“I asked him to cover that much” - Ludwig says ItsSliker will pay back $20,000 of all the debt he owes

1. Online Casino Safety – Security Standards for All Trusted Casinos

The first thing you need to check before registering and playing real money games is whether your chosen new casino is reliable or not. Finding safe online casinos is fairly easy if you know where to look. All UK online casinos and gambling sites are subject to strict audits to receive a valid licence from the UKGC, so this is the minimum requirement before we create an online casinos review. Rest assured that every operator featured in this best online casinos UK guide has a valid UK Gambling Commission licence.

Is this enough, though? Unfortunately, there are many ways that casino scams online try to fool people planning on gambling online. So, there are other factors you need to consider, as well, to find online casinos UK players can trust.

The safest online casino sites in the UK introduce additional security standards, and understanding those will help you find the safest sites to play. In the graph below, you can see a breakdown of the most trusted casino safety symbols and where to find them on the main page.

Security Information on a Casino Website

Further details about:

• 🛡️ Safest online casinos in the UK
• 🇬🇧 Legal UK casino licences
• 💳 Protection of your money
• 🔒 Encryption and privacy
• 🔍 Fair payout rates

In the following paragraphs, we will speak in detail about all aspects of player safety and the good practices we observed in the most reputable online casinos in the UK. We have based our best UK casinos rating system on the lead security protocols in British casino sites, so all four fields are essential to award the highest score. We only recommend playing at licensed and regulated casinos and sports betting sites. Fever Slots is such an example for a safe and secure online casino and you can read more about it in our Fever Slots review.

Which Are the Safest Online Casinos in the UK?

Players from the United Kingdom must always check whether their chosen casino website holds a valid licence from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. This is the minimum requirement that all our approved online casinos must cover. But are the security standards of the UK Gambling Commission licensing authority enough?

The licence shows that the casino website has covered the requirements related to technical security, game fairness and responsible gambling. However, in the evolving world of online gambling, the nature of scams is constantly changing too. If you want to be completely sure you’re at a secure online casino or sports betting site that promotes responsible gambling, there are other factors you need to consider. This is confirmed even by the UKGC:

“The risks are changing and evolving, and the industry needs to move farther and faster to address them.”

We base our casino website safety checks on several criteria. In the next sections of our guide, we will talk about data protection, payout audits, and money security. These aspects of an internet casino platform need to be verified by independent testing organisations. To save you a lot of time, we verify all relevant licences and certificates held by UK online casinos. That way, you can choose our recommended new online casinos and be sure they are legit.

Based on that, we can introduce our own casino safety rankings, which are based on a weighted score for all relevant categories:

Safest Online Casinos with Valid UKGC Licence:

• Grand Ivy
• PlayOJO
• Ladbrokes
• Betiton
• 888casino
• Fun Casino
• Dream Vegas
• Casimba
• Sun Vegas
• BetVictor

As you can see, there are secure online casinos that excel in certain categories. However, all these British online casinos offer excellent security standards in all aspects of their platform, so you can rest assured if you pick any of these recommended licensed online casinos. In the next sections, we will explain all steps of our safety check and give you additional information about legal casino gaming in the United Kingdom and the best practices for avoiding scams and identifying the best UK online casinos.

Why do gambling sites ask for bank statements?

Answer: Gambling sites, including casinos, sportsbooks, bingo sites, and other operators allowing gambling with real money, will from time to time ask for bank statements. It could be part of a Due Diligence check or an investigation resulting from a dispute between the player and the casino concerning funds not reaching the player's casino account or bank account. It's a formality that speeds up tracking the funds in question.

How we ensure online gambling games are fair

As the regulator of the gambling industry, we require all gambling businesses who offer online gambling games (Random number generated-driven games) to have their software and gameplay tested in line with our testing strategy (PDF opens in new tab).

All gambling products must have been tested by an approved test house before they are released to the market. Online gambling games cannot be made available to players located in Great Britain unless sufficient testing has been carried out.

Once a game has gone live, gambling businesses are required to check the performance of the games they offer. This is to make sure that the products are fair and achieving the designed return to player (RTP).

We held a consultation on slots games design and reverse withdrawals to make online gambling safer. The consultation closed in September 2020, read more about the outcome of this consultation and how we've made online games safer.

Why it is important to keep all your details up to date

GAMSTOP only works by matching details put in by the consumer. Unfortunately, it is possible that minor changes to those details will mean that you can still gamble.

Once you are registered, it is important that you keep your details up to date, for example, if you move to a new house, change your last name or get a new email address.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the details gambling held about you are correct and up to date. Your self-exclusion using GAMSTOP will be most effective if you do not try to work around the exclusion measures GAMSTOP has put in place.

When signing up to GAMSTOP you agree not to attempt to register new gambling accounts, log in to any of your existing accounts, or in any other way try to get around GAMSTOP's mechanisms during your self-exclusion.

You are responsible for any actions you take designed to get around any self-exclusion registered with GAMSTOP.

How to self-exclude

You can self-exclude from either each separate company you might gamble with, or from multiple companies at the same time.

