Best UK Online Casinos December 2023
How we rate UK casino sites
Since there are hundreds of online casino sites in the UK, our team of specialists has created a list of criteria that it uses to rate and compare different platforms. With these criteria, our team is able to develop accurate online casino reviews that detail the main pros and cons of each site.
In the following section, we’ve outlined the importance of the main criteria used to identify the best operators from all online casinos.
Bonuses
The best casino sites are able to show their appreciation to players by rewarding them constantly, from the moment that they sign up. In addition to offering a variety of bonuses, top sites also set reasonable and realistic terms that truly provide value to players.
Licensing & Security
All UK casino sites that operate legally in the country must be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and adhere to industry-standard security practices. The best sites normally go beyond, having SSL encryption on their platform, undergoing auditing on their games and offering responsible gambling tools.
Payment Methods
Top online casinos support deposits and withdrawals through a wide selection of payment methods. These banking options should also feature low or no additional costs and offer quick processing when depositing. Additionally, players should be able to deposit and withdraw from mobile devices with no problems.
Games & Software
The best gambling casinos in the UK partner with a group of renowned casino software providers to create their game catalogues. Through these partnerships, operators are able to offer thousands of games such as the best online slots, live casino game shows, and other popular categories.
User Experience
Navigation, loading times, and intuitive features may easily be overlooked by smaller sites, however, the biggest online casinos understand that these are vital for delivering a superb customer experience. These sites invest heavily in user-friendliness to ensure that their platforms don’t discourage or cause hassle to their users.
Mobile Casino
The best casinos online are well aware of the popularity of mobile gameplay, so they’ve updated or developed their platforms to work seamlessly across devices. Mobile casinos have taken the center stage of the casino world with no signs of slowing down.
Customer Support
Casino sites in the UK that hope to reach top status must prove that they always put the customer first. One of the best ways to do this is by offering 24/7 live chat support along with other convenient communication options.
Different Types of Top Online Casinos
There are several different ways to rank the best casino online sites. While some platforms excel in offering specific games, others are leaders in mobile access or payment options. In the following section, you’ll find details on some of the most popular feature ranks found at PlatinPlay.
New Casinos
Online casinos in the United Kingdom that launched in the last two years are unlikely to feature at the top of the list of the best sites overall. However, these new casinos could offer innovative features or highly-valuable bonuses in a bid to compete with more established platforms. As a result, it’s worth knowing which the best new casino sites are, as you could gain an extra reward or an innovative banking option.
Slots Sites
Online slots represent the most competitive game category in the industry. As a result, the best online casinos in the UK try to beat their competitors by offering a variety of the best online slots. These slot sites seek to partner with a greater number of software providers to ensure that they offer one of the widest choices of themes, potential payouts, and slot mechanics.
Roulette Sites
Just like at a land-based facility, online casino websites are full of engaging and exciting Roulette tables. However, some platform operators go beyond simply providing this popular table game and seek to deliver the ultimate Roulette experience. These roulette sites do so by featuring a wide collection of variants and including special tables, such as VIP tables and live game shows that complement this game with creative side bets or bonus payouts.
Blackjack Sites
The best online casinos for Blackjack are able to recreate the land-based casino experience online. By joining the realistic tables featured on these platforms, you’ll get to enjoy playing one of the world’s most popular card games through an immersive range of visuals and sound effects. In addition, blackjack sites offer a broad range of Blackjack tables, including ones that feature optional side bets or VIP betting limits.
Baccarat Sites
Offering a good selection of niche card games, such as Baccarat, allows great platforms to stand out from good casino sites. In recent years, online baccarat has become a popular card game among casino players as it features simple gameplay which, unlike Blackjack and Poker, does not require any significant skill or strategy. Moreover, the best online baccarat casinos are able to offer a selection of tables, including ones featuring a Baccarat variant.
Real Money Casinos
When playing at a real money online casino, it’s important to choose a reputable one that has been certified as safe by gambling authorities and industry professionals. You should only share your personal and banking details with licensed platforms like the ones in our top casino list, some of which going above and beyond. Some of the top sites, for example, offer optional security features such as 2FA that add an extra layer of security to real money transactions.
Fast Payout Casinos
You’ll find that all top online casinos will process your withdrawal request in a timely manner. Any fast withdrawal casino in the UK makes use of technology and industry best practices to shorten the time taken to carry out the necessary due diligence checks. As a result, once your withdrawal request has been submitted, you can expect your funds to reach you in less than time.
Best Payout Casinos
The best online casinos that payout are those with a high overall Return to Player (RTP) percentage. This figure is an average that’s taken across the site’s entire game collection and helps you understand what potential payouts could look like at each platform. Many of the best-reviewed online casinos fall under this category as players are constantly looking for big payouts, however, it’s important to remember that this percentage is based on probability and is not a guarantee.
