Online casinos in the UK – The most popular entertainment activity
Contents
UK online casinos are at the top of the most popular entertainment activities in the whole of Europe. People from the United Kingdom have a long cultural history of gambling. Playing dice games, card games, races, betting, and coin tosses have always been an essential part of the everyday life of British society. The history of gambling in the United Kingdom started hundreds of years ago and the Britons were widely known for their tendency towards gambling and other hazardous activities. There has been a time when gambling wasn’t legalized in the country and people were struggling to satisfy their needs safely, but still, casinos became an integral part of their lives and now British people and casinos are interlinked with each other and some people even say that the British can’t even exist anymore without taking part in poker or craps online.
British people aren’t in the 19th century anymore and the attitude towards online gambling in the UK has completely changed. The gambling industry in the United Kingdom may not be as large as in other countries like the US or China, but it’s more active there than in any other place in the world. In fact, 72% of the British say that they have taken part in gambling activities during the past year, as the Gambling Commission states, meaning that British people inherited visiting casinos from their forefathers and they don’t even deny it. However, gambling today is far different from what it was years ago and there are many reasons for the ever-growing industry in the country.
The recent innovations in technologies have played a huge role in improving the gambling experience for the British people. Years ago they couldn’t have imagined that such an attractive activity like rolling a dice and slot machines would be replaced with virtual betting and simulated games but things have changed. As the information age approached and digital industries widened, online casino slots in the UK took the place of the traditional methods and became an integral part of the renewed industry of gambling. Now, as gambling is regulated in the UK, not surprisingly the popularity of online casinos is growing in the middle class because of its convenience and availability. There are many different opportunities for people who are interested in gambling and thanks to the Gambling Act 2005, those who wish can engage in various types of activities and satisfy their requirements safely, as restrictions are directed to gambling operators mostly, rather than players.
Top-rated Online Casinos for UK Players
Casino Gods
Minimum deposit
$10
Reputation
10/10
Bonus
9/10
Games
10/10
Year founded
2019
Live Chat
No
NYSpins Casino
Minimum deposit
$10
Reputation
9/10
Bonus
10/10
Games
9/10
Year founded
1997
Live Chat
Yes
Voodoo Dreams
Minimum deposit
$20
Reputation
9/10
Bonus
8/10
Games
7/10
Year founded
2016
Live Chat
No
Energy Casino
Minimum deposit
$10
Reputation
9/10
Bonus
10/10
Games
8/10
Year founded
2013
Live Chat
Yes
Overview
UK citizens can officially participate in any kinds of gambling activities, as the restrictions on Casinos that had been a distractive factor for taking part in various forms of gambling has changed, and both the land-based Casinos and the Online casinos function more effectively, focusing primarily to increase the satisfaction of their customers. According to recent statistics, the percentage of the total adult population that tried online gambling in the UK has increased drastically, whopping to 16% in 2015. The rate of British players is probably even higher now, as moving towards advanced technologies is the trend of today’s digital world. Furthermore, the cash involved with the online gambling industry is rapidly rising, and almost 366 million GBP has been reported won through online casinos during the year 2018 which is why the success of the gaming websites is not a secret anymore. 
There are lots of amazing websites online where players have opportunities to play poker, Russian roulette, craps, keno, blackjack, baccarat, or watch live casino games. Online casinos have revolutionized the ways the whole industry was perceived throughout history with the help of many different methodologies and strategies, which helped the industry to progress and make play a major role in the country’s economy to rise and flourish. One of the reasons for this success is that the British are always open to new experiences. They like taking risks, trying new things, and learning from their mistakes. In Britain, there you can always see room for innovation. It’s especially obvious when it comes to UK casino slots. Traditional, land-based establishments often have some problems like space constraints which are always felt while playing a slot game but they can’t be recognized while you take part in online slotting. Depending on the nature and personality traits of the British people, slot machines are especially popular among them, because Englishmen are widely known for their fondness of taking chances and acting without pre-calculating everything. Casino slots are something relatable with their characteristics as it’s a game of chance where wins are estimated using the positions of the symbols on the reels after they stopped. You probably know that all these things happen accidentally, you can never be sure whether you have a chance for winning or you lose. That’s why online slots are so popular amongst the British people, which indeed plays a major role in forming the UK online gambling market.
