The Best Online Casino Sites in the UK: The Top Picks for 2021

There’s never been a better time to be an online casino fan, with new sites launching and great titles hitting the market every single month. Yet, if you’re new to the scene, you might find it difficult to choose the best online casino from the myriad options available. Luckily, we’ve got you covered.

• Mansion Casino
• PlayOJO
• Mr. Play
• Casino.com
• BetVictor
• Playzee
• Grosvenor
• Karamba
• Casimba
• The Grand Ivy
• How to Find a Good Online Casino
• Final Thoughts
• Frequently Asked Questions

This page will present you with some of the best online casinos for players new and old, courtesy of online-casinos.com. Read about each one individually by using the links provided, or stick around for the full run down.

A Ranking of UK Online Casinos – The Best in the Business

If you’ve come here hoping to jump straight into the action, simply take a look at the ranking of the best online casinos below. These were selected through rigorous testing under expert criteria, so rest assured that they are of the highest possible quality.

The sites listed above represent the best online casino options currently available in the UK. Naturally, each site has its own advantages and disadvantages, and depending on your own preferred games and playing style, you might disagree with some of the placements.

With that in mind, we’ve further broken the above chosen best online casino recommendations down into best by category. That way, if there’s a specific type of gameplay you’ve got in mind, you’ll be able to head straight to the site that best meets your needs.

The Best Online Casinos by Category:

1. Top Casino Bonus: The Grand Ivy
2. Lowest Wagering Requirements: Casino.com
3. Best for Newbies: PlayOJO
4. Most Comprehensive Betting Site: Ladbrokes
5. Newest Casino: Casimba
6. Top Mobile Pick: Karamba
7. Greatest for Slots: Playzee
8. Best Live Casino: Grosvenor Casino
9. Greatest Game Variety: BetVictor
10. Fastest Transactions: Mansion Casino

If you remain unconvinced, stick around. In the next portion of this article we’ll be counting down from ten to one on the best casino sites and giving you some key insight into what makes each operator special.

10. Mansion Casino

Though Mansion Casino only managed to squeeze into the top ten rankings, it’s certainly not a site to be underestimated. As one of the longest-running online casinos in the UK, it has a wealth of experience and prestige to its name.

With a truly impressive live suite and some strong titles in its arsenal, Mansion is definitely a good all-rounder and great starting point for new players. Best of all, it accepts PayPal, ensuring secure and fast payments throughout your casino adventures.

9. PlayOJO

With its colourful website and whimsical approach, PlayOJO might not appeal to the die-hard, serious gambler. For those who want to dip a toe into the online casino world and have a blast, however, it’s basically perfect.

Like many newer casinos, PlayOJO’s big focus is on high quality slots. That’s not to say that you won’t find some great table games and live offerings among its repertoire as well, but it’s clear that slots reign supreme.

8. Casino.com

It’s a ballsy move nabbing such a stark domain, but Casino.com has managed to prove its right to this coveted URL. With a very fair bonus, a healthy variety of slots and table games, and a live suite to boot, it’s a very strong competitor.

Though general enough to suit most tastes, it might be slightly too general to please players with more niche interests. While there’s nothing wrong with pleasing a broad audience, it nonetheless wasn’t enough to bring this operator into the top five.

7. BetVictor

When it comes to online gambling, BetVictor covers a lot of bases. While it boasts a great selection of online casino games, you’ll also find some truly spectacular sports betting options here too.

If you have an existing account for the operator’s sports betting fare, you can use these same details to access the online casino and live casino suite. However, you won’t be able to opt into the welcome bonus unless you’re opening a new account, so keep that in mind.

6. Playzee

As one of the newer sites on this rundown, Playzee really pulled out the stops to impress us and claim its place over some of the older casinos on the market. With over 1,000 games total on offer, you’re not likely to be bored here.

Another great aspect of this casino – and many newer sites in general – is the smooth interface of the site and the ability to play on mobile without the need to download a dedicated app. Pair that with a strong and intuitive VIP program, and some really varied payment methods, and you’ve got a solid contender.

5. Grosvenor Casinos

Sliding into our top five comes Grosvenor Casinos. With a small but rewarding welcome bonus, a reputation for excellence and award-winning live gaming software, this operator is a real heavy-hitter.

