Non-UKGC casinos explained

A casino licence is permission from a regulator to offer gambling, and each regulator publishes its own wording.

The label "non-UKGC" says only what a casino lacks. It names no regulator, no licence number and no complaint route. The useful questions are which regulator's licence sits behind the site and whether that licence appears in that regulator's own register.

What a licence line shows

A licence line in a register names a company and a number. It does not say how quickly the company pays.

False licence claims

Regulators publish lists of sites that claim a licence they do not hold. The MGA checks suspicious websites to protect players from misleading claims of an MGA licence and publishes a list of unauthorised URLs, which includes an entry with a casino brand name and a .uk ending. Gibraltar's regulator reports websites that imply a Gibraltar licence while unlicensed or licensed in another, often less reputable, jurisdiction.

Our team tests casinos and checks every licence line on this page against the regulator's own pages and register. The guide to fake and cloned casino licences covers the pattern in more detail.

What a UK licence adds is set out in the UK Gambling Commission licence explained guide. Each regime below puts its own wording in that place:

• Malta: with no unified self-exclusion database for remote gaming, a licensee with several brands that need separate registration may confine a self-exclusion to the brand where it was requested.
• Curacao: players must not be able to deposit or bet unless the operator is satisfied they are 18 or older. Operators must offer cooling-off periods of 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months, and daily, weekly or monthly deposit limits. Self-exclusion starts at 1 year, with options of 3, 5 and 10 years and lifetime. Terms must state the withdrawal conditions, particularly identity checks once cumulative deposits and withdrawals exceed XCG 4,000 (circa EUR 2,000).
• Anjouan: required measures include age verification, self-exclusion, deposit and loss limits and clear information on help. Pricing, bonus terms, wagering requirements and withdrawal conditions must be disclosed clearly before a player commits.
• Gibraltar: the codes say self-exclusion should block all known accounts, stop new accounts opened with the same or very similar details and remove the customer early from gambling marketing databases.

An Anjouan licence does not override local prohibitions or regulatory requirements, and operators remain solely responsible for geo-blocking, market access controls and local compliance. The licence alone therefore does not settle whether a casino may serve players in a given place.

The table sets the four regimes side by side. The prose below it covers what is particular to each.

Side-by-side pages and the UK baseline:

• UKGC licensed casinos
• UKGC vs MGA licence
• UKGC vs Curacao licence
• MGA vs Curacao licence
• Curacao vs Anjouan licence

Malta (MGA)

The Malta Gaming Authority regulates the gaming sectors that fall under it, with the aims of keeping gaming fair and transparent, preventing crime and protecting minor and vulnerable players. The guide to the Malta gaming licence (MGA) gives the full profile, and its list of MGA licensed casinos names casinos that hold it.

Type 1 covers casino-type games decided by a random generator, such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat and poker against the house. Type 3 covers player versus player games such as poker and bingo. A licence, original or renewed, runs for ten years unless the regulations say otherwise.

Only a person established in the European Economic Area can hold a licence, and the key technical setup must be in Malta or another EU or EEA state. Online random-outcome games must pay out on average at least 85% of money wagered, or more if the licence requires. Player funds are legally separate from the operator's own assets and are not affected by insolvency or bankruptcy laws applying to the operator.

Operators must display any identifier tool the MGA requires, which may include a dynamic seal or kite mark on the homepage. The licensee register can be searched by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service. The enforcement register can be filtered by year from 2013 to 2026. Suspensions and cancellations must be made public, while most other sanctions are not published unless that is in the public interest or the law requires it. Condor Malta Limited's licence MGA/B2C/340/2016 was suspended with effect from 16 September 2026. An authorisation can be suspended where a licensee fails, or is about to fail, to meet commitments to players on time.

Curacao

The Curacao Gaming Authority began as the Gaming Control Board, a foundation established on 19 April 1999 to supervise gaming in and from Curacao. The LOK came into force on 24 December 2024, and the board was designated the CGA and continues under that name. Political responsibility passed from the Minister of Finance to the Minister of Justice on 19 August 2025. The Curacao gaming licence guide goes further, and its list of Curacao licensed casinos names the casinos.

The Orange Seal (Certificate of Operations) expired on 15 October 2025, which ended the former sublicence system. A company may hold one or more B2C licences or one or more B2B licences, but not a mix of both. Until 24 December 2026 a B2B licence is not mandatory for entities serving Curacao licensed B2C operators. Operators do not have to meet the local substance obligation in Article 5.12 before 1 April 2027.