From today’s perspective, we can certainly say that the gambling industry is one of the reasons for unprecedented growth in the UK’s economy in recent years. The tendency to make something like Vegasian style casinos has long been a part of the plan, aiming to make something special, different from anything before which is why the new generation of gambling was a huge success. The first casino of this new style was the Aspers Casino, which opened in London in 2011. It is still the largest one, as it offers an astonishing number of 70 gaming tables, many poker tables, and even more electronic gambling machines. This land-based casino attracts thousands of players and plays a vital role in their everyday gaming routine.
However, despite its popularity and effectiveness, the gambling landscape in the United Kingdom is indeed one of the most diverse in Europe, providing hundreds of land-based casinos all over the country with an exceptional variety of exotic games, sports betting, and online gambling. Proficient players around the country are aware of the best casino sites to play on in the UK and most of these websites are based in England, while in Scotland or Ireland you can try your luck in wonderful land-based casinos which provide eternally-popular classic games, like Poker or Roulette.
Gambling regulation in the UK
Explaining regulation rules is important for everyone who decided to begin participating in the gambling industry and for whom safety and fair play is a priority. The purpose of online gambling regulation is to protect its customers from fraud and money losses and this is achievable only if you use legalized and licensed websites, meaning that regulations usually benefit us, and the negative connotation of the word “restriction” doesn’t mean it’s something unpleasant for us the players. When you mention things like casinos, betting, slots, or anything related to gambling, the first thing that comes to the mind of someone who is involved in online gambling in the UK is regulations. The gambling sector of the country is strictly governed by the Gambling Commission and local authorities. UK Gambling Commission is a public body that supervises gambling laws across the country and regulates gambling venues. The commission deals with remote gambling and its restrictions refer to slot machines, arcades, and lotteries. Throughout the years, the regulations determining who has the permission to offer the gambling services to UK citizens have become harsher. For example, recently the UK Gambling Commission restricted providing gambling services to British people unless a company has its bases within the country. This was a big step forwards in making the services more secure for the British players.
As a general rule, the minimum gambling age in the UK is 18 years old, except for lotteries and football pools, some non-commercial gambling, and prizes gambling, where you are permitted to participate from the age of 16. However, a person who is over 16 and under 18 and takes part in gambling activities, can also be juridically guilty of a crime. Social gaming in the UK is pretty popular and the games that don’t give you a chance to win money or something money’s worth are outside regulations. However, you can play casino games for real money in the UK as the highest level of security is provided by the UK Gambling Commission for online gambling services, and the operators are obliged to receive a license before offering their services to players.
Most of these restrictions are determined by the Gambling Act 2005 which applies to England, Wales, and Scotland and aims to control, regulate, monitor, and oversee all forms of gambling to protect children and other vulnerable people from possible harm. The act enforces three principles at the start. First of all, gambling must not be conducted to raise money for criminal acts or cause any forms of crime. Second, the operations must be transparent completely, and third, gambling must be prevented from defenseless people who can be exploited by any form of it. Several amendments have been made in the Act since 2005 and it developed an online gambling market more than expected.
As a result, today online gambling is completely legal in Britain if a casino holds a license in the country, meets certain financial criteria to make sure the funds of the players are separate from operational funds, and only if you are above the age of 18. Other than this, gambling for you isn’t legal and you may be faced with some law-related problems. Knowing all these regulations is essential if you’ve just decided to take part in online gambling and want to get to know how gambling works in the UK.
The evolution of online casinos in the UK
As we already mentioned, gambling in the UK has a long and complicated history of development. There have been several forms of it before the time of the first introduction of online casinos finally took place. The legislation of gambling takes its roots back to the nineteenth century when the growth of gambling was intercepted. In 1844 the House of Lords formed the Select Committee on Gaming and one year later, the Gaming Act, the first official legislation law was finally created. However, after that, the gambling industry in the UK has come a long way in development. Finally, the year 1994 approached which was a turning point in the history of the industry as traditional land-based casinos shifted to the virtual world, and online casinos in the UK were introduced. The changes started from the Island of Antigua and Barbados in the Caribbean. After signing the Processing Zone act which was a major advancement, the first UK online casino was launched by William Hill, and the era of the United Kingdom online casinos officially began. Microgaming and Cryptologic were the pioneers in the new gambling system and after that many casinos have been introduced in this developing market. The real success of online casinos is connected to the 2000s when the internet started spreading rapidly across the world. The opportunities for online gamblers increased as people already had internet connections in their homes. Entrepreneurs realized that online casinos had the potential of being a serious business and they started looking for ways to make benefits out of it.
