When online casinos first started to really gain traction among the mainstream public thanks to aggressive marketing campaigns back in the early 2000s, a common notion among the general population was that the majority of casinos are fake, and that they’re only aiming to steal the gamblers’ money. There’s actually a very good reason behind that idea, as many of the earliest online casinos actually WERE fraudulent and resulted in numerous cases of people being ripped off. That whole episode of our favourite hobby’s history is a bit of a double-edged sword, though. True, many were turned off of it forever because of the scams that were perpetuated, but at the same time it forced many governments to issue laws and create special bodies whose sole purpose for existing was to make sure that the customer was protected and that such incidents never, ever happened again.

These days, the majority of online casinos in the UK are legal, mostly because the ones that are illegal are very easy to spot and as such don’t survive for very long. The purpose of the article you’re reading right now is to teach you how to quickly and easily distinguish which online casinos are legitimate and which are not. Remember the government bodies I mentioned earlier? Well, whenever they certify a casino, that casino is allowed to place their logo (and, sometimes, the certificate itself) into its footer. The most popular organization is the UK Gambling Commission, which certifies the overwhelming majority of casinos, betting sites and other gambling venues set in the cyberspace. Be sure to look for their logo in the footer of any casino you visit! If it’s not there, then you can use the site I just linked to look up the casino in question and try to find their certificate. If you can’t find it within their database, then STAY AWAY! It means that the casino is either illegal or way too fresh to have been certified yet, and in either case, you’re better off as far away from there as possible. There are additional independent agencies which also issue certificates, like eCOGRA, so if you see their logos in the footer of a casino that’s always a great sign, but they’re by no means mandatory.

Another great way to see which casinos are safe for players is to see what experienced and professional gamblers have to say on the subject. Sites such as bestukonlinecasino.com provide excellent commentary on what makes a good online casino and where you should be looking. That is especially useful if you have no idea where to start and are in need of some recommendations. If you already have a few online casinos lined up, but aren’t quite sure about which one you should turn to, it’s always a good idea to take a look at the list of games, like those listed on this page. It’s much easier to find a game you like and THEN register to the online casino which has it rather than to look through each casino one by one until you find what you’re looking for. Of course, picking a popular game has another great side effect – only legitimate casinos are allowed to obtain the licenses for big games such as “Game of Thrones” or “South Park”, so if you see one on the site chances are you’re pretty safe. I hope these tips were useful to you, and I wish you happy hunting!