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Find Safe online Casinos for the UK
 
 
So you are looking for a new casino to play at online, either for the first time or as a replacement for one that you have grown tired of. You have many thoughts about what you are looking for but at the top of the list is safety, money transaction speed, bonuses and offers, and of course fairness. But how do you find out about of these?

Based in the UK

You might think that being based in the UK helps but almost none of the UK facing online casinos are physically based within the borders of the Isles although some are close. A list of UK online casinos will show you hundreds of portals that are directed at UK citizens but checking their records you will see that they are based in places like Malta, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Alderney and a few other places which all have their own gambling authority. This includes all the big names so nothing to worry about.

Are they licenced?

The easiest thing to check is whether an online casino is licenced as Great Britain has the top gambling authority in the world (not perfect but better than the rest). As part of the conditions of a GC (Gambling Commission) licence the operator must display information on the home page of their casino about their licence with a link directly to the gambling commission page that details it. Click on it and check you are on a padlocked web page belonging to gamblingcommission.gov.uk.

This is your top check for safety but having a licence does not mean that in all circumstances your money is guaranteed to be secure should the gambling operator have financial difficulties. This is a rare occurrence and mostly they get resolved positively. Also remember that Northern Ireland is not covered by the GC but having a licence from them is still your best bet. This is also why they have stopped using the name UKGC.

Financial Transactions

All operators quote a time frame for completion of deposits and withdrawals and this they generally stick to. When it comes to disputes however there are some wild variations. One method for learning more about an online gambling site is to search for results in something like Trustpilot. Just type in your chosen venue into Trustpilot and there will be a list of comments, often concerning withdrawals. Mostly the results will be negative as they are the people with the most reason to make a noise. The key to understanding how a casino behaves is the response they make to the complaints.

If gambling firms put resources into dealing with public messages of dissatisfaction in an understanding or conciliatory fashion then they are likely to want to do the right thing. Remember not all complaints are justified.

There are of course other sites where you can go to for brand reviews like TurnTo, Reputation, Podium, Birdeye and loads more but few review gambling.

Resolver

The best way of sorting out complaints after you have unsuccessfully been through the process with the individual company, is to use Resolver. It is a free, independent issue resolution service recommended by the Gambling Commission and Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert and TV appearance fame.

Just visit the Resolver gambling page and type in your target online venue in the search box. If the result does not show the company logo then they have not signed up to Resolver and so once again might not be interested looking after their customers as much as you want them to. Opening themselves up the Resolver process shows at least that they are keen to resolve disputes with fairness. It is also a positive for them if the result is no complaint to answer as they can quote this in public review and forum sites.

Bonuses

There is no such thing as a free lunch. They want to tempt you by promising what looks to be a lot without risking much and its all down to very tricky rules.

Incomprehensible rules. If getting bonuses is one of your main reasons for venturing into an online hall of gambling then pay strict attention to the terms and conditions (T&Cs). If they are too complicated then pass on the casino or just don't sign up to the bonus.

Wagering Requirements. If the rule for taking your bonus away with you to your bank account involves having to wager a multiple of it before you can, then pay close attention. A 30x wagering requirement is quite a standard mark for those casinos offering this type of bonus. This means for example if your bonus is £100 you will have to bet at least a total of £3000 before you can receive your full £100 bonus. Random roulette play of £3000 would give on average a net loss of £84, a small positive margin in your favour. So 30x wagering requirement is the maximum you should agree to if you are agreeing to any bonus conditions.

Game Limits. Many wagering requirement rules will come with game restrictions which means not all casino games count towards your bonus in full or at all. So often blackjack and roulette are not allowed or are included at 20% (so bet £10 and it actually counts as £2). Don't agree to this bonus in this case.

Win Limits. All bonus offers come with a max win limit. Many offers put the upper limit on winnings in the promotion so if you win a jackpot you are only winning the amount stated in the deal. At other sites the figure is buried deep in the small print which can be seriously disappointing if you do not know.

Our advice with bonuses is to only accept the deals with small win limits and no wagering requirements. It may sound odd but these are more achievable and you have a good chance of cashing out the bonus and being ahead on the deal.
 
 

 
 
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