Bookmakers licensed in Great Britain by the UKGC

What does "licensed in Great Britain" actually mean?

In Great Britain, an operator can only offer online sports betting if it holds an active licence from the Gambling Commission (UKGC). The UKGC regulates commercial gambling. It issues the licences. And it publishes a public register of holders that anyone can search.

The list above covers holders of the Remote General Betting Standard (Real Events) licence. That's the one that authorises remote betting on real events. A licence confirms the operator is legally allowed to offer that activity. It doesn't promise you the best odds. Or a dispute-free experience. Or bets that pay off.

Great Britain or the United Kingdom?

This page covers Great Britain, so England, Scotland and Wales. That's where the Gambling Commission's authority stops. Northern Ireland has its own legislation, the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. The UKGC has no regulatory power there. People say "the UK" all the time in everyday speech. But the source of this list, the UKGC register, only covers Great Britain.

The register splits things three ways. There's the company holding the licence, its trading names and its domains. One company can run several brands and several sites. That's why the table shows both the brand or site and the licence holder.

For my money, that split is the most useful thing in the whole register. It's what tells you that two brands you assumed were rivals can sit under the same licence holder.

Why doesn't OddScore track every licensed bookmaker?

The regulator's list and OddScore's coverage answer different questions. The UKGC tells you which operators are allowed to take bets in Great Britain. OddScore tells you which ones are currently plugged into its odds comparison.

So a bookmaker can be licensed without being tracked by OddScore. And it works the other way too. The "Tracked by OddScore" badge never replaces a check with the regulator. It just means the platform compares some of that operator's odds.

Checking a licence yourself

No third-party list replaces the official register, this one included. Here's how to check a licence on your own:

1. Open the UKGC's public register.
2. Search for the company, trading name or domain you're interested in.
3. Check the licence is active (status "Active").
4. Check it covers remote betting on real events.
5. Check the domain you're using matches the one officially declared.

A UKGC licence tells you the operator has the right to trade. It says nothing about the bets themselves. The risks that stay with you once you bet are covered in the risks of sports betting.

Bonuses and free bets: the rules

Bonuses and free bets are still allowed in Great Britain, but two rules have applied since 19 January 2026. The Gambling Commission now caps wagering requirements at 10 times. It also bans incentives that mix product types. Both rules sit in social responsibility code 5.1.1 of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), which every licensee has to follow.

In practice, a licensee can't attach wagering requirements of more than 10 times to an incentive. Nor can it put more than one type of gambling product (betting, casino, bingo, lottery) into the same incentive. The Commission's own example of a non-compliant offer is "Bet £5 and get 20 free spins", because it ties a betting stake to a casino reward. An offer is still fine if the customer freely picks the product category it applies to.

These rules followed the Commission's response to its autumn 2023 consultation, published on 26 March 2025. Want to know what an offer is worth once these terms kick in? Read how a free bet works.

Last verified at source: 11 October 2026.

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