Best Online Casinos UK and Gambling
Gambling in the UK is legal and was first legislated by the Gaming Act of 1845. In 2005 the Gambling Commission (UKGC) was started and they are responsible for issuing licences and regulating gambling activities. The experts at NeonSlots.com keep abreast of the latest trends in the gambling industry. Our research has enabled us to be able to provide you with a list of legal online casinos, top slots and casino table games that are popular with players from the UK.
List Legal Online Casinos UK 2025
In the UK it is difficult to know the exact number of online casinos as it is an extremely competitive sector of the market that changes on a daily basis. However, we do know that there are almost 1,100 active licence holders in the remote industry which includes online casinos and bingo sites. It is also possible that 1 licence can be used for a number of online casinos that are are all owned by the same parent company.
Top UK Slots
Thanks to the amazing software developers in the industry the range of online slots that you can play have numerous different themes, bonus rounds, numbers of reels and paylines or ways to win. The graphics can completely take you back to the good old days of fruit machines or transport you into futuristic worlds with stunning 3D graphics and animated game play and features.
The Top 10 of the most in-demand slot machines in the UK include Mega Moolah, Game of Thrones, Avalon II, Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck II by Microgaming, Starburst, Mega Fortune and Gonzo´s Quest by NetEnt, Cleopatra by IGT and Gladiator by PlayTech.
Online Casino Games UK
The most played table games at online casinos in the UK are Roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Baccarat, Sic-bo and Craps. The majority of these games as well as some of the variants described below, can be played with Live Dealers which give a whole new dynamic to gameplay.
Traditional versions of these games include French Roulette by NetEnt, American Roulette by iSoftBet or European Roulette by Realistic Games. There are also unusual games such as Flamys Roulette by R. Franco, Roulette Diamond by 1x2 Gaming, Age of the Gods or Mini Roulette by PlayTech. It is also possible to play Double Ball, Multi Ball and Multi Wheel Roulette games.
Blackjack can also be found in numerous versions such as Atlantic City Blackjack by Microgaming or American Blackjack by PlayTech. Different variations include Trump It Blackjack Classic or Neon Blackjack Single Deck by Fugaso and additional bets are available in Blackjack 6 in 1 or Blackjack Lucky Ladies by Felt Gaming.
Popular Poker games include Casino Hold ´em by NetEnt, CyberStud by Microgaming, Red Dog or Oasis Poker by Betsoft and there are a whole range of online video poker games. PlayTech have developed Baccarat, Craps and Sic Bo games that are also popular to play online.
Online Bingo UK
There has been a growing demand among players in the UK for online bingo and as many as 3 million people play on a regular basis. As well as the more traditional games such as Classic Bingo by 1x2 Gaming or Extra Bingo by Wazdan, you can also find games with different themes and a fast paced gameplay including Book of Ra by Greentube and Bingo Classic Cars & Rock ´n Roll by MGA. These games often allow you to play with up to 4 game cards at a time and some also have bonus rounds which bring additional winnings.
It is important to make sure that you use UK Licensed online casinos or betting websites. Any casino that wants to accept players from the UK is required to hold this licence, however, as the internet is global, there are still many online casinos that will allow players from the UK but do not hold the required licence.
The UKGC work "to keep crime out of gambling, to ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and to protect children and vulnerable people". They also require that licence holders can offer their users the option to take a break from gambling activities or self exclude themselves if they feel that they may be forming an addiction. They constantly monitor the activities of licensed organisations to ensure their compliance and will take legal action against those that are seen to break the rules.
The online Remote Gambling sector occupies 35.2% of the overall gambling market and has a GGY (Gross Gambling Yield) of 4.9 billion GBP. Casino games contribute 2.7 billion GBP including 1.8 billion from slot games alone. The GGY from online betting is 2 billion GBP and bets on football and horse racing are the most popular.
UK Licenced Casinos
According to the data from the UK Gambling Commission, there are 11,143 gambling premises, 152 casinos, 649 bingo halls, 8,532 bookmakers and 183,928 gaming machines in the UK. The total number of employees in the gambling industry that work in the UK is 106,366. Casinos or other premises that want to have gambling games, need to apply for a premises licence from the licensing authorites. They issue permits for low stakes gambling, register societies so they can hold small lotteries and ensure compliance of the Gambling Act 2005 in their locality.
The UK has a complex system of councils as there are 418 unitary, upper and second tier councils. In England there are 353 councils that are split into 201 District councils, 55 Unitary authorities plus the Isles of Scilly, 36 Metropolitan districts, 32 London boroughs plus the City of London and 27 County councils.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland only have unitary single tier councils. In Wales there are 22 principal areas that are made up of 11 counties and 11 boroughs. Scotland has 32 unitary authorities and Northern Ireland has 11 local government districts.
UK Gambling Laws
Gambling has a long history in the UK and was first legalised by the Gaming Act of 1845 and the Betting Act of 1853. These acts have been regularly revised and the current legislation is the Gambling Act 2005. This act states that Casinos in the UK need to hold a licence that is issued by the local authorities. Alongside the act was the creation of the Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Licensing Committees who regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain, including the National Lottery, under the 1993 Act and issue licences to operators that want their products to be available to British residents.
