Online casinos: how to choose a safe, licensed casino in your country

What is an online casino?

An online casino is a website or app that lets you play casino games for real money, such as slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat and live dealer games, under a license from a gambling regulator. The operator holds your balance, runs the games through software providers and pays out withdrawals.

That last part is what matters most. When you deposit, your money sits with a company you probably know nothing about. Choosing an online casino is mainly about choosing who you trust with that money, and who supervises them if something goes wrong. Game choice comes after that.

The list under this text shows the casino pages from our brand reviews. Every one starts from the license we found on the official register.

How do you choose an online casino, step by step?

You choose an online casino by checking six things in a fixed order, from what can cost you money to what is nice to have. This is the same order our OG Score uses.

1. License. Who licenses the casino, and is that license valid where you live? Look it up on the regulator's register yourself.
2. Terms. Read the withdrawal rules, bonus terms, dormant account fees and any clause that lets the casino void winnings.
3. Payments. Check deposit and withdrawal methods, fees, minimums, maximums and the stated withdrawal time. Our gambling payment methods guide compares the options.
4. Responsible gambling tools. Deposit limits, time-outs, reality checks and self-exclusion should be easy to find in your account settings.
5. Support. Live chat or email, opening hours, and whether answers match the written terms.
6. Games. Named software providers, published RTP (return to player) information and, if you want it, a live casinos section.

Which online casinos do we show in your country?

We show online casinos according to the License Matrix, which has three cases:

Products matter as much as countries. The French gambling license covers sports betting, horse race betting and poker, but no ANJ approval covers online slots, roulette or live casino. In Germany, the German gambling license system splits products: the GGL licenses virtual slot games, while online table games such as roulette need a license from an individual German state. A site can therefore be legal for one product and illegal for another in the same country.

No page is blocked. You can read any review from anywhere. The matrix only decides which operators we point you to. The full method is on our gambling licenses hub.

How do you verify an online casino license?

You verify an online casino license by matching what the footer says with the regulator's own register.

What are the red flags of an unsafe online casino?

The red flags of an unsafe online casino are things that make it hard for you to get money out or to find out who runs the site.

• No license number in the footer, or a seal that does not link to the regulator's own website.
• A different company name in the footer, the terms and the payment page.
• Withdrawal terms that let the casino cap or cancel winnings at its own discretion, or a low weekly withdrawal limit.
• Verification requested only when you withdraw, with no clear list of documents or deadline.
• Bonus terms you cannot find before you accept the bonus.
• No deposit limit or self-exclusion option in the account area.
• Advice to use a VPN to get around your country's rules. A VPN can also be a reason to void your winnings.

What does a casino checklist look like in practice?

A practical checklist fits on one screen. Copy it and tick it off before your first deposit:

If you play on your phone, the same checks apply to the app. Our gambling apps hub explains how to make sure you are downloading the real one.

Read our gambling site reviews

What should you know before you play?

You should know that every casino game has a house edge, so over time the casino wins and most players lose. RTP figures describe long-run averages over very many rounds, not what you will get back in one session. Set a budget you can afford to lose, use the deposit limit tool on day one, and stop when the budget is gone.

If you prefer sports, the same license-first approach is explained on our betting sites hub. If gambling stops being fun, our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help in many countries.

Online casinos are for adults only: 18+, or older where local law requires.