As with any institution, UK online casinos are bound by the rule of law. The laws of land based casinos and those of online casinos tend to be identical, save very few. The laws have changed over the years so it is a good idea for gamblers, old and new, to know what the laws are for gambling in their region.
You can place your bet online while sitting at home and win money without going through the hassle of going to an actual casino.
Laws Regarding the Player
The old gambling law in the UK was established in 1968. This law simply read that there is nothing that will prohibit the people of Great Britain from gambling in their own homes. This was a broad stroke law that states the legality of gambling in the UK. There were amendments to the law at one point that required a person be a member of a gambling club for 24 hours before they were allowed to place a bet.
That law has been changed altogether and now you can simply walk into a casino and play. There is no legislation regarding UK online gambling. You can register, download and gamble within a few minutes.
There are few hard and fast rules regarding casinos in the UK. They are required to have a license and be registered with the gambling council. The Gambling Act of 1968 would have prevented online casinos would have had to be based offshore because permits were given only to land based casinos and they would be subject to the gambling laws of their own countries, not the UK's.
Fortunately the Gambling Act of 2005 allows online casinos to be based anywhere, including the UK, giving tax breaks to countries that relocate their business base to the UK.
Gambling Police
The Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) was founded to regulate the body of UK online casinos. They have a strict code of conduct and their members must adhere to gambling laws in order to keep their membership.
The code of conduct includes allowing inspections, truthful advertising and maintaining accurate player records, holding a license, prohibiting access to minors, swift payout, ensuring recovery from system failures, player protection and ensuring random results.
