How Our List of the Best UK Casinos Came Together
"Best" is a word best used sparingly. We don't take our claims lightly, but we felt necessary to round up the casinos with the highest ratings so you can browse through the highest-quality brands and save time when picking your favourite.
Our list is automatically generated - an algorithm takes gets the ratings of all UK online casinos on our site and calculates an average, then filters those with scores of 7 or above.
However, we exclude casinos that were closed, blacklisted, or received a warning. We also require a minimum of 20 votes and only include casinos that were established for more than 6 months.
This is why we recommend checking this list frequently so you don't miss any of the best-rated operators.
How Do Our Casino Ratings Work
Our players can rate operators by assigning them one of four medals. Each medal has an associated score in points, ranging from 1 (black medal) to 10 (gold medal). A casino's display medal is determined by the mean of its total scores.
Each casino will also display the score next to the medal to reflect any minor updates. This way, we ensure you can easily compare a Bronze casino with a rating of 4 to another Bronze casino with a rating of 6.7.
New Rating Updates
When you assign a medal to one of the casinos, its score is updated, but the medal might remain the same. Consider a casino with a score of 6 out of 10 votes. If you give that casino a black medal, the score will update following this formula.
(average score * number of votes + your rating) / the new number of votes
Effectively, the casino's new score will be:
(6 * 10 + 1) / 11 = 5.54
The medal will change to Silver only when this average surpasses 7.
It's important to note that you can only rate the casinos available in the United Kingdom.
Why Pick One of Our UK Casinos?
Our team does not interfere with the review process and never modifies or deletes ratings and comments as long as they follow our guidelines. We will only remove comments if they are deemed spam or offensive to certain people or groups.
We value transparency and objectivity and aim to offer our British players a safe space where they can express their genuine opinions and concerns.
Additionally, our team of trained gambling experts reviews the accuracy of the data we present and ensures we're providing useful and actionable information to support your decisions.
Five Things the Best UK Online Casinos Have in Common
We pay close attention to our players' ratings and comments, and this has served us well so far. Since going through so many of your reviews, we extracted some of the most frequent points of interest and listed them below.
These are some of the criteria that make for a top-rated UK online casino in our players' view.
A Variety of Games From Reliable Providers
A generous game collection is the bread and butter of any online casino. You'll want a diversified experience that includes popular, hyped-up titles, as well as newer, innovative games to satisfy your need for novelty.
The best casino sites in the United Kingdom need partnerships with reputable and reliable software providers to ensure their players can enjoy the best available titles and don't grow bored with the game offer.
Fast Payouts and a Variety of Deposit Options
Slow or complicated payouts are a frequent reason for dissatisfaction among gamblers. Plenty of positive casino reviews mention fast and effortless withdrawals, meaning that the best online casinos in the United Kingdom will grant access to your funds as soon as possible.
Additionally, we always love seeing diverse deposit options. Not only does this help the casino cater to a larger number of players, but also solves any issues that might arise when a particular payment method becomes unavailable.
I won’t give any names, but a popular e-wallet restricted payments on my account for a whole month after I sold a piece of gym equipment I had used for two years as an extension of my closet.
I am not saying your favourite payment method is not reliable, but things happen. And it’s always wise to have a backup.
Generous and Reasonable Bonuses and Promotions
Casino bonuses are some of the best perks of online gambling. Many of our readers highlight great bonuses, lax wagering requirements, or frequent promos when giving a high rating to a casino.
A good UK casino will quickly become an excellent casino if it offers fair, diverse, and enticing bonuses, as this helps keep players engaged and satisfied with the platform.
Quick and Easy Registration and KYC
To be fully compliant with UKGC provisions, a casino must verify each customer's identity to ensure they are of legal age to gamble. This is done through the Know Your Customer (KYC) process, which entails collecting copies of some legal documents and validating them through various means.
The best UK online casinos guide players through the KYC process and allow these verifications to be ready on time without a ton of effort on your part. You can find details on KYC on the dedicated UKGC page.
Helpful and Polite Customer Support
A common point of praise for some of the best-rated casinos in the United Kingdom is their customer service teams. Like it or not, you'll sometimes need assistance to complete various requirements or solve certain issues.