A licensed site's footer must show the licence holder's name and registered address and the official CGA licence number.

Register overviews do not confirm that a licence is currently valid, because status can change, and no rights can be derived from them. An entry lists the licence number, licensee, company type, company registration number, issue date, expiry date and status. The enforcement register covers only actions that affect licence status, not every measure, and it may not always be fully accurate or up to date. A warning notice about KEANUBET is dated 20 February 2026.

On 7 October 2026 the CGA announced that its current online gaming portal will not be returned to service. The availability of the current digital seal is affected, and an alternative way for operators to show that a domain is licensed is to follow. The CGA also reports an unauthorised access incident and is working to contain the resulting data leak. Offering gaming without a valid licence in or from Curacao is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of NAf 25,000 and/or loss of certain rights.

Anjouan

The Anjouan Gaming Authority administers and supervises Internet Gaming Licences issued under the framework of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan. It operates under the Anjouan Offshore Financial Authority, set up under the laws of the island, which is part of the Union of the Comoros. Anjouan Licensing Services Inc. is named as the sole authorised administrator of licences and official representative of the Gaming Board. See the Anjouan gaming licence guide and its list of Anjouan licensed casinos.

Three further 2005 acts are listed as principal instruments: the Offshore Finance Authority Act, the International Business Companies Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act. The Authority cites an independent legal opinion issued on 19 September 2024 and reconfirmed in February 2026 by a law firm regulated in England and Wales and Quebec, Canada. The opinion says the AOFA is the lawful gaming regulator and that licences under the 2005 Act are legally valid.

Permitted activities include online casinos, sports betting, poker and bingo, prediction markets, blockchain-based gaming platforms and cryptocurrency-enabled gaming. Player balances must be kept apart from operating funds, and random number generators must be certified by an approved independent testing facility. Licensees must name an approved ADR provider and its contact details in their player-facing terms. The new ownership, dispute resolution and B2B substance rules apply now to new applications, and existing licensees must comply by their next renewal at the latest. No date is printed.

The register can be searched by licence number, company name or operational domain. A result shows the holder's registered name, licence number, licence type and current status, which is Active, Suspended, Revoked or Expired. Only an Active licence is authorised for licensed gaming. Register data is updated periodically, so for time-sensitive checks or unexpected results the Authority should be contacted directly. A listed domain shows only that it was notified to the Authority as associated with licensed activities, and it does not confirm ownership of the domain or any trademark.

Certificates carry a unique licence number and a QR code that links to the verification page in the public register. A certificate that cannot be verified there should not be relied on, and an updated Certificate Verification Framework took effect on 1 April 2026. The licence seal must be removed immediately on suspension, revocation or expiry. Enforcement examples on the Authority's lists:

• Knifex Ltd, licence ALSI-102404001-FI3, was revoked on 9 June 2026 for fraud.
• Amor 25 Limited, licence ALSI-202605046-FI2, was revoked on 10 July 2026 for illegal sublicensing.
• Mucho Gaming Limited, licence ALSI-202412018-FI1, was suspended on 8 September 2026 for breaching licence conditions and failing to take part in ADR.

Revocation is permanent: a revoked holder will not be licensed again, and its URLs are blocked from any other licence.

Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Gambling Division of HM Government of Gibraltar is part of the Ministry of Justice Trade and Industry. It performs delegated functions for the Minister, who acts as Licensing Authority, and for the Gambling Commissioner, the appointed industry regulator. The Act provides for these as two separate entities, and the Commissioner is also the anti-money laundering supervisor for the sector. The Gibraltar gambling licence guide has the longer profile.

The 2025 Act replaces the 2005 Act, and holders licensed under the earlier Act are treated as licensed under the new one. A notice of commencement numbered 2026/064 is dated 1 April 2026, and a six month transition period runs from that date. In that period any business newly in scope must notify the Division and apply for a licence. The Act widens regulation to B2C businesses managed or controlled in or from Gibraltar and to B2B businesses in or from Gibraltar or supplying a Gibraltar entity. Codes of Practice issued under the previous Act stay in force until the Commissioner issues new ones.

Those codes set out what a licensed site should show. A licence holder's website must state that it is licensed by the Gibraltar Licensing Authority, regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and give the permitted age for gambling. The Government motif must be used as a live link to the Gambling Division website. An operator's liability for customer balances and pending withdrawals should be separately identifiable at any time, backed by enough cash to pay them.