Live Casinos
Many of the best UK online casino sites compete to offer the best live casino experience. By partnering with several leading software providers, these platform operators hope to deliver the most realistic and immersive table games and game shows. The best live online casinos also ensure that they provide an extensive game collection and that all of their live dealer games are mobile-compatible and don’t require any software download.
Mobile Casinos
No casino sites in 2023 want to rank poorly in mobile friendliness. After all, the number of mobile players is constantly rising and software providers have long been developing games to work seamlessly across smartphones and tablets. The best mobile casinos in the UK offer fast-loading sites that don’t use up too much data and feature the same full range of games, bonuses, and features that are found on their desktop sites.
PayPal Casinos
Time and time again, Paypal proves to be one of the most popular casino payment methods for players in the UK. It’s for this reason that we’re highlighting why many people choose to play at a PayPal casino. High-ranking sites don’t just accept this option for deposits and withdrawals but also set low minimum and high maximum limits for PayPal payments. In addition, they are able to process payouts to this e-Wallet quickly.
Poker Sites
Poker sites are a competitive hub for poker enthusiasts. Leading platforms offer a diverse array of poker games, from Texas Hold'em to Omaha and more. Some of these poker sites sometimes host multiple tournaments, including freerolls and multi-table events, catering to players of all levels.
Top online casino sites by category
In the following section, we’ve listed the best online casino in the UK for specific features or games. We’ve also included a brief overview of each site to help you understand why we’ve chosen this particular platform.
Best Slots Site: MagicRed Casino
Main Features: MagicRed Casino has partnered with 10+ leading software providers and offers over 800 online slots. This casino also provides plenty of generous bonuses that you can use on these popular games.
Biggest Negatives: No Live chat support at MagicRed Casino.
Review: MagicRed Casino is the best online casino for slots in the UK as it offers a wide selection of these games thanks to its software developer partners.
Best Live Casino: Casumo Casino
Main Features: Casumo Casino has partnered with Evolution, Pragmatic, and other leading live casino developers to offer +200 live table and game shows. With a single account, you’ll be able to experience an incredible variety of live games.
Biggest Negatives: While the site operates a 24/7 live chat option, it does not provide any telephone assistance to UK players.
Review: In our Casumo review, you'll find out that Cassumo is one of the most trusted online casinos in the UK and has won numerous awards. It ranks highest on our list of the best live casinos as it provides one of the largest game collections and full mobile accessibility.
Best PayPal Casino: PlayOJO Casino
Main Features: PlayOJO Casino offers over 1,000 games, including a large variety of slots, live casino games, and bingo games. The site also supports numerous banking options with no withdrawal fees.
Biggest Negatives: While no deposit fees apply on PayPal, charges do apply on Skrill or Neteller deposits.
Review: PlayOJO casino accepts PayPal deposits and withdrawals with very reasonable limits and no extra fees. It is also a top PayPal site as once you place your deposit, you’ll be able to play many of the world’s best online casino games.
Best Payout Casino: Casumo
Main Features: Casumo Casino boasts a Return to Player (RTP) percentage of 96.24%, one of the highest of any British online casino. This high payout value is possible thanks to its collection of high RTP slots, video poker games, and blackjack tables.
Biggest Negatives: While Casumo withdrawal times are fast through eWallets, the majority of its other banking methods have payout times of three or more business days.
Review: Casumo Casino delivers an attractive collection of online casino games. In addition, the site encourages responsible gambling by providing several tools to keep games safe and fun.
Best Mobile Casino: MrQ Casino
Main Features: MrQ Casino is the best casino online site for mobile gameplay, offering over 900 virtual and live games that don’t require any download. In addition, the site is designed in a minimalist fashion that makes it quick to load without using significant mobile data.
Biggest Negatives: Live chat at MrQ Casino is not available, so you might need to wait to resolve an issue. Unfortunately, no telephone number is available either, so you will need to send the team an email or take a look at their detailed FAQ section
Review: MrQ Casino is the top site for mobile gameplay as it offers a vast collection of games that you can play from anywhere and offers several bonuses with no wagering requirements. In addition, the site accepts several mobile-friendly payment options that you can conveniently access from your handheld device.
What to look for when picking a top casino site
No matter whether you’re choosing one of the listed UK casino sites or looking at alternatives, you should keep several factors in mind. Below, we’ve summarised these factors to help make your choice more personalised and effective.
