Online gambling licences compared for UK players
Online gambling licences from Curaçao, Malta, Gibraltar and Anjouan come from four authorities, and none on its own lets a casino serve people in Great Britain. They differ in what a register shows, where a complaint can go and how to check a licence for yourself before you open an account.
Online gambling licences at a glance
Curaçao, Malta, Gibraltar and Anjouan side by side
What the comparison measures
Each licence is read on the same fields, those a reader can act on before opening an account: who can withdraw a licence, whether the casino can be looked up and who can decide a dispute. A field with no primary page behind it is left out, because a missing record means uncertainty and not wrongdoing. Every licence answers the same five questions in the matrix, so where one answer says less than another, that gap is itself a difference. The same fields apply to sportsbooks on our Curaçao betting sites page.
Browse casinos by gambling licence
Casinos inside each licence are grouped by how complete their record is, then sorted by name. The order is not a ranking.
Casinos holding a Curaçao licence
Each licence is matched on the authority's certificate page. The register status sits beside it as printed.
Compare them in Curaçao online casinos, or read how the Curaçao gaming licence works.
7Bit CasinoCuraçao licence
Lobby on 7bitcasino.com 
BetFuryCuraçao licence
Lobby on betfury.com 
BitstarzCuraçao licence
Lobby on bitstarz.com 
CloudbetCuraçao licence
Lobby on cloudbet.com 
Yep CasinoCuraçao licence
Lobby on yep.casino
Casinos holding an MGA licence
Each brand's company and number match the MGA's own records. Betway, LeoVegas and PlayOJO also hold UK accounts with a Gambling Commission licensee; Wildz has none, and Rizk's UK licence was surrendered in June 2026.
Holders, numbers and UK accounts are in the Malta gaming licence guide.
Casinos holding a Gibraltar licence
Each brand appears in its licensee's register file. Its UK accounts sit with a Gambling Commission licensee.
Each licensee and its register number are listed in our Gibraltar gaming licence guide.
888casinoGibraltar licence
Home page on 888casino.com 
Betfred CasinoGibraltar licence
Home page on betfred.com 
Ladbrokes CasinoGibraltar licence
Home page on ladbrokes.com 
Sky VegasGibraltar licence
Home page on skyvegas.com 
William Hill VegasGibraltar licence
Home page on vegas.williamhill.com 
bet365 CasinoGibraltar licence
Home page on casino.bet365.com
Casinos holding an Anjouan licence
Each brand shows one company and licence number in its footer and register row. The first three match a seal record too.
Seal records and licence terms sit in the Anjouan gaming licence guide.
MetaspinsAnjouan licence
Lobby on metaspins.com 
Smash CasinoAnjouan licence
Lobby on smash.casino 
Wild.ioAnjouan licence
Lobby on wild.io 
Lucky7evenAnjouan licence
Lobby on lucky7even.com 
Stay CasinoAnjouan licence
Lobby on staycasino.com 
TrixinoAnjouan licence
Lobby on trixino.com
Which licence matters for a UK account?
A licence issued in another country does not permit an operator to provide gambling to consumers in Great Britain.
That is the Gambling Commission’s position, so these four licences are separate from a British authorisation, not stages towards one. Seven Curaçao brands’ clauses on UK residents are read on our page about Curaçao casinos accepting UK players.
Great Britain authorisation and overseas licences
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Gambling Act 2005, section 33 | Providing gambling facilities is an offence unless an exception applies, and the right operating licence is the defence. |
| Section 36(3) and (3A) | Section 33 reaches remote gambling used in Great Britain, even with no equipment here, if the provider knows or should know of the use. |
| Gambling Commission | A business based abroad needs a licence to serve British consumers, whatever its other licences. |
| Northern Ireland | The 2005 Act mostly does not extend there, but advertising unlicensed remote gambling is an offence under the 2014 Act. |
One brand, several account companies
| Record | Company | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| bet365 Casino | Hillside (Gibraltar) Ltd | B2C gaming licences RGL 078 and 129, bookmaker licences RGL 076 and 130. |
| Its UK accounts | Hillside (UK Gaming) ENC, a Malta partnership | Active Commission licence, account 55149, casino active since 17 October 2019, named in the brand’s Great Britain terms. |
Gibraltar's register file lists bet365 Casino under Hillside (Gibraltar) Ltd; the brand's Great Britain terms name the UK company.
888casino shows the same split. Virtual Global Digital Services Limited holds its Gibraltar licence, while its UK accounts sit with 888 UK Limited, an active Gambling Commission licensee (account 39028).
Curaçao vs Malta casino licence
A Curaçao number, as printed on 7Bit Casino’s certificate. The Curaçao gaming licence is granted by the Curaçao Gaming Authority, which has licensed operators directly under the gaming ordinance (LOK) since 24 December 2024.
