Best UK Online Casinos

UK Casino FAQ

Online Casinos in the UK

The arrival of the internet opened up a whole new dimension for the gambling industry – online casinos, sports betting sites and online bingo rooms. There is a large number of web-based casinos in the UK today, most of which are optimised for mobile use, as well. Plenty of them are based in the UK and operated locally, offering games the Brits are already familiar with. UK online casinos have the option to offer betting services, bingo, lottery games, casino games and other types of gambling software to a population of over 67, 5 million adults looking to enjoy remote gambling.

Best UK Online Casinos

As far as games go, most UK casino players enjoy playing at Microgaming casinos and Playtech casinos the most. The funny thing is, that their games are not direct imports from Las Vegas, but a lot of them are based on the games you would play in UK high street casinos instead. They all have amazing games.

One big advantage of UK online casinos is that the payout is much better than the casinos, or high street bookmaker machines. You often get payout rates of over 96% and we have made sure that the UK casinos listed above have the best odds.

There is no point playing machines with low odds (like 70%), so we made sure that all of these casinos have 94%+ rates, with most games being over 97% payout. Better than the high street and much better than Vegas. The better the odds, the more chance you have of winning and the more fun you will have.

If you like UK pub slot machines, then take a look at Microgaming casinos. If you would like to find the best UK casino at the moment (this can change from time to time, depending on which casino is adding the newest and best games, then take a look at our real money slot machines page.

We have played at all of these casinos listed above and found them all to be excellent, with reliable 24/7 customer service. One of the things I like about these casino is that they all make it very easy to cash out winnings. Nothing frustrates me more than having to jump through hoops to get money out and so it's great to know which casinos pay out the best.

Another point that is important - all of these UK Fruit Machines casinos are government-regulated and so are safe places to play.

We get asked which casino is the best to play at, but this will depend on which games you like the most as well as what type of bonus offers you like (if you like to taje a bonus, that is). I would say that it is definitely worth taking a look at all of the casinos listed, to get an idea of all of the different games available.

Each casino has a different selection, ranging from penny slots, to pub fruities and bandits, right through to Vegas casino slots

Land-based vs Online Gambling in the UK

Before we declare the final verdict, we need to remind casino enthusiasts that both online and offline casinos come with their sets of advantages and drawbacks.

Playing online means you have greater convenience, you don’t have to interact with anyone or mind the working hours, you can play a huge variety of games and do it whenever you want, wherever you want. You can also benefit from bonus offers and promotions. On the other hand, playing online means you will find it easier to lose money and the element of socialising is not really there.

When you’re visiting a physical casino venue, you can meet people, have more time to think about your wagers, help the local economy and experience gambling in its most genuine form. For all that, you will have access to limited games, waste a portion of your valuable time and be in a situation where you will show your weaknesses to fellow gamblers.

All that being said, the current climate in the UK demonstrates online casino sites reigning supreme over land-based casinos. For the longest time, brick and mortar casinos were sophisticated establishments in the UK; certain high-class London casinos are maintaining its relevance still. Others are, in a way, suffering. They seem to have become less fashionable much like retail shops have been feeling the impact of online shopping sites.

Here’s what the numbers show:

• Between 2011 and 2019 the worth of the online gambling industry in the United Kingdom rose from £10bn to £14bn.

• Between April 2018 and March 2019, the total gross land-based gambling yield declined 10% to £1.1bn. In 2020, it is expected the figures to fall below £1bn.

The future of regular land-based casino establishments in the United Kingdom may appear bleak, but we can never know for sure what will happen. As years pass, online casinos may become the norm, but in the UK the tradition is strong and it is possible that it keeps casinos alive for a while longer.

UK Gambling Laws

The UK gambling market is one of the best-organised gambling jurisdictions in Europe in terms of gambling liberties and safety. The Gambling Act of 2005 established the UK Gambling Commission which has been put in place to regulate all commercial gambling in the country. The UKGC is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and operates like a non-departmental public body. Its functions include publishing guidance, licensing, compliance and enforcing gambling laws, as well as conducting research. During years of its operation, the UKGC has proven itself to be most effective at providing British gamblers with a safe betting environment.

Foreign operators must obtain a valid UKGC license if they wish to advertise their gambling platforms in the UK. This has been established by the Gambling Act of 2005. Specific jurisdictions are on the UKGC whitelist and are considered up to par with the standards of the commission, namely countries within the European Economic Area (EEA), Alderney, Antigua and Barbuda, Gibraltar, Isle of Man and Tasmania. They have met the regulator’s criteria through a rigorous vetting process.

To gamble legally in the United Kingdom, you need to be at least 18 years old. Players do not pay tax on winnings, unless they are considered professionals. Operators, however, must pay 15% tax on all profits from UK services. The Gambling Act of 2005 outlines a long list of offences and one of them is for example the offence of providing gambling facilities without licence/permit. The penalty for this particular offence is 51 weeks imprisonment and/or £5,000 fine.

UK Casino Games Online

Contemporary UK casinos are geared towards slots - that is correct, but by no means do these websites ignore the interest players have in other casino games, such as card games or roulette. After all, table games were the first to enter the gambling halls before slots were even a notion.

