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Guide to Online Casinos UK

Do you know how to find the best casino sites UK gaming has to offer? Trusting your own judgement is one way, of course. But if you don’t have the foundation of knowledge from which to make your own decisions, it’s easy to go wrong. In this guide, we break down what you need to look for when you’re on the hunt for the top UK casinos.

What Makes the Best Online Casino Sites?

Defining what makes an online casino stand out isn’t always easy. Because players make their decisions based on personal preference, no one UK casino is going to satisfy everyone. As much as finding the best casino sites UK is an art, you can be pragmatic about the selection process. In doing so, look out for the following:

• A Valid Gaming Licence: This is perhaps the most important point. If a UK casino site doesn’t have a licence, you shouldn’t use it. Aside from being illegal, sites without a UKGC licence don’t have to offer a secure or fair platform. Put simply, only UKGC licensees will offer a safe gaming experience.
• Tons of Added Value: The best UK casino sites all offer a variety of promotions. A welcome bonus should be seen as standard. Beyond that, you should look for loyalty incentives such as reload rewards, free spins, VIP schemes and more. In addition to the bonuses themselves, you also need to look at an operator's wagering conditions. The top UK casino sites ensure it’s as easy for you to unlock your bonuses as it is to claim them.
• Quality Games and Software: There are certain software providers of note in the UK gaming space. The best online casino sites will take as many games from the big brands as possible. Names you need to look out for are: Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech and Evolution Gaming. Although there are others, these companies offer high-quality games that, in turn, means the casinos that partner with them are worth using.

Comparing the Best Casino Sites UK

Once you’ve established an outline of what the best online casino sites look like in isolation, the next step is to compare. Our reviews do this as standard, but it’s also something you should do for yourself. The reason for this is that you never know what something’s worth if you don’t hold it up against something else. In the UK casino world, this is particularly important because something can seem impressive until it's challenged. For example, a site might offer 200 different games. On first inspection, that sounds great, but when you consider the top casino sites in the UK boast upwards of 400 games, the former starts to look less appealing.

The same goes for payout percentages. All online slots and table games have a theoretical return rate. Naturally, some are better than others, but you won’t know this until you start comparing. For instance, Quickspin’s Big Bad Wolf slot game has an RTP of 97.35% that’s pretty good. Goblin’s Cave by Playtech has a 99.3% RTP. Therefore, in theory, you’ll win more in the long run when you choose the latter over the former. Again, this all comes down to your ability to take a core set of features and compare like for like.

By looking at what Casino X has compared to Casino Y, you’ll build up a list of top-rated UK casino sites and, more importantly, a selection of sites that work for you. As we’ve already said in this online casino UK guide, everything is a matter of personal preference. Just because one group of experts says Casino X is best, that doesn’t mean you’ll agree.

To help you refine the comparison process, make sure you assess these key areas:

• Game quantity
• Game type
• Betting limits
• Payout percentages
• Mobile betting options
• Live gaming options
• Bonus value
• Bonus wagering conditions
• Personal features such as aesthetics, design and usability.

What’s Offered at UK Casino Sites?

• Impressive Bonuses: All the best UK casinos offer large amounts of bonus cash that’s easy to access.
• A Large Gaming Lobby: As standard, you should expect a leading UK online casino to offer at least 400 games of all types and, importantly, at all limits.
• Mobile Betting: Without a mobile app or site, an operator can’t be listed as one of the UK’s finest.
• Free Play: Casino gaming is all about having fun. Any site that wants to be ranked among the top UK online casino sites needs to ensure this ideal is upheld by offering free play games.
• Licensing and Security: A UKGC licence, SSL encrypted software, ID checks and anti-fraud measures are all things the best casino sites in the UK have in common.
• Plenty of Ways to Pay: If you can’t pay, you can’t play for real money. Leading operators will provide a range of secure payment options, including Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Skrill.
• Stability: The final area that all highly rated UK casinos shine in is stability. If a site is constantly crashing or taking a long time to load, it will be poorly made and run.