- Your Favourite Games
Browse through the different game categories to understand which casino sites offer the titles or genres that you enjoy playing. If you’re a big slots fan, you’ll find many casinos that offer hundreds of options with the best online slots at their disposal. However, if you’re looking to play specific games like Live Baccarat Squeeze, Live Lightning Roulette and Live Caribbean Stud Poker you might want to check if the casino sites in question actually offer these games before picking. Additionally, it's important to make sure the best casino software providers are in partnership with the operator – This will help you understand the quality of the casino you're reviewing yourself.
- A Reputable Site
One of the main reasons why the most popular online casinos stay at the top is that they consistently provide a superb customer experience. You should always check user reviews or ratings of a casino that you are considering. While even the best online casino reviews and ratings normally include some negative feedback, you should steer clear of any platforms with substantial negative user feedback.
- Familiar Payment Methods
As you’ll probably be playing casino games with real money, you will need to use one or more banking options. Before signing up for any casinos online it’s important to make sure that they offer several familiar casino payment methods, apart from your favorite method.
- Bonuses that Match Your Preferences
All the top online casinos will offer welcome and ongoing promotions, but it’s important that you read the terms of these casino bonus offers. Most rewards can only be used on specific games or game categories, so you should ensure that the offers available match your game preferences. You should also read through the T&Cs to become familiar with the typical minimum deposit limits and other conditions.
- A Helpdesk that Cares
Check out the customer care options to satisfy yourself that if you ever need help you can get it in a timely manner. While a casino that does not offer live chat to unregistered players might not be a deal breaker for you, a site that doesn’t offer any convenient support options for registered players could raise plenty of red flags.
- Your Device-Friendly Platform
Consider which device or set of devices you will probably use to play online casino games. Test different online casinos in the UK using your preferred devices to ensure that the website and games work seamlessly. Generally, top sites invest heavily to provide a consistent user experience for mobile casino players especially.
- Safety is a Guarantee
The best UK online casinos prioritise your safety and security above bonuses and games. If a site has invested in security, it’s likely to showcase it on its website. In addition, you should only ever join a casino that is licensed by the UKGC and that shows its licence number at the bottom of the page.
How to register an account at an online casino
While casino sites are different, they typically all feature a very similar sign-up process. This process is a legal requirement in the UK, and while some players view it as a hassle, you can usually complete it in less than two minutes. Below, we’ve outlined the main steps that you would probably need to take to join a casino, place a deposit, and start playing real money games.
- Pick a site from the UK online casinos list and click the ‘Claim Offer’ button to visit its website.
- Click on ‘Sign Up’, ‘Register’ or a similar button to join the casino.
- Enter your personal and contact information.
- Verify your email address or mobile number by clicking on the email link or entering the code that you have received via SMS.
- Choose your banking method and complete your first deposit by providing the necessary payment information.
- Activate your welcome bonus or enter a promo code to get rewarded for your first deposit.
Best Online Casino Bonuses
There are several ways one can get rewarded when joining the best-rated online casinos. Various prizes and rewards are available through different promotions, and in this section, we’ll explain the most important ones.
Welcome Bonus – A casino bonus type that is only available to new players
Free spins – An ideal bonus for slot players looking for free spins
No deposit bonuses – A casino reward that does not require a qualifying deposit
Ongoing Promotions – Casino promotions that are available to all registered players
Match Bonus – This boosts the value of a qualifying payment by a certain percentage
Casino Payment Methods
From debit cards to e-Wallets and bank transfers, there are plenty of ways to fund your casino account. In most cases, you would likely already be familiar with at least some of the available casino banking options, though new ones are constantly being created worldwide. To help you navigate through the maze of payment methods and their respective pros and cons, we’ve created a detailed casino payments page. We invite you to visit it to learn more about the best deposit and withdrawal options in the UK.
Types of games available at online casino
The top online UK casinos have partnered with several of the industry’s leading software providers to create their extensive game catalogues. Many of these sites have close to or more than 1,000 games, and these are usually divided into different categories. At PlatinPlay, you’ll find dedicated pages for most of these categories, and below, we’ve provided you with a brief summary of the main ones.
Online slots – These games are simple to play and don’t require any experience. They encompass an unimaginable range of themes and features and support both small and large wagers. They are also popular as they often include bonus rounds and free spins, at least for the best online slots.
Jackpots – This category is mainly made up of slots, though other game categories are also sometimes included. Jackpot games are ones that feature one or more mega prizes that can be won randomly. Sometimes, prizes can reach seven or even eight figures.
Virtual table games – Playing Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, or any other table game is possible thanks to this game category. Virtual tables let you play your favourite games against the house with the pace and betting limits that suit you and your bankroll.
Live table games – Take your online casino experience to a whole new level by playing your favourite table games in the company of a live and professional dealer. Live table games recreate the atmosphere of land-based casinos and even let you play alongside others.