A Malta number, the one Betway Limited holds. The Malta gaming licence is granted by the Malta Gaming Authority under the Gaming Act, Cap. 583, in force since 1 August 2018.
Supervision and public records
- Licence term
- Indefinite unless the decision says otherwise; provisional up to six months.
- Public register
- A PDF of 666 rows dated 20 October 2026, which confers no rights.
- Proof for one domain
- The seal links to a cert.cga.cw certificate.
- Where a record can mislead
- The register prints B2C or B2B only, never casino or sportsbook, and defines no status word.
- Licence term
- Ten years, original or renewed.
- Public register
- A licensee register searchable by name, status or website.
- Proof for one domain
- The URL Checker and a seal from authorisation.mga.org.mt.
- Where a record can mislead
- A search can return the group holder, not the operating company.
Where a complaint can go
Curaçao
- The operatorComplain within six months. It acknowledges within a week and decides within four weeks, extendable once by four.
- The dispute bodyOne of seven certified ADR bodies named in the terms. The operator pays and about 90 days is expected.
- The regulatorTakes breach reports but will not resolve individual complaints.
Malta
- The operatorGives the result within 10 days, extendable by 10.
- The dispute bodyA free EU or EEA ADR body whose adjudication binds both sides, except on claims too large for Malta’s Small Claims Tribunal. eCOGRA is named on all five seals read.
- The regulatorThe Player Support Unit reviews complaints as a compliance check.
Curaçao or Anjouan: the two offshore regimes
The two differ in what their registers list and who handles a complaint. The longer comparison is in our Anjouan gaming licence guide, and the other side is in the Curaçao gaming licence guide.
Registers and operating domains
A Curaçao licence is tied to the domains approved in the licensee’s private account, so a domain’s certificate page is the only public link between domain and licence. Anjouan’s register has a domains column, but its disclaimer says a listed domain confirms only that it was notified.
What the licence label leaves open
303 of Curaçao’s 666 register rows read “Assessment in progress” or “Assessment in re-evaluation”. Anjouan’s register prints “valid” on every row, does not verify brands, and its regulator does not handle player complaints. The Banque Centrale des Comores said on 8 December 2025 that structures in its communiqué, among them the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority, the bank’s spelling of the Financial Authority, are not recognised in the Union of the Comoros. On 19 October 2026 the Guardian reported that the Comoros government had asked the UK government and its law enforcement bodies for help over the licences.
Gibraltar vs Malta casino licence
The Gibraltar gaming licence and the Malta licence differ more in who decides than in what a casino must publish.
| Criterion | Gibraltar | Malta |
|---|---|---|
| Current law | Gambling Act 2025, in force from 1 April 2026 except Part 5. | Gaming Act, Cap. 583, in force from 1 August 2018. |
| Public register | Licence holders with one PDF per licensee naming its brands. 29 are remote B2C. | A licensee register and a URL Checker for single domains. |
| Player funds | Operators must tell customers at registration how far funds are protected on insolvency. | Ring-fenced, with no creditor claim. A legal ring-fence, not insurance, and the rules set up no compensation scheme. |
| Self-exclusion | Blocks all known accounts and new ones on similar details, under the 2012 Generic Code. | Definite or indefinite, and across every brand of the licensee when the reason is problem gambling. |
How Curaçao compares with Gibraltar
| Criterion | Curaçao | Gibraltar |
|---|---|---|
| Register form | One PDF edition listing every licence by number, company and status. | A web list linking to one dated PDF per licensee. |
| Link from brand to licence | Domains sit in a private account, so the certificate page proves one domain. | The licensee's file names its brands, and the footer should match its licence number. |
| Warnings page | Names sites that falsely claim a licence. | A dated consumer warnings page does the same. |
How to check an online casino licence in four registers
| Register | Where to look | What must match | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curaçao (CGA) | The register PDF on cga.cw and the certificate opened from the casino's seal. | Licensee, company number, licence number and exact domain. | Statuses are printed as given and the register disclaims current validity. |
| Malta (MGA) | The licensee register by name, or the URL Checker by exact address. | Company, authorisation number and domain, plus the seal from authorisation.mga.org.mt. | A name search can return the group holder. |
| Gibraltar | The Register of Licence Holders and the licensee’s PDF. | The footer's licence number against the PDF's licensee, RGL number, website and brand. | The list page is undated, while each PDF shows a content date. |
| Anjouan | The public register, or the verify page opened from the seal. | Company, licence number and domain, then the expiry date. | A hand-typed validator address can say INVALID for a listed domain. |
Match the company, domain and register
Copy the licensee’s name and licence number out of the casino’s terms, find the same company in the issuer’s record and confirm your domain appears there too. A missing record means uncertainty, so ask the casino’s support next. For a Great Britain account, also search the Commission’s public register, by business name, domain or account number.