Most popular online casino games in the UK
Now we can confidently say that online casinos are at the peak of development in the UK. The opportunities are increasing every day for those who are interested in participating in this growing business. Casinos benefited a lot from the Gambling Act and the future of gaming within the country is probably brighter than you can imagine. Now you can sit comfortably in your room, grab all your favorite snacks, and comfortably access various casino sites. You can find lots of amazing opportunities in the UK online casino list and each of them has different benefits. With the development in online casinos over the last few years, now there are many stellar games to choose from but surprisingly, these games are not only from the online casino sphere but also most of them are digitized, online versions of some original games, like Blackjack, Bingo or Craps.
It’s up to you to choose which ones are worth your precious time and money but to do so, you have to understand the value of the bonuses they provide. It’s important to realize that the bonuses from free spins or free plays need to be converted into real money if you want to gain a real benefit. For cashing out your bonus, your wagering requirements must be met. Such requirements vary from one website to another according to how much each game contributes. For example, table games, such as roulette, offer a lower percentage than UK casino slots.
Online slots
Online slots are so common among British gamblers that in fact, when you start thinking of gambling, most of the time it’s the first thing that eventually springs to your mind. Casino goers frequently prefer slots to other online activities though, they have been around for many many years. The reason for its popularity may be its simplicity. There is no particular skill you need to have while playing slots, as it’s all about luck, so you can spend hours while playing online slots and be provided with a chance to strike gold at any time. There are literally thousands of online slots throughout the best online casino sites in the UK which is why software providers are trying hard to release new versions with improved sound effects, visuals, or pay lines.
Online Blackjack
Online Blackjack is one of the top entertaining activities for British gamblers. It’s not much different from its ancestor versions and the main fundamental mechanism of the game is pretty much the same but many online casinos provide more or less modified versions with higher rewards. The potential to win big while playing blackjack is real and if you combine certain skills, you will be able to maximize the odds of winning. There in Britain, fair gaming of Blackjack is guaranteed by the UK Gambling Commission and most of the British blackjack players use the strategy of random number generator (RNG) which ensures fairness.
Online Roulette
The best paying online casinos in the UK also provide various services of online Roulette. So, in case you are feeling lucky, you can take a spin and take part in this popular casino game as it’s based completely on your luck and you don’t need any strategies, poker faces, or certain skills. In the UK, playing online roulette is a big part of the casino atmosphere and you can actually make money by playing roulette, as most of the websites offer bonuses, such as free cash to get you started.
Tips for Online gambling in the UK
Despite the strict regulations in the UK gambling system, you still have to be careful while choosing a website as there are many fraudsters everywhere on the internet. You have to be sure that the site that you play is good enough. This is why you need to read the reviews carefully and choose reputable gaming portals. If you want to avoid bad practices you need to read the terms and conditions which can be boring, but it’s the only way to be provided with information for banking terms, bonus system, and more.
The best online casino UK 2021 will have serious auditing and a new license with policies on player safety, personal data protection, and helpful service. Usually, trustworthy websites have high-quality slots from many different providers and offer a range of table games. Also, they are available for mobile players as an app or as a great quality mobile website and besides, if the site provides a program of ongoing promotions, it means that it cares about keeping you interested for a long time. Choosing a top online casino may take some time, but it’s probably worth it to check more than one British website if you are going to have a long-term relationship with this site.
To sum up, to avoid online casino scams several things deserve keeping an eye on and these are good safety policies, licenses, auditing, and personal data protection. However, to be honest, it’s pretty hard to get scammed while you are playing at the best online casino in the UK for which the financial safety of its customers is a priority.
Bottom line
Now you should know that gambling in the UK is so popular mainly because of its long history and cultural familiarity with placing bets on casino games, races, and various sporting events, as we’ve already reviewed several principles and characteristics of online casinos. But what makes British gambling stand out in the whole of Europe is the UK Gambling Commission and its regulation system which is considered the strictest in the world. There you are provided with safety and fair play, making it easy to avoid scams and fraud. Another reason why gambling is so popular in Britain is that UK online casinos offer many different types of activities and you can make profitable decisions from various choices.
A lot more can be discussed, as the United Kingdom is a big country, consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and in these countries cultural diversity plays a major role in key differences in gambling industries.
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