I’ve done a lot of research and would like to introduce the top online casinos you should try. These platforms are licensed in the UK and safe, with thousands of games, accessible bonuses, and quality customer support.
But how exactly do I choose the top online casinos when there are so many? Read on for everything I consider when reviewing and recommending the top online casinos to UK gamblers.
100% bonus up to £100 & 50 free spins
on Diamonds of the Realm when you make your first deposit.
What to expect from the top online casinos
I thoroughly enjoy spinning the reels on Wild West slots and playing a few hands of online blackjack in my downtime. I’ve joined many sites myself and have tried and tested more online betting platforms than I care to remember.
In my 20+ years of experience of playing in and working within the casino industry as a content marketer, here are some of the key things I look for when considering or reviewing an online casino:
A UKGC licence
All top online casinos in the UK must be licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. I will never recommend a casino that is not licensed and legally available here.
I’m aware that many prominent casino brands are located in offshore hideaways like Curacao, but these sites will never make my top list. Why? Because there’s no way to ensure your safety.
Think about it: what do you do if something goes wrong? How do you know the games aren’t rigged? Who do you contact for support?
I check the UKGC register to make sure that every site I recommend is correctly licensed. I also double-check that the site isn’t under any sort of investigation.
After all, there are some unscrupulous brands, so I put in the extra work to recommend only the safest and most secure online casinos for you to join.
Excellent game variety
Game variety is key to the success of top online casinos. If a site only offers 100 games from one or two studios, you’ll get bored pretty quickly.
But don’t make the mistake of confusing quantity with quality.
I’ve encountered countless casinos operating out of foreign jurisdictions offering thousands of games from practically unheard-of studios. The result? Low RTPs, no independent auditing, and zero transparency regarding the frequency of payouts.
That’s why part of my review checklist is dedicated to finding the best games from top, award-winning studios. I like to see a choice of at least 1,000 games, with a good variety of slots, table games, live dealer titles, crash games, and jackpot titles that offer big wins.
Extra marks go to casinos that categorise their games efficiently and make it easy for me to find what I’m looking for. When I log into a casino, it should be easy to choose Megaways slot machine games to play and how to find the live dealer lobby for titles from Evolution and Playtech. I certainly don’t want the hassle of contacting customer support because I can’t find what I’m looking for.
Most importantly, the games should be from well-known, audited, and licensed studios. Preferably those that have won reputable industry awards for their contributions.
Below is an overview of what I expect in the game department when I’m reviewing for the best casinos for a deposit bonus in the UK:
| Game type | Number of games | Best studios | My favourite games |
| Classic & video slots | 500+ | NetEnt, Play’n GO, Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming, Booming Games | Starburst, Rich Wilde & the Book of Dead, Gates of Olympus 1000, Big Bass Bonanza |
| Jackpot slots | 50+ | Microgaming (Games Global), Playtech, Blueprint Gaming | Mega Moolah series, Jackpot King series, WowPot series, Age of the Gods series |
| Table games | 100+ | IGT, Betsoft, Playtech | European Roulette, Atlantic City Blackjack, Game King Video Poker, First-Person Craps, Baccarat |
| Live table games | 50+ | Pragmatic Live, Ezugi, Evolution Gaming, ICONIC 21, Beter Live | Lightning Roulette, American Blackjack, Casino Hold’em, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Red Tiger |
| Live game shows | 50+ | Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Live, Playtech | Monopoly Live, Crazy Time, Buffalo Blitz Live, Sweet Bonanza Candyland, Funky Time |
| Instant win games | 10+ | Spribe, Hacksaw Gaming | Aviator, Big Bass Crash, The Perfect Scratch, Tiger Scratch |
Bonuses with low wagering requirements
When an online casino screams that it’s offering hundreds or thousands of pounds in bonus cash plus 500+ free spins, you might instantly be drawn to the sign-up form. But the size of the bonus doesn’t always equate to good value.
Simon Says: “Get into the habit of looking beyond the bonus amount and consider the bonus value. For instance, a £50 bonus with wagering requirements of 5x is better for most players than a £500 bonus with 50x wagering. Understanding this will help you to access offers and promotions that are easier to convert to winnings.”
Rather than looking exclusively for high ticket bonuses, choose casinos with low wagering requirements, ideally lower than 20x, my preferred limit.
For example:
- Bonus 1: £150 in bonus cash with 30x wagering and a £200 win cap.
- Bonus 2: £100 in bonus cash with 5x wagering and a £150 win cap.
To maximise bonus one, you would need to spend £150 x 30 = £4,500 of bets to satisfy the wagering requirements fully. In other words, given the attached win cap, you’d need to wager £4,500 to win a maximum of £200.