Status, activity and dates
Read each status as printed, with its edition date. Curaçao separates B2C from B2B but never shows the activity, and Anjouan’s expiry date can be earlier than its status suggests.
Casino player protection: what each licence covers
Identity checks and withdrawal disputes
| Licence | Identity checks | Withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| Curaçao | Due diligence at transactions of Naf. 4,000 or more; the terms guideline sets ID conditions above XCG 4,000 in cumulative deposits and withdrawals. | Terms must set out confiscation rules and how wagering is calculated. |
| Malta | Reasonable time is allowed first for identity and anti-money-laundering checks. | Remitted within five working days if practicable; a withdrawal limit may never be below EUR 250 a month. |
| Gibraltar | Anti-money-laundering codes apply, including a 2026 update for remote operators. | Licensees must promptly pay winnings and account balances. |
| Anjouan | Photo ID and a recent utility bill before any payout, with checks at EUR 3,000 of lifetime deposits, first withdrawal or on suspicion. | A self-excluded player must be blocked within one working day. |
Anjouan's figures come from its Licence Conditions v5, whose new terms bind existing licensees only from their next renewal.
Operator, ADR and regulator roles
- OperatorAnswers first: within 10 days in Malta, 30 days in Anjouan and four weeks in Curaçao.
- Dispute bodyDecides the contract dispute if they still disagree, and is named in the terms.
- RegulatorSupervises the licensee but does not ordinarily decide an individual dispute.
A Gambling Commission licensee has 8 weeks to resolve a complaint before a free ADR service takes over. IBAS is on the Commission’s approved list, the Curaçao authority’s certified list and several Gibraltar brands’ terms.
How licenzio compares licences
The same four steps run for every casino and every licence. Nothing here comes from an account, a deposit or a bonus, and the site carries no affiliate links.
Read the licence claim
Note the company, licence number and issuer that the casino's footer and terms name, and save both pages. Affiliate reviews and comparison sites are never a source.
Match the issuer's record
Open the register or certificate page on the authority's own website and match company, number, status and domain. Statuses are copied as printed, never relabelled. If the issuer and the casino disagree, the issuer's record leads.
Read the account terms
Read which company holds a UK account, which countries the terms exclude and where a complaint goes. For a Malta or Gibraltar brand, the UK company and its Gambling Commission account number are recorded.
Date every source
Each fact is stored with its source and read date. A guide is re-read when a register edition, a casino’s terms or an authority’s rules change, and under our editorial policy a confirmed error is corrected on the page itself. Its date moves only when the page really changes. Nothing is scored, and our research method sets out the full process.
Frequently asked questions
Which online gambling licence applies to British players?
A Gambling Commission remote operating licence, wherever the casino is based. It carries British rules of its own: online slot stakes are limited to £5, or £2 for adults aged 18 to 24, wagering may not exceed 10 times the bonus from 19 January 2026, and every remote licensee takes part in GAMSTOP.
Can a casino hold more than one gambling licence?
Yes, under one company or several. Betway Limited holds its Malta licence and also Gambling Commission account 39372, with remote casino rights active since 1 November 2014. In Curaçao one company may hold more than one B2C licence, but never a B2C and a B2B licence together.
How can I check a casino licence number?
Copy the licensee's name and licence number out of the casino's terms, then match them to the issuer's own record for that domain. Formats can differ slightly. PlayOJO's terms print its Malta number with an extra /01, while the register and seal show the same company without it, so compare the company too.
Can an overseas licence stop a casino withholding winnings?
No licence guarantees a payout. A licence sets rules and a complaint route, and none of the four regulators here ordinarily decides an individual player's dispute. That goes to the independent body named in the casino's terms. In Malta that service is free, and the operator has 20 days to comply with a decision in the player's favour.
Who handles complaints about a licensed casino?
The casino first, then the dispute body its terms name. Each regime also sets a clock for the player. Anjouan's clock is 14 days, counted from the session, for a game result and 30 days for an account matter, while Gibraltar's Gambling Division does not ordinarily look at a complaint more than two years old.
Does a licence show who owns the casino?
Not reliably. Registers name a licensee and list domains or brands, but Anjouan says a listed domain confirms only that it was notified. The Malta URL Checker can also list one domain under more than one company, so ownership needs the casino's own terms as well.
Responsible gambling and support
Only adults, 18 and older, should gamble. If it is hurting you or someone close, ring the National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, on 0808 8020 133. It is free and open 24 hours a day. GAMSTOP offers free self-exclusion from GB-licensed gambling sites, and our gambling support guide lists further help.