🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Online casinos, sports betting and prediction markets in the UK

Only operators licensed by the Gambling Commission may offer online gambling to people in Great Britain. We rank and review the best online casinos, sportsbooks and betting exchanges among them, and explain the rules on stakes, bonuses, prediction markets and self-exclusion, from the regulators’ own texts.

By SafeBet.ai Research Team Updated October 22, 2026

Advertising. SafeBet.ai may be paid by the operators shown when you register through our links. We only link to operators licensed by the Gambling Commission. 18+ only. Free, confidential help: the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or block yourself from every licensed site with GAMSTOP.

The best online casinos in the UK (2026)

Our top 7 online casinos

Checked October 2026

BetMGM is the best online casino in the UK in 2026 for most players: its operator has no regulatory action on the Gambling Commission's register, it adds exclusive live tables to games from Evolution, NetEnt and Pragmatic Play, and it takes £10 deposits by card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank. Sky Vegas pays out fastest, immediately by Pay by Bank and within 1 to 4 hours to Visa cards, and Midnite has the best-rated app. Every casino in our ranking holds a Gambling Commission licence.

See the full online casinos ranking

The best betting sites in the UK (2026)

Our top 5 sports betting sites

Checked October 2026

Sky Bet is the best betting site in the UK in 2026: no fine or settlement in the Gambling Commission's records since March 2021, BuildABet and cash out between legs, free in-play streams, Pay by Bank withdrawals that arrive immediately and apps rated 4.67 and 4.64. bet365 has the biggest app and the highest payout caps, Paddy Power the most open Best Odds Guaranteed in its 2025 terms, William Hill support around the clock, and Midnite eight esports titles.

See the full sports betting ranking

The best prediction markets in the UK (2026): licensed betting exchanges

Our top 3 betting exchanges

Checked October 2026

Smarkets is the best betting exchange in the UK in 2026: it publishes every charge, 2% commission on net winnings and no payment fees, processes withdrawals within 6 hours and has no regulatory action on the Gambling Commission's register. Betfair Exchange has the most users and markets, and Matchbook Predictions, with yes/no markets priced as percentages, works most like Polymarket. All three are licensed by the Gambling Commission.

See the full prediction markets ranking

Legal at a glance

What’s legal in the UK?

Online casinos

Online casinos need a remote casino licence from the Gambling Commission, and only the web addresses on its public register are covered. Check a casino’s licence.
Online slot stakes are capped at £5 a spin, or £2 if you’re 18 to 24, and autoplay is banned. The rules for online casinos.
You must be 18, and every licensed site must check your age before you play. Compare the top 7.

Sports betting

Sportsbooks need a remote betting licence from the Gambling Commission. Check a sportsbook’s licence.
Bettors pay no tax on winnings; the betting duty is paid by the bookmaker. See what a book really keeps.
You must be 18. Compare the top 5.

Prediction markets

Betting on elections and other events is legal with operators licensed by the Gambling Commission, including betting exchanges, where you bet against other users. Compare the licensed exchanges.
Polymarket and Kalshi don’t accept UK users. Prediction markets in the UK.
Exchanges charge commission on your winnings instead of building a margin into the odds. Work out what it costs.

Online casinos guides

Guide · 3 min Are online casinos legal in the UK? Licences, stake limits and the rules Yes, in Great Britain, with a casino operator licensed by the Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005, for players 18 and over. Online slot stakes are capped at £5 a spin, or £2 if you're 18 to 24, slots can't spin faster than once every 2.5 seconds, and bonus wagering is capped at 10 times. Every licensed site must check your age before you play or deposit and take part in GAMSTOP, the national self-exclusion scheme. Read Methodology · 4 min How we rank online casinos in the UK We only rank casinos licensed by the Gambling Commission, at web addresses on its public register. Each is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, licensing and safety, games, payments and payouts, app and experience, responsible gambling, and support, and the ranking follows the overall scores. Fines and settlements on the Commission's register lower the licensing score, and we don't list or score bonuses. Read

Sports betting guides

Guide · 2 min Is sports betting legal in the UK? Licences, tax and the rules Yes. Sports betting is legal in Great Britain with operators licensed by the Gambling Commission, for adults 18 and over, online and in betting shops. Bookmakers need a remote general betting licence and betting exchanges a betting intermediary licence; both are listed with their web addresses on the Commission's public register. Bettors pay no tax on winnings: the bookmaker pays General Betting Duty, and a new 25% rate for online bets applies from April 1, 2027. Read Methodology · 5 min How we rank betting sites in the UK We only rank bookmakers licensed by the Gambling Commission, at web addresses on its public register. Each is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, licensing and safety, markets and features, odds and limits, payments and payouts, app and experience, and support and responsible gambling, and the ranking follows the overall scores. Fines and settlements lower the licensing score; we judge odds on what each bookmaker publishes, because their terms forbid automated odds collection; and we don't score bonuses. Read

Prediction markets guides

Methodology · 4 min How we rank betting exchanges and prediction markets in the UK We only rank betting exchanges licensed by the Gambling Commission, the legal way to trade on events against other people in Great Britain; Polymarket and Kalshi, which block UK users, are never ranked. Each exchange is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, licensing and safety, markets and features, commission and fees, liquidity, deposits and withdrawals, and app and experience, and the ranking follows the overall scores. We don't list or score bonuses. Read

Taxes, self-exclusion & help

Guide · 2 min Are prediction markets legal in the UK? Polymarket, Kalshi and betting exchanges Partly. Betting on elections and other events is legal in Great Britain with operators licensed by the Gambling Commission, including betting exchanges such as Betfair and Smarkets, where you trade against other users much as on a prediction market. Polymarket and Kalshi hold no British licence and block UK users. Event contracts sold as financial products fall under the FCA's ban on selling binary options to retail customers, in force since April 2, 2019. Read Guide · 1 min Is Polymarket legal in the UK? No. Polymarket holds no Gambling Commission licence, and its own geographic restrictions put the United Kingdom among the places where users can close existing positions but can't open new ones. Offering gambling to people in Great Britain without a licence is an offence, and so is advertising it. If you want to trade on elections or other events legally, licensed betting exchanges such as Betfair and Smarkets offer similar markets. Read Guide · 2 min Do you pay tax on gambling winnings in the UK? No. HMRC's position is that betting and gambling aren't a trade for the player, so winnings from casinos, bookmakers, exchanges and spread bets aren't taxed, and losses can't be deducted. Operators pay gambling duties instead: Remote Gaming Duty on online casino games rose from 21% to 40% of gaming profits on April 1, 2026, and a 25% rate of General Betting Duty applies to online bets, except on UK horse racing, from April 1, 2027. Read Guide · 2 min Where to get help for gambling problems in the UK Call the National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, on 0808 8020 133: it's free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To block yourself from every online gambling site licensed in Great Britain at once, register with GAMSTOP for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years; it's free and can't be cancelled early. In England you can also refer yourself to an NHS gambling clinic, and in a crisis Samaritans answer on 116 123. Read

All UK guides