A common belief is that you need insider knowledge to tell whether a casino is properly licensed in Britain. You don’t. Everything you need is public, free and takes about two minutes. The Gambling Commission’s own advice to players is to check that the business holds a British licence and that you can click through from the site to the Commission’s public register, where the licence is shown.
So this guide does two jobs. First, the method. Then five casino brands we ran through it, starting with the one that made the process easiest.
Where Does the Licence Information Live?
Start at the very bottom of the casino’s homepage. UK-licensed operators must show that they are licensed and link to the register, so the footer is where you will usually find a sentence naming the licensed company, the Gambling Commission and an account number. Write down the company name and the account number.
Next, open the public register on the Commission’s website and search by that account number or company name. The business page shows the head office, each licensed activity (Casino, Bingo, betting and so on) with a status and start date, plus tabs for trading names and domain names. The domain tab is the underrated one. It tells you which web addresses the company has registered, and with what status.
Finally, compare. Does the company name match the footer? Is the activity you plan to use, casino in this case, marked Active? Does the domain list include the site you are on? Three yeses and you are done.
Which Casino Makes the Check Quickest? MrQ
Two minutes is generous here. Run the method above and every step resolves on the first try.
The footer. One line names the licensed company, Tek Fox Ltd, says it is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission, and gives the account number, 60629. Both things you need, in one place. The contact page repeats the same wording.
The register. Search 60629 and the entry for Tek Fox Ltd comes up with a head office at The Brewhouse, Mdina Road, Birkirkara, Malta. Two activities are listed, Remote Casino and Remote Bingo, each Active. A small tip: searching by the five-digit account number is quicker than typing out the longer licence code.
The cross-checks. The Malta address on the register is the same registered address given in MrQ’s terms and conditions, along with company number C96152. The products match the activities as well. You get 900+ games, live dealer tables from Evolution and 90-ball bingo, and there is no sportsbook, which fits a licence covering casino and bingo only.
The extras that show up on the same page. Next to the licence line sit badges for GambleAware, the Gambling Commission, GAMSTOP, GamCare, IBAS and 18+. IBAS is the independent dispute service, and MrQ is registered with GAMSTOP. Inside the account, players get deposit limits, reality checks from 30 minutes up to 4 hours, and time-outs from 24 hours to 6 weeks, all of which put you in charge of your own play.
Once you are satisfied, the sign-up offer is simple to weigh up. A first deposit of £10 or more unlocks 100 free spins on Big Bass Splash at 10p a spin. Use them within 48 hours. There is no wagering on what you win and no cap on it, and the offer is for UK players aged 18+, excluding Northern Ireland. Beyond that, MrQ says all its promotions are 100% wagering free, and withdrawals come with a guarantee of processing within 60 seconds or a £10 credit (subject to terms).
If you only remember one example of a footer done well, make it this one.
What If the Brand Name Changes Company? Sky Vegas
Brands sometimes move between licensed companies, and this one shows how to follow the trail. Search the older company, Bonne Terre Limited (account 38718), and its licences show as surrendered with an end date of 31 October 2025, with every listed web address marked inactive. Search Bonne Terre Gaming Limited (account 65519) instead and you find Remote Casino and Remote Bingo active since 18 November 2024, run from a head office in Gibraltar.
The domain tab on that newer entry confirms the move. It lists the Sky Vegas web address as active, along with Sky Casino, Sky Bingo and Sky Poker. The brand carried on; the licensee changed. Once you have the right account, everything lines up neatly. It sits below MrQ only because you may need two searches to see the full story, and the lesson is a good one: always read the status column, not just the company name.
How Do You Spot Sister Sites? Mr Vegas
Open the domain-names tab for Videoslots Limited, account 39380, and you will see the Mr Vegas address listed as active next to Videoslots and Mega Riches. That tab is the fastest way to find which brands share a licensee, and here it shows a compact family of four active addresses rather than dozens.
The main entry is just as easy to read. It gives a head office in Pieta, Malta, and shows Remote Casino active since 1 November 2014, with linked gambling software since 2015, real-event betting since 2020 and bingo since 2025. For a player, that means an operator whose UK casino licence has been in place for more than a decade. It ranks third because the brand name differs from the company name you need to search, so a first-time checker has one more connection to make.
Can One Company Run Many Brands? Rialto
Yes, and the register shows it plainly. The footer at Rialto Casino names Rank Interactive (Gibraltar) Ltd and gives Gambling Commission account number 57924, which makes the first step easy. Search that number and the domain tab lists Rialto alongside Grosvenor Casinos, Mecca Bingo, Kitty Bingo, Magical Vegas and several more.
The company holds remote casino, bingo, betting and gambling software licences, all active since 11 March 2022, with a head office listed at the Rank Group in Maidenhead. The site itself covers slots, live game shows and table games from names such as NetEnt and Microgaming. Rialto ranks fourth because it is one brand among a dozen active addresses in that entry, so confirming which licence covers which site takes a little more reading than at MrQ.
What Does “White Label” Mean on the Register? Virgin Games
Look up Gamesys Operations Limited, account 38905, and the Virgin Games domain appears with the status White Label. In plain terms, the site trades under the Virgin Games name on the Gamesys licence. The footer says the same thing in words: Virgin Games is operated by Gamesys Operations Limited, licensed in Great Britain under account 38905.
The account shows Remote Casino and Bingo active since 1 November 2014, with betting licences alongside. Several other well-known brands sit on the same entry, including Jackpotjoy as an active domain. On the site you will find slots, Slingo, bingo and live dealer tables, plus Jackpot King progressive games. Once you know what the label means, it is a straightforward check, which is why Virgin Games rounds off the five.
Your Two-Minute Checklist
- Footer: company name plus account number, written down.
- Register: search the number, confirm the company name matches.
- Activities: casino marked Active.
- Domains: the site you are on appears, as Active or White Label.
- Extra check: the address and products on the site agree with what the register says.
Run that on any casino you are thinking of joining. On MrQ, every box ticks on the first pass.
18+. UK players only.