A well-supplied online casino open to UK bettors will offer a diverse range of blackjack, poker, roulette and add interesting categories such as baccarat, craps and Sic Bo. Furthermore, the lobby ought to be expanded with a collection of live-streamed games with real dealers –live casino games. According to stats, the second most popular online casino game in the UK is roulette, followed by blackjack, and then craps and casino poker.

Blackjack accounted for 31% of the online table games in action in 2018 and its popularity increases every year. What makes blackjack so appealing, even now? Well, blackjack, or 21, is a casino game that offers high payouts, has elements of skill and a large number of variations. Plenty of different versions of RNG roulette are also available to online bettors. The experience is even more enriched with the possibility of applying creative betting strategies.

For players who wish to be even more immersed into the gameplay and put more focus on their skills, there are various casino poker versions on offer, for instance Let Em’ Ride, 3 Card Poker, and Pai Gow Poker. With baccarat, the outcomes rely more on luck, but the side bets which have been introduced in the virtual version of the game allow the players to benefit from an otherwise simple and straightforward card game.

Ultimately, UK online casino goers can enjoy dozens of interesting video poker games as well. Titles such as Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, Deuces Wild and provide them with a unique experience of playing a virtual poker machine that shares some similarities with online slots, yet retains the skill element and the importance of decision making.

Online Slots in the UK

The slot machine was invented in the 19th-century USA. It was manufactured by Charles Fey and it was called the Liberty Bell; it featured 3 reels with symbols that would line up to create winning combinations. The design of the original one-armed bandit was soon copied by others which led to the existence of fruit machines in most pubs, seashore arcades and gambling halls in the UK and their great popularity during the 80s and 90s. These were, of course, based on the electro-mechanical slot machine called Money Honey, created by Bally in 1964.

The first online slots remained true to their land-based designs. They had three reels and the same recognisable symbols, including liberty bells, cherries, BARs and plums. Because of the fruits, the slots acquired the name fruit machines or fruities in the UK and are still fondly called like that throughout the country. As technology advanced, the graphics improved and allowed new styles and themes to get incorporated into fruit machines.

The game format expanded from 3 reels to 5 (and more) and now features all sorts of wacky designs and unexpected themes, boasting bonus rounds and gameplay modifiers that elevate the experience and bring larger payouts. Fruit machines present the biggest variety out of all gambling games available in online casinos and UK casino sites stock them more than anything else. Online slots are provided by both established companies such as Microgaming, Playtech, Scientific Games and IGT as well as NetEnt, Quickspin, Yggdrasil, Big Time Gaming, Thunderkick and Play’n GO.

Classic Slots

Usually, under the term “classic slots” online casino reviewers would list all those traditional fruit machines with 3 reels and only one paying line. They typically feature the original slot symbols, from BARs and lucky sevens to bells, cherries, grapes and lemons. These types of online slot games do not cover a specific theme. They are simply fruit machines. When activated, they put the reels in motion and play a fanfare sound when the same symbol line up down the middle.

By today’s standards, classic slots may be outdated, but they aren’t abandoned. They are still popular among online gamblers who are into that retro feel and like to feel the nostalgia while they play. It is also not uncommon to find classic slots with 5 reels and extra features, but there are usually kept at a minimum to preserve the traditional straightforward charm of the machine.

Video Slots

Video slots constitute the majority of the entire slot universe online. These feature advanced graphics, 5 reels (sometimes more), multiple paying lines or special ways-to-win systems, can contain characters as symbols and cover a variety of different themes. Video slot machines online can have one or more bonus rounds and also include multipliers and special symbols to modify the gameplay and improve the player’s chance to win.

Although video slots look marvellous in 2D, many software providers have incorporated 3D elements into their products to make them more visually appealing, more live videogames. Every high-rated UK online casino will offer its players hundreds of video slots to choose from.

Progressive Jackpot Slots

Slot machines with progressive jackpots can be either traditional or modern, but they require a pooled prize which gets won randomly. Sometimes you will load a penny slot and obtain a chance to win over a million pounds because a small portion of your every bet will contribute to the prize pot.

Depending on the specific game, the progressive jackpot may be awarded in special bonus rounds that need to be unlocked by landing a special pattern of symbols or they can happen on any random spin of the reels, but most of the time you will need to set the stakes to the maximum bet value and enable all the paying lines. There are individual slots that pay prizes of £1 million+ almost every two weeks.

Here are some of the biggest progressive jackpot wins in the UK:

• A librarian from Glasgow, Scotland, won £4.5 million playing Playtech’s Jackpot Giant on mobile.

• Wellzyc from England won £6.2 million Mega Fortune jackpot in December 2016 and took his family on a trip to Disneyland for Christmas.

• A lucky player from Aberdeen won over £6.3 million on the NetEnt slot Hall of Gods in 2017. He placed a bet of £4 on the game after depositing only £30.

• A punter known as D.P won a £7.1 million jackpot on Mega Moolah, a slot developed by Microgaming, playing on a mobile phone in August 2016. This is the largest UK casino slot payout of all time to be won on a smartphone.

• A 26-year-old soldier Jonathan Heywood of Crewe won £13,209,300 also on Mega Moolah in October 2015. He was serving in the British Armed Forces, subsequently completing tours in Afghanistan, at the time he netted this life-changing amount. The best thing about it was that he only spent 25p on the winning spin!

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