How to Check a Casino Licence

Find the licence details on the casino site, look them up in the regulator's own register and match status, company and domain.

By the Gambling Hero editorial team · Checked October 25, 2026

Short answer

Find the regulator, licence number and company name in the casino's footer or terms, then search the regulator's official register yourself rather than clicking the seal. Check that the licence is active, the company matches the casino's terms and the exact domain is listed. If any detail does not match, do not deposit.

A casino licence is only worth something if it is real, current and covers the site you are using. Checking takes a few minutes: find the licence details on the casino’s site, look them up in the regulator’s own register and compare what you find. This guide walks through each step, explains how the main registers work and lists the warning signs of a fake or borrowed licence.

Why the check matters

The licence tells you which regulator sets the rules for your account, how your complaints are handled and what happens if the operator breaks the rules. The UK Gambling Commission, for example, tells players that when a business is licensed they are protected by Great Britain’s consumer and gambling protection rules. Those protections do not apply if the licence is fake, expired or held by a different company. Regulators themselves warn about false claims: in July 2026 the Malta Gaming Authority published a notice about websites impersonating MGA-licensed operators and said any MGA or licence references on the named domains were false.

Step 1: Find the licence details on the casino site

Licensed casinos normally publish their licence information in three places:

The footer at the bottom of every page, often with a regulator logo or seal.
The terms and conditions, usually in the first section, which names the company you are contracting with, its registered address and its licence.
An “About us” or “Licence” page.

Write down four things: the regulator’s name, the licence or account number, the licence holder’s company name and the domain you are on. The UK Gambling Commission says licensed businesses must show that they are licensed and link to its public register, and in Germany the GGL notes that permitted operators must state on their homepage that they hold a state permit and which authority granted it. If you cannot find any of these details, treat that as a warning sign in itself.

Step 2: Go to the regulator’s register directly

Do not rely on the seal’s link. A fake seal can point to a page that looks like a regulator’s site. Type the regulator’s address yourself, or use the links in our licence checker, which points to the official registers. Then search for the company name, licence number or domain.

Step 3: Compare what you find

Status: the licence should be active, not expired, suspended, revoked or surrendered.
Company name: the holder in the register should match the company named in the casino’s terms. Groups often run several brands under one licence, which is normal if the brand or domain is listed.
Domain: where the register lists websites, the exact domain you are on should appear. A licence for example.com does not cover example-casino.net.
Licence type: the licence should cover casino games for consumers (often called B2C), not only business-to-business supply or sports betting.
Regulatory actions: some registers list fines and sanctions. A past sanction does not necessarily rule a casino out, but it is worth reading.

How the main registers work

Regulator	Where to search	Search by	What the register shows
UK Gambling Commission (Great Britain)	Public register, gambling businesses	Business name, trading name, domain name, account number	Licence status, activity dates, domain status (active, inactive, white label), regulatory actions
Malta Gaming Authority	Licensee register and URL checker	Licensee name, authorisation status, URL, gaming service	Licensed operators; further details via the MGA’s dynamic seal
AGCO / iGaming Ontario	iGO list of iGaming sites	Operator, category	Every site offered by regulated operators, with logo, name and category
Spelinspektionen (Sweden)	Licensregister	Operator	All operators with a valid licence and the web addresses of their gaming sites; downloadable as Excel
Kansspelautoriteit (Netherlands)	Kansspelwijzer	Provider name	Whether the KSA granted the provider a licence
Curaçao Gaming Authority	Licence register (PDF lists)	Company name in the lists	Online gaming licences, certificates and an enforcement register
Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission	Permit holders list	Operator, URL	Operators and the URLs the Commission has certified
GGL (Germany)	Whitelist of permitted operators	Game type, authority	Operator, address, websites, game types and permit dates

UK Gambling Commission

The UK Gambling Commission register is one of the most detailed. You can search by domain name, which is the fastest way to check the site you are on. Each entry shows the account number, legal name, licence status and the status of every domain name. The Commission notes that trading and domain names are supplied by the businesses and that it does not guarantee their accuracy, so compare the company name as well.

Malta Gaming Authority

The MGA register can be searched by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service, and the MGA also runs a separate URL checker. MGA licensees display a dynamic seal that links to more details, but as with any seal, confirm the result on the MGA’s own domain.