UK-facing operators in Gibraltar are licensed in both Gibraltar and the UK, and both regulators' websites can be used to check a site's licence status. The Division publishes a Register of Licence Holders under S.14 of the Act. Every company and website on its consumer warnings list is not established or licensed in Gibraltar. One address in a warning is a company services office, not approved premises for remote gambling. The warnings also flag affiliate websites that drive UK consumers towards unregulated markets. A caution against Platinum Gaming Ltd is dated 13 November 2025, and a regulatory settlement over sanctions screening deficiencies, with a licence holder who is not named, is dated 29 April 2026.

Every regime starts with the operator. The regulator is not always the next step.

Complaints about a Malta licensed casino

Operators must give the result of a complaint inquiry within ten days, extendable by a further ten. The MGA's online form is its formal channel for complaints against MGA-licensed operators, and the form's country of residence list includes the United Kingdom. The Player Support Unit examines complaints independently of any ADR dispute, as part of compliance. A licensee with no ADR arrangement must refer the player to a listed ADR entity within twenty days of the player saying they are not satisfied. Conclusions of an ADR entity acting in an arbitration or adjudication capacity bind both operator and player.

Complaints about a Curacao licensed casino

Operators must answer other complaints within four weeks, extendable once by another four weeks with prior written notice. A player can complain free of charge up to six months after the bet is settled or the incident happened. The CGA lists an address for complaints, complaints@cga.cw, yet it does not resolve or make decisions on player complaints about gambling. It will not review or overturn the decision of an operator or ADR provider unless the complaint was handled inadequately.

Complaints about an Anjouan licensed casino

Operators must investigate and reply within 30 calendar days. Complaints sent through channels other than the seal's complaint function may not be accepted. Game outcome disputes must be raised within 14 calendar days of the session, and account disputes (payments, suspensions, bonuses) within 30 calendar days. The Authority does not handle, mediate or adjudicate player complaints.

The approved ADR providers are EGIS ADR, Axion ADR, iGaming ADR and CADRE B.V. They will not take a complaint where the operator's internal process was not followed, and CADRE decisions bind both operator and player unless agreed otherwise beforehand. All complaints and ADR communications must be in English. Complaints from players in excluded territories, claims unrelated to licensed gaming and complaints escalated before the operator's response period has run fall outside regulatory review.

Complaints about a Gibraltar licensed casino

For remote gambling in the UK on or after 1 November 2014, consumers should pursue the matter through the complaint and dispute resolution processes available in the UK. The Gambling Commissioner will not ordinarily investigate or decide individual UK customer disputes. In exceptional circumstances the Commissioner may consider a matter that raises a material issue about a licensed operator's conduct or compliance, or a significant Gibraltar regulatory interest. Operators must tell customers about ADR options if a complaint stays unresolved.

For a complaint the Commissioner does take, the customer completes the Complaint Resolution Request Form, or writes to gccomplaints@gibraltar.gov.gi. A complaint is accepted only with grounds, such as a breach of rules or terms, and only if it concerns a Gibraltar remote gambling licence holder and the operator's own procedure is exhausted. Complaints older than 2 years are not investigated except in exceptional circumstances. The regulator aims to send a first reply within one week. The Commissioner's decision is final, subject to the courts. The Commissioner has no formal power to order redress, and an upheld complaint does not automatically bring it. Independent adjudication, where an operator uses it, is usually binding on the operator but not on the customer.

When a regulator changes a rule, or a fact on this page is wrong, our team reads the regulator's own page or register again and corrects the page. Send the page name and the line you doubt to info@biglicence.co.uk.

• Big Licence team checks of the licences we cover
• cga.cw Used for the Curacao Gaming Authority's own pages and register.
• spin-cdn.com Used for complaints.
• mga.org.mt Used for the Malta Gaming Authority's own pages and licensee register.
• legislation.mt Used for the Maltese gaming regulations.
• anjouangaming.com Used for Anjouan Gaming's own pages and public register.
• gamblingdivision.gov.gi Used for the Gibraltar Gambling Division's own pages and guidance.
• gibraltar.gov.gi Used for HM Government of Gibraltar's Remote Gambling page.
• gibraltarlaws.gov.gi Used for the Gibraltar Gambling Act 2025.