Overview of UK online gambling.

Online gambling has seen a meteoric rise in the last decade, with different countries adopting the practise at different rates. This partly depends on the state of their existing land casinos and how popular they are. The United Kingdom is a country with a booming industry in both land and online casinos, taking full advantage of people’s desire to have more convenient slot gaming and healthy competition, which leads to more interesting promotions.

The United Kingdom’s big selection of online casinos and also traditional casinos stems from the fact that the country has allowed gambling for several decades. With online gambling being fully legal and accessible, many sites are able to advertise there and players get a great amount of choice. There are even many home-grown casino websites. UK players looking for comic book slots are in a really strong position, as the vast majority of online casinos are open to them.

What is the legality of gambling in the United Kingdom?

The great news for UK players is that online gambling is entirely legal in this country. It’s no wonder that online gambling is very popular as a result. The open legalisation has led to a much stronger infrastructure for players, because the government has provided bodies that regulate the industry and ensure fair practises. The UK Gambling Commission, authorised under the Gambling Act 2005, exists to license online casinos, so any site you visit which specifically caters to the UK should have a link at the bottom with license from this body.

In the UK, the legal age for gambling in any form is 18, but otherwise there are no restrictions. Players are able to check casinos against the lists held by the Gambling Commission (if they don’t already have the logo on their site) to ensure that they have a licence and what other domains they operate. This open legality has massively helped the industry and people are able to get jobs on gambling sites and with game developers.

What else affects online gambling in the UK?

The legal nature of gambling in the UK has made life generally much easier for gamblers. For example, online casinos are able to advertise on television and in magazines and newspapers. This means that UK players find it much easier to locate new sites, though many UK sites follow a very similar template. The majority of home-grown gambling sites in the UK focus on offering bingo, which is something of a traditional game in the UK and generally aimed at women. However, these sites will still offer a selection of slots and table games.

The proliferation of sites means that there are lots of welcome bonuses to claim, so players can jump from site to site to get more cash. However, because gambling is very much in the open here, the government also expects sites to strictly adhere to responsible gaming guidelines. This means that welcome bonuses don’t tend to come in fantastically high amounts, but you do get more control over when you can close or freeze your account. There are plenty of organisations on hand to help with problem gambling too.

What should I look for in a UK online casino?

The first thing to look for is a licence, which will be issued by the UK Gambling Commission. Sites may also have secondary licenses in other countries, if they operate internationally. Of course, UK players are not limited to just UK sites and may need to look further afield for the best comic book slots. The next thing is to find sites that accept the UK pound or GBP. This is not always possible but it should help you to process transactions faster and cheaper.

Try to find a site which accepts a few payment methods so you can use your favourite, from credit cards to e-wallets like PayPal. Depositing and withdrawing tends to be very fast and easy for UK players but it can vary. UK banks do not process transactions on the weekend. You can also look for sites which offer fun promotions, as UK casinos tend to focus on casual play, offering holidays, gifts and other light hearted prizes.