Offshore Licences: What They Require and How to Check One
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"Licensed" is a claim, not a guarantee. What matters is which authority issued it, what that authority requires, and whether the number on the site appears on its register.
The last of those is the only one you can verify in under a minute, and it is the one most people skip.
What a Licence Actually Buys You
At minimum, a real licence means an identifiable company sits behind the site and a regulator can be contacted if something goes wrong. That is meaningfully better than nothing.
It is not equivalent to UKGC protection. Dispute processes are slower, remedies are narrower, and enforcement varies considerably between jurisdictions.
How the Main Jurisdictions Differ
Requirements vary on capital, segregation of player funds, complaint handling and reporting. Some regulators publish a searchable register and act on complaints; others are largely administrative.
Rather than assert specifics we have not verified for each authority, we check the register entry for every operator we list and record what we find on that operator's entry.
Verifying a Licence in Practice
Find the licence number in the site footer, then look it up on the regulator's own register rather than trusting the badge, which is only an image.
Check the licensee name matches the company named in the site's terms. A mismatch between the two is worth treating as a serious warning.
- Locate the number Usually in the footer, alongside the operating company name and address.
- Open the register Go to the regulator's own site directly rather than following a link from the casino.
- Match the licensee Confirm the company on the register is the company named in the terms and conditions.
- Check the status Confirm the licence is current rather than lapsed, suspended or transferred.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a licence badge in the footer prove anything?
On its own, no. A badge is an image and can be copied. Only the entry on the regulator's register proves the licence exists and is current.
What if I cannot find any licence details?
Treat that as the answer. A legitimate operator publishes its licensing information because it is required to.
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Licence verification is the first check we run on any operator, and the only one that can disqualify a site outright before testing begins.
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