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So, you’ve been self-excluded using GamStop and are looking to spin some slots, join some live dealer lobbies, or bet on sports. Though it’s entirely possible, you should first think of your priorities. There’s a reason why anyone self-excludes themselves. If you’re simply relapsing, it might be worth getting in touch with BeGambleAware for support. But if it’s due to some problem (because let’s face it, GamStop isn’t exactly user-friendly or flexible), we totally understand.
Today, we’re going to talk about how to play at non-GamStop casinos without getting scammed out of your money. There are many shady platforms and bad actors on the prowl for unsuspecting casino players who are going outside the legislation of the UKGC for the first time.
This guide aims to cover all key considerations.
Types of Casinos
First of all, we need to familiarise ourselves with the three major types of online casino platforms you will come across. It’s critical to understand the differences between these types of casinos so you know what kind of security vulnerabilities exist between them.
UKGC Casinos
First, you have gambling sites carrying a UKGC licence. By law, they have to be under the GamStop self-exclusion programme, offer no credit card payment support, and do a few odd things that keep players from getting the most out of their money (for example, there are limitations on how much bonus they can give, for it to not make a very lucrative activity).
Examples include Bet365, Paddy Power, 888 Sport, William Hill, Skybet, Betfair, Coral, Unibet, Betfred, BetVictor, Boyle Sports, BetMGM, BetUK, Betway, Ladbrokes, etc.
These platforms follow stringent regulatory requirements, and they will most likely never rip you off (at least, in the traditional sense). You cannot be scammed here. Even if there’s a slight dispute, you have a lot of options in terms of recourse. You can even go to the UKGC if complaining on user-run forums such as Trustpilot and Resolver.co.uk doesn’t work.
If you’re self-excluded using GamStop, you cannot make an account, make a deposit, or do anything really on any of these platforms. GamStop isn’t perfect and sometimes, players have been able to make new accounts on these by using slightly different details – but the programme is evolving at a remarkable speed, and it’d be foolish to devote any time to try and tiptoe around the legally mandated UKGC programme.
International Casinos
Next, we have international casinos with countless active players from all over the world. These have a vast, loyal membership and their sportsbooks are top-notch in terms of promotions, features, and betting market options. These are truly the best – offering the best of everything. The only problem? They don’t accept UK players (and a majority of them also don’t accept US players).
Apart from that major glitch, these are really fine gambling platforms. The whole world has access to them. People from China and India to Finland and Denmark play on these effortlessly. But as fate would have it, the UKGC’s robust stance to stop problem gambling in its track has these brands just completely discarding the UK player base. The alternative is to get a UKGC licence, which is too much trouble, as the majority of the customers aren’t British.
Examples include N1Bet, Luckster, Bets Amigo, ZetBet, 1xBet, etc.
A lot of these platforms are purely sportsbooks – offering nothing else but betting options and tons of betting markets. Now, if you choose to use a VPN and access these sites from the UK, things will definitely work. We daresay things will work safely and effortlessly. But it’s forbidden by the terms and conditions of these sportsbooks (and all online gambling platforms). So, if you’re found out, not only do you risk losing your account, but your entire balance as well. We don’t recommend trying to game the bookie, ever.
And that, friends, leaves us with the third category of sportsbooks.
UK-Friendly International Casinos
Bookies that are international (i.e., not registered in the UK, so outside GamStop) but also make their website available to UK players are the last resort for a safe experience if you’re self-excluded. These are murky waters. A ton of casino and sportsbook platforms are open to UK players. But they are not all safe. It’s not rare for these platforms to confiscate winnings, prey on their users, block funds, display misleading advertisements, have bad customer support, or have predatory terms hidden in the fine print.
One needs to be careful here.
The good part is that a ton of experts have already tested and reviewed these platforms, assigning them safety rankings that are updated routinely. Casino Guru assigns a safety index, AskGamblers reviews the platform’s security in detail, and The Wizard of Odds also offers detailed insights into how safe a platform is. You’re recommended to check out these reviews to develop a better understanding of playing on these platforms.
Examples of safe, international platforms open to UK players include Mystake, Hustles, Goldenbet, Betswagger, Freshbet, etc.
Key Considerations: What to Keep in Mind
When you’re selecting a UK-friendly international casino, you’ll end up comparing two or more. Now, it doesn’t help to only look at the welcome offers and available games to make up your mind. That’s exactly what the shady platforms want you to do. Instead, your analysis should be more thorough.
What do you look out for? There are some high-priority and low-priority things that will help you make up your mind when you’re comparing UK-friendly international casinos to keep yourself from falling into a scam.
High-Priority Stuff
An SSL-encrypted platform is a must, for example. Just like that, there are a few other things you should know before signing up.
- Security: A platform’s security is determined by its SSL certificate (having a lock sign and “HTTPS” in the URL). Today, it’s extremely easy to get an SSL certificate. You just need to make a free Cloudflare account and connect your website to it or use a free limited-time SSL service like Let’s Encrypt. In a way, SSL is not a major consideration anymore as it’s basically free. It was a big deal years ago. Still, if you don’t see a lock sign, don’t sign up.