To self-exclude from a particular venue, ask the staff there for details.  Online, look for the "Responsible Gambling" or “Safer Gambling” section of the website, or the help section.

To self-exclude from more than one venue or website at the same time, use the "multi-operator" schemes listed below for each of the types of gambling you want help avoiding.

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Arcades and Adult Gaming Centres

You can nominate from a single arcade or select a number of arcades you wish to self-exclude from. Just ask any member of staff for help in doing so.   This cannot be done online but for further details, click here.

Taxes for Professional Gamblers

If gambling is a person's actual profession, gambling proceeds are usually considered regular earned income and are taxed at a taxpayer's normal effective income tax rate.

As a self-employed individual, the income and expenses must be recorded on Schedule C.

Exceptions to the Rules

Casinos are not required to withhold taxes or issue a W2-G to players who win large sums at certain table games, such as blackjack, craps, and roulette, all of which are categorized as games of skill rather than games of chance.

It is not clear why the IRS has differentiated the requirements this way. Slot machines are games of chance, while table games are seen as requiring a level of skill.

In any case, when you cash in your chips from a table game, the casino cannot determine with certainty how much money you started with.

This does not absolve you of the obligation to report what you won to the IRS. You simply do it yourself when you file your taxes for the year rather than at the casino when you claim your winnings.

And make sure you kept good records of your gambling activities, losses as well as gains. If you spent $2,000 to win $2,000, you might be able to avoid paying taxes.

Thanks for reading Must-know FAQ by GamStop Players on Ask Gamblers

I had my gambling under control, or so I thought. It started off as entertainment, for months it was fun until I slowly started sinking in debt’s. It was no longer fun, it became an obsession. I would go to the casino with borrowed money, hoping that it would be my lucky day. Things became worse, then one morning I hit a R20 000 jackpot. I became an aggressive gambler, didn’t even care when I would lose my salary. Three months in a row I lost my salary, lived on money from loan sharks. I ended with a lot of enemies because I couldn’t pay them back. One morning I sat at a machine with the hope of winning but instead lost R5 000 in 2 hours. That’s when I decided enough is enough. I had no one to turn to, my family had found out about my gambling and they didn’t want anything to do with me. I had to decide to turn my life around to get back the trust and dignity from all those I’ve hurt. I got the numbers for the SA gambling programme at the exit of the casino. I called them, and the person I spoke to was such a good listener. He spoke to me in a way that I just saw hope again. I was booked for sessions with a very professional social worker. It wasn’t easy but I am grateful that I took that decision. I have not set my foot in any casino in 25months.  I’m very grateful to Dr Heidi and the gambling programme team.

Betbeard UK Casino

Betbeard offers a mixture of slot games, sports betting sections, live dealer games, and table games for all UK players signed on gamstop. It has the best live chat and faster withdrawals than any other casino not on gamstop.

Keeping Control

Whilst the majority of people do gamble within their means, for some it can spiral out of control. In order to help you keep control we would like you to remember the following:

• Gambling should be entertaining and not be seen as a genuine way of making money
• Avoid chasing losses
• Only gamble what you can afford to lose
• Keep track of the time and amount of money you spend gambling
• If you need help, use the our deposit limit option to control the amount you can spend
• If you need to have a break from gambling then you can use our ‘Taking a break’ option
• If you need to talk to someone about problem gambling then contact GamCare Website

Companions, compadres, BFFs

Whatever they’re talking about, however they’re running with their wagers, Millman and Hunter tend to keep it light and loose.

Hunter doesn’t pretend to have all the winning picks — he talks about his up weeks and his down weeks and how he and the fellow pros he works or consults with just strive to find the right games with the right edges and grab those critical half-points where they can.

Millman is frequently self-deprecating — and whenever he isn’t taking jabs at himself, producer Matt Mitchell will gladly drop in a sound bite at his expense.

The two hosts are very much not of the same generation. Millman recently made a reference to Sam Malone rapping about a “g-g-groin injury,” and it appeared to fly right over Hunter’s head. But there’s always the next football game or Gen X reference to move on to.

One word of warning from a longtime listener to The Favorites: Millman has a deliberate delivery that seems built for speeds faster than 1x. Depending on how well-trained your ear is, this is one pod that can be consumed at 2x without sacrificing any comprehension.

But you may want to slow it back down to 1x — or even 0.5x — when you hear that show-closing music beginning to kick in. We all need to fully absorb a simple “love you” from time to time.

Previous reviews in this series:

• The Ringer Gambling Show
• DAT Poker Podcast
• Bet the Process
• Against All Odds With Cousin Sal

Art by Blundell Design

When you gamble for real money in online casinos, you will, at some point, have to deal with what's referred to as KYC, short for "Know Your Customer;" a process where the casino is asking you to provide them with certain types of documents.

Is your account temporarily frozen, or is your withdrawal still pending because your casino is asking you for documentation? It's boring, yes - but the upside is that you're helping prevent underage gambling, money laundering, fraud, and more by complying.

Here's a quick introduction to KYC and why you must deal with it, despite the fact you're gambling with your cash. At the end of the article, there'll be sound advice on how to speed up the process.