Ontario (AGCO and iGaming Ontario)

In Ontario, operators must be registered with the AGCO and, except for OLG.ca, have an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. iGO’s directory lists all sites offered by regulated operators; as of 1 September 2026 it showed 49 operators and 84 gaming websites. Compare the site’s name, logo and web address with its listing. Players must be 19 or older and physically in Ontario.

Sweden and the Netherlands

Spelinspektionen’s licence register lists every operator with a valid licence or permit and, for online licences, the web addresses of their gaming sites. In the Netherlands, the Kansspelautoriteit’s Kansspelwijzer lets you search for a provider and see whether the KSA granted it a licence. Both countries run a national self-exclusion register (Spelpaus and Cruks) that applies to licensed operators, so a site missing from these licence registers is not covered by it.

Curaçao

Curaçao’s system changed with the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, which took effect on 24 December 2024 and made the Curaçao Gaming Authority the licensing body. The CGA publishes its register as lists of online gaming licences, certificates and enforcement actions, and states that “these overviews do not guarantee the current validity of the licenses”. In a September 2025 announcement the CGA said the temporary Orange Seal would end on 15 October 2025, that displaying it after that date breaches Curaçao law, and that licensed operators must display only the Green Seal. A casino still showing an Orange Seal, or an old sublicence number from a master licence holder, has not updated its licensing information. See our Curaçao licence page for the background.

Kahnawà:ke

The Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission publishes a list of permit holders and the URLs it has certified. When we checked, the list showed “Updated September 28, 2023”, and the Commission notes that not all URLs are accessible in all jurisdictions. If a domain is not on the list, ask the casino to explain before you deposit.

Warning signs of a fake or borrowed licence

A seal that is only an image. Genuine regulator seals usually link to a verification page on the regulator’s own domain. A seal that does nothing, or opens a page on the casino’s domain, proves nothing.
A licence number that is not in the register, or that belongs to a different company.
Different company names in the footer, the terms and the register.
A domain that is not listed where the register lists domains.
Outdated licence wording, such as a Curaçao Orange Seal or a sublicence reference after October 2025.
A regulator name you cannot find on an official government or regulator website.
A regulator warning list or impersonation notice naming the site, such as the MGA’s notice on impersonating websites.

If you find one of these signs, do not deposit. You can also check our casino blacklist for sites we have flagged.

Worked example: checking a casino step by step

Imagine a hypothetical casino at example-casino.com whose footer says “Licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority” and gives a licence number and the company “Example Gaming Ltd”.

You open the MGA’s register by typing the address yourself, not by clicking the footer seal.
You search for “Example Gaming Ltd” and find an entry with an active authorisation.
You run the domain through the MGA’s URL checker. If example-casino.com appears, the domain is covered. If only example-casino.net appears, ask the casino why before playing.
You check the casino’s terms: the contracting company should be Example Gaming Ltd. If the terms name a different company, the licence may not cover your account.
Finally, you check that you are allowed to play there from your country. If you live in a country with its own licensing system, a Maltese licence may not be enough.

The same logic works for every register: details on the site, lookup on the regulator’s domain, then a match on status, company and domain. For the other checks to make before signing up, see our guide on how to choose an online casino.

What a licence does not tell you

A valid licence is a minimum, not a recommendation. It does not tell you how quickly the casino pays, how fair its bonus terms are or how it treats complaints in practice. Regulators also differ widely in how closely they supervise operators and whether they offer an effective complaints route. Use the licence check to rule sites out, then read the terms, withdrawal limits and complaint procedures.

FAQ

Where do I find a casino’s licence number?

Usually in the website footer, in the first section of the terms and conditions or on an “About us” page, alongside the regulator’s name and the licence holder’s company name.

Is clicking the licence seal enough?

No. A seal can be copied or linked to a fake page. Open the regulator’s website yourself and search its register for the company or domain.

What if the casino’s domain is not in the register?

Where a register lists domains, a missing domain means the licence may not cover that site. Ask the casino in writing before you deposit, and do not play if the answer is unclear.

Can one licence cover several casinos?

Yes. Operators often run several brands under one licence. That is normal as long as the brand or domain appears in the register under that licence.

Does a Curaçao licence still use sublicences?

No longer. Under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, the Curaçao Gaming Authority issues licences directly, and it told operators that the Orange Seal could not be used after 15 October 2025.

Sources

Last updated October 25, 2026 by the Gambling Hero editorial team.