- Payment Processors: Payment processors are more careful than you when analysing who they’re getting in bed with. As a result, not all offer their integrations to all casinos. If a website is reputable, safe, and clean, only then will these offer their services. So, you can check which e-wallets and card payment processors are available on the platform. The exact payment processors for card payment can only be found out once you’ve signed up. Needless to say, crypto casinos are a different breed altogether. If you’re comparing crypto casinos, then sadly, this is also a point that doesn’t make much sense for you.
- Game Providers: This is the first solid tell if a casino is shady. They might advertise the logos of top game providers, but you can always go to the slot game library and check which games are actually available. Just like payment processors, more well-known game providers are also serious about who they are partnering with. If you cannot find names such as NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Pragmatic Play, Play ‘n GO, and Evolution Gaming, then you’re not on a platform with a good track record. That being said, many new casinos are fully legitimate, fair, and secure while still not being able to get the top game providers in their catalogue. Nothing can be done in this case, so just move on.
- Community Reputation: Next, we’ll look at a platform’s community reputation. First of all, you can rely on renowned reviewing sites. Two are the most important – Casino Guru and AskGamblers. Though there are many more, such as Casino.org and Wizard of Odds, we recommend sticking to just the first two. You will find all the casinos covered there and also forums or comments from real users. Apart from that, you want to check the Trustpilot page of the casino and any posts about the casino on the r/Gambling subreddit. If you want more information, you can join r/Gambling’s Discord server too. By these standards, Mystake is the best online casino and sportsbook (it’s accessible from the UK), having a 4.7-star rating on UK Trustpilot with 83% 5-star reviews (total 21k+).
- Active Licence: You also want to confirm if the licence is still active. The licences from Curacao, Cyprus, Malta, etc. are not perpetual. The registration information of any legitimate online casino can be found in the footer or on the Terms and Conditions page. If you can’t find this information, steer clear. You may want to check registration information manually. Go to the licensing authority’s website, they always have a browse option somewhere, and enter the licence or registration number.
- Fairness & RNG: Lastly, it’s also important to make sure that the platform has a solid fairness policy. If it has one, it will be linked in the footer. Sadly, there’s no way to actually verify if they even follow their policies or not. But the good news is that as long as they offer games from major game providers, you can be sure of the RTP. For example, when you play Sweet Bonanza, you can be sure that the RTP is going to be 96.49%. The casino itself plays a negligible role in the game.
Low-Priority Considerations
Talking purely in terms of staying safe and making the right choice out there, here are some less important considerations. Keep in mind that these can actually be very important to you – just that they aren’t as high-priority as the others when it comes to determining whether a platform is shady or not.
- Bonuses & Promotions: Check what welcome bonus or package the platform is giving. Read its terms as well. Several casinos have separate Terms and Conditions and Promotional Terms pages. Read the Promotional Terms. Mainly, you want to be sure of which payment methods are accepted to get the welcome bonus, what’s the minimum deposit, what’s the maximum amount, what games are eligible, and most importantly, what’s the wagering limit. A low wagering limit (under x30) is ideal. Medium wagering is not too rare (x30 to x60). Anything above that is egregious, unless it’s for a bonus that can be used on slots linked to progressive jackpots. These bonuses can carry an x200 wagering limit because they offer a higher potential win amount.
- Game Categories: Of course, the platform needs to have your favourite games! If you’re a fan of particular game categories, such as horse racing or drops & wins slot games, check if those are available. More specifically, you can also search for bingo games, what live roulette games are available, which markets are covered under football betting, and more. You don’t need to sign up to confirm all this.
- Customer Support: Customer support is needed by everyone. Is there a live chat? If yes, is it fast and reliable? Some casinos don’t offer live chat (or reliable answers) if you’re not logged in. You might want to make an account (these are casinos that don’t need IDs to just sign up) and then test the customer support in these cases.
- Verification Process: The verification process is hassle-free in these casinos. Typically, you will be able to sign up for an account without supplying any IDs. It’s only withdrawals that trigger ID checks. Still, ID checks are minimal, especially for crypto withdrawals.
How to Get Started?
Now that we’ve gone through everything to keep in mind when playing at a non-GamStop casino, it’s time to conclude with how to get started.
Signing up on these platforms is easy. All these UK-friendly international non-GamStop casinos offer a simple sign-up process. Enter your name, email and password to start. You might need to verify your email with a link. Once done, you can make your first deposit, keeping the requirements for the welcome bonus in mind. And that’s it! You can start spinning those reels or betting on your favourite sports markets easily.
Every other feature such as wagering requirements, bet slips, cashback calculation, etc. works just as it does on a UKGC casino. So, for example, if your wagering requirement is x30 for the welcome bonus, you need to wager 30 times the amount of your deposit and bonus to be able to convert your bonus winnings into your withdrawable cash balance.
Add your deposit and withdrawal methods before you go all in. And always try a smaller payout before playing for longer to check if there are any unpleasant surprises such as exorbitant fees.