Live game shows – This new category of live casino games seems to be on the rise. We’re talking about games like Crazy Time, Dream Catcher and Mega Ball by Evolution.
Bingo – This popular numbers game is available at many English casino sites through a variety of rooms and variants. Some platforms also feature penny bingo rooms where you can still win real money prizes.
Software Providers
Without the creativity and capabilities of software providers, the iGaming industry would not exist. These talented companies and brands are responsible for creating all the games that you’ll find at UK top casino sites.
While the big names in the business, such as Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, and Pragmatic Play, create the majority of these games, smaller companies, such as Big Time Gaming, ELK Studios, and Hacksaw Gaming, provide innovative mechanics, higher payouts, or better RTPs.
To help you understand the importance and value of software providers, we’ve created a dedicated Online Casino Software page that you can visit. Just like all other PlatinPlay guides, this page is meant to provide you with an independent and factual review of different providers, both large and small.
The Importance of Licensing of UK Online Casinos
Throughout this guide and website, we’ve mentioned the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This is the authority that regulates all UK casino sites, no matter if they’re the best or not. If a site is not regulated by this authority and does not have a UKGC-issued licence, it’s not considered to be safe and you should avoid it.
The UKGC carries out checks on all UK gambling casinos. These checks include ensuring that sites adhere to industry best practices that are designed to keep players and funds secure.
The UKGC also verifies that games have been certified as fair by independent test labs like iTech Labs. These game labs audit each game and run it for thousands of rounds and use the result to find out whether a game is fair and random. Naturally, only unbiased games obtain the necessary approvals.
A lesser-known responsibility of the UKGC is to promote and support responsible gambling. In addition to its own initiatives, this authority ensures that each licensee provides its players with the necessary tools and resources to keep gambling fun or seek assistance when it’s needed.
Responsible Gambling
The most trusted online casinos in the country are those that care about their players. One of the ways in which they do this is to support responsible gambling by providing helpful information, self-check questionnaires, and voluntary limits. These casinos dedicate one or more pages of their websites to responsible gambling, and you should spend a few moments reading through the available guides to stay informed and take the necessary precautions.
Below, we’ve highlighted five important tips to help you maintain responsible gambling.
Learn the Game
Before you start playing any online casino game with real money try it for free and read online casino guides about it. Check out the betting limits and odds so that you are informed about the likely result. Using strategies in certain games can help, but no strategy can ever guarantee success.
Set and Stick to a Budget
You should view online gambling as a form of entertainment. Before you start playing online, you should set a budget based on what you can afford to lose. You should stop playing as soon as you’ve used your budget.
Keep Track of the Time
Time can pass quickly when you’re gambling online, so it’s important to keep track of it. Many top-rated online casinos offer a time-based notification alert, but you can also use a simple mobile phone clock or stopwatch to make you aware of how long you’ve been gambling.
Enjoy Outdoor Activities
Take part in group or outdoor activities often to strike a balance. Be aware of possible signs of problem gambling, such as replacing hobbies and social activities with gambling on a regular basis.
Get Help When You Need It
Don’t be afraid to ask for help to play responsibly or set voluntary limits. There are teams trained to assist you and guide you specifically for this. This could include providing you with contact information of professionals or charities.
Land-Based vs Online Casinos
In the UK, you can visit both land-based and online casinos and play very similar games with similar betting limits. However, there are numerous advantages to playing online, beginning with not needing to travel or wait for a casino to open. Many players also prefer online casinos as they’re able to use more user-friendly banking options and can enjoy a more anonymous experience.
Game selection is also better at online sites. Even just good online casinos usually offer a great variety of games, especially slots and table game variants. A land-based facility might offer 300 slot machines, but many of these would feature the same game across hundreds of machines.
Online casinos are cheaper to run, manage, and secure, and these savings normally translate into better player bonuses. Many of the best online casinos in the world that accept UK players will typically provide thousands of pounds worth of bonuses more than any land-based facility.
Best Online Casinos FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the best online casinos in the UK.
With competition between casino operators getting fiercer every day, the number one casino in the country is always changing. You can check who we believe is the current top site by viewing our rankings.
Our UK online casino lists only feature safe, licensed, and trustworthy operators that are legally permitted to operate in the UK. These sites have undergone heavy reviewing by the PlatinPlay team of specialists.
Check out our rankings to find the best online casino sites in the UK. These lists are updated frequently as new sites and features are added. Though, while the rankings for the best UK casinos sites change frequently, several names such as MagicRed, Casumo, & PlayOJO stay at the top because of their excellent service to UK players.
On this page, you’ll find the best of the best online casinos. All these casinos have been checked by our team and hold all the necessary legal and security approvals that are necessary to operate in the UK. Moreover, these sites enjoy a positive online reputation and welcome all new players with generous bonuses.