A quick, well-trained, and polite customer support team is paramount for your satisfaction. The best casinos allow players to get in touch through various channels, preferably around the clock, and don't have them waiting for too long before they receive a solution to their query.
UKGC-licensed casinos are required to assist players with responsible gambling resources and guidance and should offer prompt support for any issue or question regarding their services.
Tie-Breakers for the Best UK Online Casinos
These are a couple of aspects that don't get mentioned quite as often but are, nevertheless, essential for a great UK casino experience. When I'm comparing a few solid casino brands, I like using these two criteria to decide which brand is the best for me.
Mobile App
A dedicated mobile app is a nice feature to have, as it allows quick and secure access to your casino account and a range of customisation options. Trusted online casinos in the UK will let you install their app so your games will load faster, and you'll have an easier time popping in and out of the game.
I really enjoy UK casino apps because they allow me to log in quickly using my fingerprint and have all of my casino accounts neatly organised into a folder on my home screen.
VIP Program
VIP programs and rewards are the best way for a casino to show appreciation to its loyal customers. A casino with a good VIP system will always get extra points in my book.
In 2020, the Gambling Commission introduced new rules regarding VIP programs in online casinos, requiring operators to verify if potential VIP customers:
- Can afford the required spending as part of their typical leisure budget.
- Are not at high risk for developing a gambling addiction.
Responsible Gambling
You won’t see a lot of players giving high ratings for responsible gambling tools, but player safety is a critical aspect of a good UK casino. And player safety includes the safety of your funds and data but also measures to help you stay in control of your gambling.
Some of these measures and tools include:
Frequent reality checks that let you know how much time has passed since you started gambling.
Recurrent deposit and time limits that you can customise according to your needs.
Options of self-imposed time-outs or exclusion when you feel things getting out of hand.
Quick and easy access to various institutions or resources to help you avoid or navigate problem gambling.
Stay responsible
While these tools are useful and desirable in any top-rated UK casino, you should remember that your gambling habit is under your control.
Freak recommends you spend some time educating yourself on problem gambling and ensure you closely monitor your spending, reasons for gambling, and time spent playing.
What’s the Best UK Online Casino?
This is a question any British gambler asks themselves at some point in their journey. My opinion closely matches that of our readers, as discussed above, and could be summarised as:
The best UK online casino has:
- plenty of games from trustworthy and innovative software providers
- a range of deposit options and lightning-fast payouts
- fair and substantial bonuses and promotions
- effortless registration and identity verification
- a helpful and responsive customer service team
But that seems somewhat obvious. And the extent to which a casino meets these criteria depends on each player’s definition of “substantial” or “effortless.”
So I put on my best investigator hat, picked a clipboard, and went on to interview some of my colleagues. I asked what makes for the best casino, in their opinion, and these were their answers.
Iasmina Bunea, Content Editor
“Personally, I believe the best UK online casino would be one that offers no-deposit deals to its loyal customers, either through seasonal promotions or a loyalty program.”
Vlad Stanescu, Video Editor
“The ambience, design, and aesthetics of the casino are important aspects for me when I think about the best casino for UK players. These factors contribute to a pleasant and memorable experience while spinning at my favourite slots.”
Iulia Ionita, Video Content Team Lead
“For me, a "best casino" means an engaging and secure experience. I prefer casinos with a diverse selection of games, including the latest releases, for a constantly refreshing experience. Additionally, I appreciate casinos that communicate without overwhelming promotional messages.”
Carol Zafiriadi, Senior Content Writer
“To me, the best UK casinos have always been the ones that ace two things: they offer tons of fun, and they help never worry about privacy and safety while I’m gaming.”
Catalin Radu, Video Editor
"I like when a casino is easy to navigate and has a friendly approach when it comes to Terms and Conditions."
So, different strokes for different folks, I guess. Everyone has their own definition of what the best online casinos look and feel like, so it’s only natural you choose one that fits your preferences.
Hopefully, our list makes your search a bit easier. But if it doesn’t, we’d love to hear your questions or suggestions on how we could improve. Let’s keep in touch!