How to Check a Casino Licence in 5 Minutes
A licence badge in a casino footer proves nothing until you check it with the regulator. Here is a five-minute routine, where five major registers are, and what the red flags look like.
Quick Take
- Never trust a licence badge or footer text on its own. Look the operator up on the regulator’s register, which you reach yourself rather than through a link on the casino’s site.
- Match four things: the company name, the website address, the licence type and an active status.
- A licence from one country does not make gambling legal in yours, and it does not guarantee payouts or fair bonus terms.
Step 1: Find the Licence Details
Open the footer or the licence page of the casino. A proper licence disclosure names three things: the company that holds the licence, the licence number and the regulator. A logo with no company name or number gives you nothing to check, so stop there and treat the claim as unverified.
Step 2: Open the Regulator’s Own Register
Go to the regulator’s website yourself, using the links in the table below, instead of clicking a badge on the casino’s page. There is one exception: seals that are designed to link to the regulator’s certificate page, such as Curaçao’s. With those, check that the address you land on belongs to the regulator.
Step 3: Match Name, Website and Status
Search the register and compare it with what the casino shows. The company name on the register should match the footer. The website address should appear where the register lists websites: the MGA register can be searched by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service, and the DGOJ operator search lists each operator’s domains. The status should be active, and the licence type should cover what you play. Spain’s search, for example, separates betting, contests and other games such as roulette, blackjack and poker.
Step 4: Check the Licence Covers Your Country
A licence is issued by one jurisdiction, and whether you may gamble there depends on where you live. Spain licenses operators through the DGOJ (see our Spain guide), in Nigeria each state licenses gambling, for example Lagos through the LSLGA (see our Nigeria guide), and Ghana licenses operators through the Gaming Commission. Brazil has banned fixed-odds betting, and no licence makes it legal there (see our Brazil explainer). If online gambling is banned where you live, no licence changes that.
Step 5: Check Dates and Past Problems
Look at the dates. Ghana’s published list of licensed operators shows an issue and expiry date for each entry, and most 2026 entries run to 31 December 2026 (Gaming Commission of Ghana). Also look for sanctions: the UK Gambling Commission publishes regulatory actions in a separate register, where sanctions and settlements stay for three years (UKGC).
Where to Check: Five Regulators
| Regulator | What you can check |
|---|---|
| UK Gambling Commission | Public Register of businesses with operating licences, personal licences and premises licences. Regulatory actions are in a separate register. |
| Malta Gaming Authority | Licensee Register, searchable by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service. |
| Spain (DGOJ) | Operator search by name or website, with a filter for licence type and a list of each operator’s domains. |
| Curaçao Gaming Authority | Operator seals should link to a certificate page at cert.cga.cw that shows the exact domain, the licensed operator and the current licence status. |
| Gaming Commission of Ghana | “Our Licensed Operators” list with trade name, type of operation (including online sports betting, online casino and remote interactive games), issue date and expiry date. |
Red Flags
| What you see | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A licence logo with no company name, number or regulator | There is nothing to look up, so the claim cannot be verified. |
| The company name on the register differs from the footer | It may be a different company or an impersonator. The MGA published a notice on 16 July 2026 about websites that falsely claim its licence. |
| The website is not on the register, or a seal leads to a certificate for another domain | The Curaçao regulator says that if the certificate shows a different domain from the one you are on, the site is unauthorised or fraudulent (CGA). |
| An expired or inactive licence | The licence no longer covers the operator. Check the dates on the register. |
| No public register or certificate you can open yourself | If you cannot verify the claim independently, treat it as unverified. |
📌 In our view: a licence check takes five minutes and removes one common trap, a badge copied from another site. The MGA notice shows that this kind of copying happens. It is the minimum, not the verdict: it tells you a regulator can hold the operator to account, and nothing about how fair the bonus terms are or how fast withdrawals are paid.
What a Licence Does Not Tell You
A licence does not guarantee payouts, fair terms or that gambling is legal where you live. A big advertisement does not prove it either: when Google lets licensed advertisers use the YouTube Masthead, it certifies the advertiser for a country, which is not an endorsement of the product (see our YouTube Masthead report). Rules also change quickly, so follow the Regulation Tracker and the Regulation Calendar, and read how we check our facts.
💡 What this means for players: run the check before your first deposit, and again if the site changes its name or domain. Save the register page or a screenshot so you can show it to the regulator if something goes wrong. Use the licence together with the protection tools described in our Responsible Gambling Score, set deposit limits, and only gamble where it is legal for you.
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18+ only. Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.FAQ
Can I trust the licence logo in a casino footer?
Not on its own. A logo is only a claim. Check the company name, licence number and website on the regulator’s own register.
Where do I check a casino licence?
On the regulator’s own website: the UK Gambling Commission Public Register, the MGA Licensee Register, Spain’s DGOJ operator search, the Curaçao Gaming Authority certificate page or the Gaming Commission of Ghana list, depending on the licence shown.
Does a Curaçao or Malta licence make a casino legal in my country?
No. A licence is issued by one jurisdiction and does not override the law where you live. If online gambling is banned in your country, no licence makes it legal.
What if I cannot find the licence on a public register?
Treat the claim as unverified. If the regulator publishes no register or certificate you can open yourself, you cannot check it independently.
Does a licence guarantee that I will be paid?
No. A licence means a regulator can hold the operator to account. It does not guarantee payouts, bonus terms or withdrawal speed.
Sources
↗ UK Gambling Commission — Public Register ↗ Malta Gaming Authority — Licensee Hub ↗ Malta Gaming Authority — Notice on websites impersonating licensed operators (16 July 2026) ↗ DGOJ Spain — Operator search ↗ Curaçao Gaming Authority — Seals and certificates ↗ Curaçao Gaming Authority — Licence management portal ↗ Gaming Commission of Ghana — Licensed operators18+ only. Gambling laws differ by country and change quickly — check the rules where you live. If gambling stops being fun, BeGambleAware and GamCare offer free, confidential support.