There’s so much choice in betting sites these days that it can be tricky separating the safe online casinos from those you can’t trust.
Like you, we’re huge fans of casino gaming and our priority is to make sure our fellow players are safe when placing their online bets. That’s the reason we’ve created this guide, so you can separate the legit casinos from the illegitimate ones.
We explain what makes a casino safe, how to spot a dodgy one, review three of the most trustworthy sites, and much more. Once you’ve read our guide you’ll know how to stay safe when you’re gambling online.
How we find & review safe online casinos
OnlineCasinos.co.uk has a tried and tested method for reviewing the top gambling sites that prioritises the safety of betting fans.
We assess all of the things you care about, including:
Games available
Bonuses offered
Mobile gambling
Banking options
Customer support
We’re players ourselves and we want to make sure our fellow gamblers have a great time when betting at reputable online casinos. This is why we play the games, sign up for the bonuses, contact the customer services teams, and more.
Everything we rate a casino on is given a fair assessment — if we think its games are great we’ll tell you and if we think they could be better then we’ll let you know.
But most of all, our reviewers are concerned with ensuring you have a safe time when you use a gambling site. It’s for this reason that we won’t review and recommend any online casino that we’re not satisfied is 100% safe for you to use.
Our honest approach to assessing casinos means you can trust what we say in our reviews. So, if we tell you a site is safe then you can be certain it is.
Visit our online casino reviews page to find out more about our favourite gambling sites.
Introducing the OnlineCasinos.co.uk team
They say you should do what you love for a living. Well, the specialists on our team love betting at casinos online and offline. It's why they adore reviewing the top ones for you.
Our experts have a long history in the gambling industry. They’ve played countless games, placed bets on the leading sports, and used the finest sites. And our writers aren’t afraid to admit they love keeping up-to-date with the latest trends in the casino world.
Enthusiasm for gambling and sports betting makes reviewing online casinos a dream job for our team. But what really fuels their passion for what they do is helping their fellow players — using their knowledge and experience to let them know why they should or shouldn’t use a gambling site.
Nothing is more important to our team than making sure you have the best gambling experience possible when you’re wagering your money online.
How to stay safe at online casinos
While having fun playing your favourite games and betting on the sports you love is what brings you joy at gambling sites, staying safe should always be your number one priority at online casinos.
Gambling is only available to people of legal age (18 in the UK) and there’s a good reason for this: it can be a dangerous activity in the wrong hands. People can become addicted to betting, placing wagers beyond their means that take them into difficulty.
Responsible gambling is the key to staying safe at casino sites and there are a few important things you can do to bet in this way:
Decide how much money you’re going to bet and stick to it
Keep your gambling cash separate from the money you use for life essentials
Never chase your losses when you’re wagering on sports or casino games
Step away when your session stops being enjoyable
Trusted online casinos care about their players and do their utmost to keep them safe. One of the ways they do this is to offer them the chance to self-exclude from their site. Self-exclusion is where a player tells a gambling site they want to be blocked from using it for a set period of time (such as six months).
If you have concerns about your betting habits then there are a number of organisations that offer confidential, impartial, and free help, such as:
The UK Gambling Commission has also published a list of organisations that can help people with betting issues.
Don’t suffer in silence. If you need support to tackle problem gambling then reach out — there’s always someone who can help.
What makes an online casino safe and secure?
When you decide which sites you want to place your bets at, it’s essential you know you’re always wagering at secure online casinos.
Our job is to let you know the casinos you use are trustworthy and we give you this assurance by confirming they’re safe in the eyes of gambling regulators.
We always check every online casino we review to see that the relevant gambling authorities are displayed clearly on the website, such as:
These regulatory bodies have the legal authority to ensure gambling sites are safe. They have wide ranging powers to keep sites in check — they can fine, suspend, and close casinos that don’t uphold their extremely high safety standards.
Gambling sites require you to provide some of your most private and personal information, such as your bank details, your address, and an image of your face. They require these details to confirm you’re who you say you are.
But you need to be sure the sites can be trusted with your data. This is why we always start our reviews by checking a casino for the gambling regulators we listed above. If we can’t see them then we won’t review the site and recommend it to you — it’s that simple.
How to avoid illegitimate casinos
We’ll be straight with you: there are some dodgy gambling sites out there, ones that don’t uphold the high standards we demand for you.
These casino sites are licensed in regions that don’t have the same commitment to responsible gambling as places like the UK, Gibraltar, Malta, and Sweden. It means that, while they are legitimate in the areas they’re registered, they’re illegitimate in the eyes of trusted states that approve betting.