One mark against the otherwise impressive site is that there are only 100 titles available on the mobile site. A dip in game numbers is expected when gambling on a mobile device, but it’s seldom so severe. For this, Grosvenor sits right smack in the middle of our ranking.

4. Karamba

With its colorful parrot mascot and lively website design, Karamba is an eye-catching casino bursting with great games and exciting promotions. Though the quantity might not be on par with some competitors, we can’t fault the quality.

If you’re a slots fan, this is definitely the right site for you – especially as roulette and blackjack games are unfortunately excluded from Karamba’s welcome bonus. Luckily, there’s a strong VIP scheme and assorted perks to make up for this shortcoming.

3. Ladbrokes

As a household name in the UK betting scene, Ladbrokes has earned its place in the top three of this ranking. Easily the most comprehensive site on this list, you can avail of casino games, sports betting, bingo and more here.

If you’re looking for a site packed with betting options and specialized promotions, you really can’t go wrong with Ladbrokes. Though its broad appeal might alienate some players with more niche interests, the scope of its products and services really can’t be understated.

2. Casimba

Though still a relatively new casino, Casimba scored highly with us for its varied game selection, high quality software, rewarding bonus and overall strong security measures. Certainly a site you won’t want to miss.

The only real downside to Casimba is that, at times, the site can be slightly difficult to navigate. Its search functions aren’t exactly perfect, and this might frustrate some users. However, that’s a small gripe considering the many positive features this site has to offer.

1. The Grand Ivy

Beating out the rest of the competition to win the coveted number one spot in our ranking is The Grand Ivy. The digital offshoot of the prestigious land-based casino impressed us with its sophisticated air and great gaming options.

With a wonderful loyalty scheme and a live casino sweet powered by industry heavy weight NetEnt, there’s much to celebrate at this fantastic online casino. It also features one of the most generous welcome bonuses we’ve come across, which is sure to tempt new players to open an account.

How to Find an Online Casino

Having read through our rankings, you might be wondering how we determined the best online casino sites. With so many options online, it can feel like an insurmountable task to narrow them all down to just the top ten. That’s why we followed a specific set of criteria when investigating each casino site.

Should you decide to go it alone and find the best online casino for your tastes by yourself, we recommend that you read over the following criteria as they might make your search a whole lot easier. Before we get into the nitty gritty, here are the key things to look out for:

Features of a Good Online Casino:

1. Security: Valid licenses from regulators, encryption software and regular testing
2. Games: A healthy mix of slots, roulette, blackjack and other table games
3. Payment Methods: A variety of options including Debit, e-Wallets and prepaid cards
4. Bonuses: A generous welcome bonus with fair and transparent terms
5. Mobile Compatibility: The ability to run on desktop, laptop and mobile devices

Player Safety and Security

Your number one priority when selecting an online casino should be security. Though there are a great many secure and trustworthy sites on the market, there’s a fair share of dodgy ones too. To make sure you’re in the clear, scroll to the bottom of your chosen site’s homepage.

At the bottom of the page, you should find logos and licensing information from official state regulators. When gambling in the UK, you’ll need to look out for a license from the Gambling Commission. Without a license from the UKGC, a site cannot legally operate within the UK.

You might also come across licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the Government of Gibraltar. These are also well-regarded regulators, and their seal of approval carries a lot of weight. Their licenses, in addition to one from the UKGC, is a good sign of a legitimate site.

You’ll also want to check the validity of the site’s encryption software. To do this, simply click the little lock icon in the left side of your browser address bar. By doing this, you can examine the encryption certificate and ensure that it’s up to date.

The Best Online Casino Games

A casino is nothing without its games, and the best sites will hit the sweet spot between quality and quantity. An arsenal of games from some of the biggest companies in the business, like Microgaming, is a good sign of a worthy operator.

One thing to keep in mind with regards to games is that slots will always reign supreme; no matter where you play, they will always outnumber every other kind of game. For film fans (like most of this site’s readership), this is pretty good news, as many slots are themed after Hollywood blockbusters.

The presence of multi-award winning gaming software isn’t just good news for you as a player, but it further reinforces the site’s legitimacy. After all, prestigious developers wouldn’t waste their time on shady, unregulated sites. Therefore, big-name games and studios can be a great way to gage a site’s trustworthiness.

