theoretical return-to-player percentage of the game. There are different RTP’s for different games, depending on their rules. For slots, the return to player is generally in the region of 94% – 97%, depending on the specific game. As for table and card games, the house edge is usually much smaller, so you will see a higher RTP. For example, as a general rule of thumb, the RTP for classic blackjack games should not be lower than 99%. However, this does vary with the introduction of side bets and such. When you check the games’ RTP at a casino, alarm bells should start ringing if you see any numbers which are very low. This could indicate that a scam is in operation, as players should expect a much better return for the money they wager. Bare in mind that RTP is worked out as an average over a huge number of games played. If an RTP of 97% is given for slots, this does not mean that you are guaranteed to see 97% of the money you have wagered returned to you as prize money. You may see less, or considerably more, particularly if you hit one of the coveted progressive jackpots. This is due to the fact that RTP is the average across all money wagered and won on a particular game. What is important to remember is that a low RTP is a clear indicator that games are fixed and that you are likely to be ripped off.
Reliable Software
To confirm you are choosing a safe casino, you should take into consideration the software that they use. A serious and legitimate casino will only use reputable software providers, who meet their strict requirements and procedures. Playing at a casino with reliable software is vital to ensure a seamless gaming experience, without technical glitches. After all, how frustrated would you be if the games you play constantly lagged and crashed? All reputable software providers are also independently tested and audited to confirm their fairness and safety. Here are some of the best casino software providers to look out for.
One of the most well known online gaming software providers. The company was founded in 1999 and is listed on the London stock exchange. The software is certified by GLI, guaranteeing the fairness and integrity of the high-quality games they provide. Learn more about their products in our dedicated Playtech review.
Founded in 1994, Microgaming were one of the first developers of online casino software, and now offer over 750 unique casino games. The provider has won numerous awards and regularly adds new games to their portfolio. Microgaming were a founding member of eCOGRA and their safety is certified by GLI.
The Random Number Generator (RNG) used by NetEnt is independently tested and audited by iTech Labs, with annual audits of the software development environment performed by eCOGRA. NetEnt won 4 awards at the 2014 EGR B2B Awards, including Slot Provider of the Year and RNG Casino Supplier of the Year.
A leading provider of online gaming solutions, Dragonfish is a subsidiary of the market leading 888 group. Not only do they supply the software for the world-famous 888 Casino, they also provide software to other operators. The games and RNG are regularly tested by eCOGRA to validate their safety and fairness.
Most casinos list the name of their software provider in the footer of their main page. Although this does vary from one casino to another. Some will list this information in the ‘About Us’ section of the site. Wherever it is listed, once you launch a game, you will also see a notification of the software provider.
Protected Transactions
Considering you need to provide your personal information when you register at an online casino, you need to be completely satisfied that this data is secured. The same goes for banking transactions, your information needs to be kept strictly protected. Any reputable casino will use cutting edge technology to encrypt your data and ensure that it is kept secure. So how can you verify the safety of your transactions at an online casino?
A good way of confirming whether the casino site you are viewing is encrypted is by checking if ‘https’ is listed in the address bar. If this is present, then the site is encrypted. Also, you will see a padlock icon at the start of the address. When you click on this symbol, there will be a description of the encryption that is in use to protect your connection.
Also, there are various companies that provide computer security software. These include Norton Secured, Rapid SSL, McAfee, TRUSTe and Thawte, to name but a few. Look out for any of their logos on the casino’s site, when they are displayed you can be certain that your information is protected. Not only do companies such as these protect the data shared between your browser and the casino website, it also shows that malware checks are performed regularly, to protect the overall safety of the site.
Of course, last but not least, the payment processor itself is really important as well. You need to be able to choose a service that is popular yet convenient for you. All reputable casinos offer more than enough options for that. They accept debit cards such as VISA Debit, Maestro and Mastercard, e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill and Neteller and prepaid cards like Paysafecard and Entropay. Some even accept paying by mobile, with an SMS.
Fair Bonus Offers
With so much competition in the world of online casinos, it’s no surprise that many offer bonuses to try and win your custom. A legitimate casino will make the bonus terms and conditions fair and achievable. The conditions will also be clearly laid out for you to familiarise yourself with them. The purpose of a casino bonus is to give you more opportunity to play. Therefore, all casino bonuses will need to be wagered a certain number of times before they can be withdrawn. To ensure that you are not going to be ripped off, look out for playthrough requirements that are reasonable.
For example, at 888 Casino, you’ll need to wager your bonus 30 times within 90 days in order to withdraw any winnings you make with it. Whilst researching this article, I found some casino bonuses with shocking playthrough requirements. For example, at Slotnuts.com, both the deposit and the bonus amounts need to be played through a staggering 120 times. The bonus is also limited to slots. So although at first glance the welcome bonus offer seemed generous, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to meet these playthrough requirements before the bonus expires. This is a clear sign that the casino does not put their players’ needs first. Needless to say, this casino does not hold a valid licence from the UKGC and is not included in my list of recommended casinos.
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With most casino bonuses, different games will contribute different amounts towards the wagering requirement. Generally, any money wagered on slots will contribute 100%, whereas games such as blackjack and roulette, which have a much lower house edge, tend to contribute between 10-20%. At 888 Casino, wagering on all games will count towards your playthrough requirements, but all will contribute a different amount, whereas Mr Green’s welcome bonus is specifically for slots, so only money wagered on slots will count towards wagering requirements. Make sure you look for these weightings when checking a casino bonus terms and conditions. After all, you would be annoyed if you played your bonus through on roulette, only to discover that roulette does not contribute towards the bonus playthrough.
Help with Gambling Addiction
Serious operators will not aim to make a profit at the expense of their customers’ health. It, therefore, stands to reason that the truly trustworthy casinos will take their social responsibilities seriously, and recognise and offer help with problem gambling. There are several non-profit organisations such as GamCare and Gamble Aware whose main aim is to raise awareness of problem gambling and to offer help and support to those suffering from gambling addiction. Any reputable casino will work in unison with such organisations to ensure their players are protected. An honest casino will put certain measures in place to help players who may experience problems with gambling. These include options to set limits on the amount of money you can play with and the option to self-exclude for a period of time. They will also clearly promote organisations who can offer help with gambling addiction on their site.
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Organisations That Help with Problem Gambling
These are some of the organisations that aim to raise awareness of problem gambling and offer help and support to those affected by gambling addiction.
One excellent example of a safe casino who takes problem gambling seriously is Mr Green with their ‘Green Gaming’ policy. Green Gaming allows players to set limits on how much they can deposit, wager and lose over a 7 day period. This policy allows players to lower these limits, but they cannot be increased until the end of the 7 days. They also offer a self-assessment check up tool on their website. Players can answer a series of questions, which will help to identify if they potentially have a problem with gambling. The operator offers help and support to players, and also to those who are concerned about a friend or family members’ gambling habits.
As well as offering their own help and support, they also list the contact details for GamCare, GamblingTherapy, GA Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon. With such a pro-active approach to protecting their players, it’s no surprise that they were awarded Socially Responsible Operator of the Year at the 2012 EGR awards.