Avoiding these illegitimate casinos is really simple — all you have to do is use a respected reviews site, like OnlineCasinos.co.uk. We only review the most trusted online casino sites, the ones we know are safe because they’re regulated by respected authorities.
Our expert team of reviewers doesn’t just look for the logos of regulatory bodies when they’re assessing the legitimacy of an online casino. The people on our team also check some other vital details about a site to be certain it's not trying to scam you:
Payment speed
Terms of use
Game fairness
Customer service
Betting odds
We need to know that a site is giving you a fair deal when you use it. That you have a chance to win when you place a bet, that you can collect your winnings in a reasonable timescale, and that you’ll be treated right. If a casino doesn’t deliver these things then it won’t get our seal of approval.
Bonuses you should look for at safe online casino sites
Playing your favourite online casino games and betting on your preferred sports is the reason you visit gambling sites — it’s why our experts love using them.
Having fun should always be your aim when you’re betting at a gambling site. While this doesn’t mean you have to play real money casino games, betting with cash adds a competitive edge to your gambling sessions that you don’t get when you play for free.
Bonuses give you a chance to play more cash games, as they boost your bankroll or give you some free plays on leading casino titles. So, which bonuses should you look for when you’re using safe casino sites? These are the key ones:
Free spins
Free spins are bonuses specifically for slot games. Every time you play a slot title you spin the reel, which is where this casino reward gets its name from.
We’ve created a guide to the best free spins casino sites. Check it out to discover which casinos offer the best free spins rewards.
Welcome bonuses
Welcome bonuses are offers online casino make to new players. You can sign up for these rewards when you create an account with a gambling site.
If you read our guide to the best UK sign up bonus offers then you’ll find a list of the top casinos for welcome bonuses, along with some important details about these rewards.
No deposit bonus
No deposit bonuses are a gambling site reward you can get without having to invest your own cash. Not needing to make a deposit to get a bonus is a rarity with casino offers, as most require you to contribute some of your own cash.
If you read our guide to the best casino no deposit bonus offers then you’ll find a helpful list of the sites that you can get this reward from.
Deposit and withdrawal options at safe online casino sites
Despot and withdrawal options are something you might take for granted when using safe online gambling sites. It makes sense that you would do this because casino operators know you need to deposit money to play their games and withdraw your winnings to get the benefits of your gambling sessions.
But there are two questions you need to ask yourself when picking online casinos that are legit ways for you to spend your money:
Do they offer the deposit and withdrawal options you want?
Do they provide fast payouts when you request your winnings?
It’s pretty simple for you to find the answers to these questions. All you have to do is head over to the site’s deposits and withdrawals page. This will list the options available to you, with the following options being the main ones you can expect to find:
VISA
PayPal
Neteller
Maestro
DIRECT ebanking
Fast Bank Transfer
Citadel Instant Banking
paysafecard
Solo/Switch
ecoPayz
Skrill
The deposits and withdrawals page will also detail the casino’s terms and conditions (T&Cs) for collecting your winnings. It’s important you read this because not all sites have the same T&Cs and you may have some withdrawal restrictions, such as how much cash you can take out at any one time.
3 best safe online casinos for UK players
We only review safe online casinos, so it means we have our pick of options when recommending the three best sites for UK players. While our opinions can and do change over time, these are three of the online casinos we’re sure you’ll love betting at.
All British Casino
Credit: All British Casino
All British Casino is one of the finest gambling sites available to UK players. You can pick from a massive library of slot titles, a fine selection of live table games, and sign up for a range of bonuses.
While there’s much to like about the site, these are the three things we think you’ll most enjoy when you visit All British Casino:
Outstanding tournament games
Plenty of live table options
Loads of slots titles
Casino rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read our All British Casino review to learn more about this superb gambling site.
Duelz Casino
Credit: Duelz Casino
Duelz Casino pitches itself as a site that’s “taking online casinos to the next level.” It’s a bold claim but one that it backs up with its duels games, which see you face off against your fellow gamblers while you’re playing your favourite slot games.
There’s plenty we could say about why this is a great casino site but these are the three things we think are most impressive about Duelz Casino:
Truly unique duels slot games
Real commitment to responsible gambling
Quality selection of promotions
Casino rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cast your eye over our Duelz Casino review to learn more about this superb gambling site.
Casushi Casino
Credit: Casushi Casino
Casushi Casino is a site that truly believes in player safety. So much so that it has seven virtues to happy play it swears by, with these including advice like “eat your betting money but don’t bet your eating money.” Wise words!
We’re certain you’ll find loads of reasons of your own to fall in love with this casino but these are three that really stand out for us:
7 virtues to happy play
Great loyalty scheme
Lots of jackpot games
Casino rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Check out our Casushi Casino review to learn more about this superb gambling site.