In contrast, to maximise bonus two, you would only need to spend £100 x 5 = £500 to satisfy the wagering terms, potentially winning up to £150. So, though the bonus offers less cash and a lower winning amount, the significantly lower wagering requirement means that it’s a more attractive offer to practically all players.
When I look for the top online casinos, I give significant weight to the wagering requirements the site attaches to its bonuses. I think it’s unreasonable to ask players to have to bet too to access less than £100 in bonus cash – the casino might as well not have a bonus.
So, I read the small print and find casinos with valuable bonuses, which you can actually profit from when playing your favourite games.
Check out one of the best casinos for new player bonuses and sites that offer ongoing promotions for existing players before signing up.
Customer support & responsible gambling messaging
One of my pet hates is that practically every betting site has done away with phone support. Call me old-fashioned, but sometimes you just need to speak to someone over the phone for a quick and helpful resolution to a problem.
Casinos that offer quality, person-to-person phone support are like gold dust. A few still offer assistance over the phone, but they’re a rare breed. Needless to say, I give them top marks if their phone support is up to scratch.
More often than not, if you need help while playing, you’ll be directed to an FAQ page that’s about as helpful as a chocolate teapot. Alternatively, some casinos have a live chatbot, which tries, at every turn, to direct you back to the FAQs page.
I know this for a fact, as it’s happened to me numerous times. It’s frustrating and a massive pain, particularly if you have a pressing payment concern or an issue with a game disconnection that’s just cost you hundreds of pounds in winnings.
So, while I no longer expect phone support, here are the bare minimum requirements I believe a top online casino should offer its customers today:
- 24/7 live chat support, managed by human support staff who can speak English.
- Responsive email support and a commitment to respond to detailed email queries within 12 hours at most. The casino should publish its email address clearly on its support page, not try to hide it away from its customers.
- The option to upload copies of ID and proof of address details via a document uploader to streamline and quicken the KYC (know your customer) process.
I also read each casino’s responsible gambling policy or portal. The UKGC is very specific about how to promote responsible gambling, and I give high scores to online casinos that take this seriously.
At the very least, the casino should promote its responsible gambling tools, like deposit and time limits, and how to activate reality checks.
Fee-free & fast withdrawals
When you sign up for an online casino, you can make a deposit within seconds. Most sites process instant deposits via:
- Debit cards like Visa & Mastercard. It’s illegal to gamble with a credit card in the UK.
- Mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Pre-paid cards like Paysafecard.
- E-wallets, including PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill.
Bank transfer deposits are widely accepted, but they’re usually not instant and may take one to two days to show in your casino account balance. I only recommend a bank transfer if you’re a high roller making a sizeable initial deposit.
At present, crypto gambling is illegal in the UK, so you can’t deposit with BTC, LTC, or any other non-fiat currency. If you want to bet with crypto, use an exchange site to change your crypto into GBP and then transfer the funds to your account.
Simon Says: “Practically every casino in the UK accepts instant deposits. So, why should it take them 7-10 days to send you your winnings? It shouldn’t. That’s why my comprehensive casino reviews give top scores to sites that process withdrawals instantly (or within a few hours).”
Before creating an account, I ask a support agent how long it takes them to process withdrawals. This is a key question, and it’s not always publicised on the site.
The processing time is different from the overall payout time. For instance, if a casino processes your payment within 48 hours, it essentially means it can take them up to two days before they send you your money. Then, it could take a further 2-3 days for the funds to reach your account.
So, my preference is always to play at and recommend online casinos that process withdrawals instantly and without any fees. Then, you can reasonably expect your winnings to arrive in your account within 1-2 days, which is fair and acceptable in my view. Anything longer than this says to me that the casino is dragging its heels for one reason or another.
A top tip of mine is to gamble with an e-wallet if you’re looking for the quickest payouts. At most casinos that I review, PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill transactions are usually processed instantly, and your funds should show in 2-3 hours.
It’s really easy to set up an e-wallet account, and you can link it to your UK bank account. This also adds another security layer when transacting, as you don’t need to share your bank or card details with the casino.
Why can you trust Simon Says?
Whether I’m reviewing a newly launched online casino with thousands of games or a mobile-first casino with outstanding offers, my review process is always the same.
I have used my 20+ years of casino experience to create a 20-point review process that is unique to Simon Says. I conduct all of the reviews myself and rate casinos based on the criteria laid out in my review process.
This guarantees objectivity across the board and means that my reviews are fair and transparent. It also means that the top online casinos on my site have excelled in all areas, including security, bonuses, game variety, customer support, payment terms, and responsible gambling.
The bottom line? If a site is top-rated on Simon Says, you can trust that it’s safe, legitimate, and well worth playing at in the United Kingdom.
Best of luck!