This article is meant to be a warning for all UK players who register with operators that do not posses a valid UKGC licence. It is a serious breach of the UK gambling laws if an operator accepts UK player without a valid gambling licence. There is however more to the story. You, as a player lose the protection given by your government.
Bonuses and promotions are commonly used by online casinos to attract new customers or reward loyal players. However, if you have done any comparing and contrasting between UK-registered casinos and sportsbooks and those outside the UK, you may have detected a significant difference in the size of the bonuses you can claim. The fact is that non-UK casinos and sportsbooks regularly offer very generous bonuses compared to UK-based sites, with some of them providing promotions that give players the chance to snag hundreds or even thousands of Euros. But this is a trap that you should avoid. All this however leads to a question. Why is there such a discrepancy between UK and non-UK bonuses?
Caught up in red tape
The main reason for the sizeable difference between the bonuses offered by UK-based casinos compared to non-UK casinos is the restrictions placed on UK gambling sites. This includes various regulations implemented over the years by the UK Gambling Commission, such as the stipulation that all UK operators must be signed up to Gamstop, a self-exclusion service people can use to control their gambling.
These regulations limit the size of the bonuses casinos can offer, and any casino caught not complying with the rules set out by the Gambling Commission faces a substantial fine.
Of course, there is solid reasoning behind the red tape placed around UK casinos and sportsbooks by the UK Gambling Commission. Their main goal is to prevent any unscrupulous casinos from preying on potentially vulnerable people by using bonuses and other features that could encourage them to gamble more than they can afford.
While this outlook is admirable and undeniably in the best interests of gamblers, it does mean UK casinos are bound to provide limited bonuses that attract players but remain “socially responsible” and do not “encourage excessive play”.
All part of the competition
While UK casinos still offer various bonuses and promotions in line with regulations, non-UK casinos are allowed to offer higher bonuses and some of their promotions can be particularly substantial. Competition is fierce between non-UK registered casinos, so the casino that can provide the most generous bonus is more likely to get more new players to sign up.
Speaking of signing up, while registration at UK-based casinos takes just a few minutes, joining a non-UK casino or sportsbook can be even quicker. It is also faster and easier to both make a deposit and withdraw funds when you gamble on a non-UK casino or sportsbook site.
While this can make non-UK operators more appealing, it’s worth remembering that having Gamstop as an option could be helpful if you ever need it and under no circumstances you should accept a non Gamstop casino like the ones listed on Casinomir. Be responsible and think of the consequences before you bet. Betting is not a way to earn money.