Placing Bets and Withdrawing Winnings

So you’ve found a safe casino site with great games, next thing you have to do is start placing wagers in the hopes of winning big. Naturally, you can’t do this unless there are some solid payment methods available. Payments are one thing many players overlook, but they do so at their own risk.

The best online casino sites will have a wide variety of methods available, so that you can choose the option with which you feel the most comfortable. This will range from debit card payments and bank transfers, to e-Wallet services and prepaid cards. The more the better, especially if they’re well-known and trusted services.

You should also be on the lookout for suspect payment methods. For instance, as of 2020, credit card payments are no longer legal at online casinos in the UK. Therefore, any UK casino site offering credit card payments is in breach of the law, and shouldn’t be trusted. You can see some of the unavailable methods below:

Picking the Best Bonus

One of the major advantages of playing at an online casino rather than in a land-based casino is the ability to opt into welcome bonuses and other promotions. Bonuses are used to advertise the casino site to new players, and also reward those who open an account with the operator.

Gifts offered immediately after registration are usually referred to as a welcome bonus. As a rule, gaming sites give beginners relatively generous gifts. This is done to attract new users.

Bonuses can range from monetary rewards, to smaller perks like free spins on popular slot games, but the true value of the bonus doesn’t lie in the advertised number at all. When selecting your bonus, you’ll want to keep a close eye on some of the most pertinent terms and conditions.

Among these terms, wagering requirements are arguably the most important. This refers to how many times you’ll need to wager the value of your initial deposit, the bonus or both before you can cash out. Naturally, if a casino is looking for you to wager upwards of 50x the bonus value, it likely isn’t worth your time.

Next up on the key terms is the period of validity. This is how long you’ll have to meet the wagering requirements before the offer becomes void. This can range anywhere from 90 days to just 24 hours, so make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to meet the requirements and nab your prize.

Finally, you’ll want to keep an eye on game contributions and excluded games. Not all games contribute equally to the wagering requirements, and some are excluded entirely. More often than not, slots count for 100% towards the requirements, whereas table games often only account for 10-20%, so be wary.

Wireless Gameplay With Mobile Casinos

There’s no escaping how much we use our phones and other mobile devices for everything these days. Naturally, with the rise of mobile hardware, online casinos have had to adapt with the times. Many invested resources into developing apps for their brands that could be downloaded on Android and iOS.

However, in recent years, technological breakthroughs like HTML5 have made it possible for players to enjoy mobile gameplay without downloading any new software. The best casino sites will allow you to play on the go via their browser apps, while many will offer both a traditional app and the browser alternative.

It is, however, worth noting that the range of games available on mobile will be smaller than those on desktop and laptop. Many of the older games simply weren’t developed with mobile gameplay in mind, and therefore can’t be satisfactorily run on the smaller screen.

That said, many developers are now adopting a mobile-first approach, which means that as time goes on the number of games available on mobile casinos will continue to grow. Just make sure you’ve got a good WiFi connection or sufficient data, and there’s nothing stopping you from having wireless fun.

Final Thoughts: Plenty of Fun to be Had

As you can see from our ranking and the criteria of the best online casino sites, there’s a wealth of great gambling opportunities on the UK market at present. No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find a high-quality operator that meets your specific needs.

We hope that you’ve found this overview useful and that you’ll enjoy many happy hours exploring the online casinos featured here. If not, we hope that the criteria detailed on this page helps you find the right fit for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

A lot of questions crop up from readers and players struggling to get to grips with the world of online gambling. If there’s anything you feel this article wasn’t clear on, or if there’s a question you’d like to know the answer to, feel free to read over our frequently asked questions below.

What is the best online casino?

It’s almost impossible to name just one online casino as the absolute best around, which is why we narrowed it down to a ranking of the top ten online casinos currently on the market.

How to win at online casinos every time?

This is a question that gets asked a lot, but unfortunately there is no surefire to win at any casino game. The best you can do is look for games with high RTP rates – or return to player rates. These rates, expressed as a percentage, are a theoretical rate of return over the course of a game’s run time. The closer to 100%, the better your odds. However, this still doesn’t guarantee a win.

Which online casino has the best payouts?

Similar to games, casinos themselves also have an RTP. This is usually calculated by finding the average RTP of all of the casino’s games. Sometimes you can find this number in the casino’s about section, but it’s often difficult to find. The best you can do is stick to games with high RTPs if you’re aiming for the best payouts.