Why this is the single most useful check you can do

If you take one habit away from this publication, make it this one. A licence logo in a casino footer is just an image. Anyone can copy it. Fake-licence and clone sites are a persistent problem in the offshore market precisely because most players never check past the logo. Verifying a licence properly takes about ten minutes and is the closest thing you have to a reliable filter between legitimate operators and outright scams.

This is a process, not a vibe. Here it is, step by step.

Step 1: Find the licensing claim - and the company name

Scroll to the casino's footer. You are looking for two things: the licensing jurisdiction (Curacao, Anjouan, Malta and so on) and ideally a licence number. Then go further - open the terms and conditions and find the name of the company that actually operates the site. This is the entity you will be verifying. Note it down exactly.

If a casino does not name its licensing jurisdiction at all, or does not name the operating company anywhere, stop. That alone is disqualifying.

Step 2: Go to the regulator's own register - directly

This is the step people skip, and it is the whole point. Do not trust a verification badge that links somewhere - badges can link anywhere. Instead, go to the official regulator's website yourself, by typing or searching the regulator's name independently, and find its public licence register.

• Curacao: the Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) maintains the register for the reformed direct-licensing regime. Under the new framework, look for a direct CGA licence rather than an old-style master sub-licence.
• Anjouan: Anjouan Gaming publishes a public licence register.
• Malta: the Malta Gaming Authority has a searchable licensee register.

For more on how the Curacao system changed, see our explainer on the CGA framework, and for the rise of Anjouan, our Anjouan licensing guide.

Step 3: Match three things

On the regulator's register, you are checking that three things line up:

1. The licence number on the casino footer matches a real entry on the register.
2. The company name on the register matches the operating company you found in the terms and conditions.
3. The status is current - active, not expired, suspended or revoked.

All three must match. A real licence number attached to a different company name is a classic clone-site signature: a scam site reusing a legitimate operator's licence details. A licence that exists but has lapsed is worthless to you today.

Step 4: Check the domain matches

Some licences list the specific domains an operator is authorised to run. Where that information is available, confirm the website you are actually on is one of them. Scammers frequently clone a legitimate brand onto a near-identical domain - the licence is real, but it does not cover the site you are looking at.

Step 5: Cross-reference reputation

A verified licence tells you the operator is real. It does not tell you the operator is good. Once the licence checks out, do a separate reputation pass:

• Search the operating company name plus words like "withdrawal problem" or "complaint"
• Look for a consistent track record over time, not just a flood of recent reviews
• Be wary of casinos with no history at all - longevity is itself a signal

Red flags that should end the check

Walk away if you find any of these:

• No jurisdiction or no licence number stated anywhere
• A licence number that does not appear on the regulator's own register
• A licence registered to a different company than the one in the terms
• An expired, suspended or revoked status
• A badge that links to a fake or broken "verification" page rather than the real regulator
• The operating company hidden or absent from the terms entirely

Any single one of these is enough. You do not need to find all six.

Why we do this for the operators we cover

This exact process is part of why The Non-Gamstop Daily lists only a small, disclosed set of operators rather than a huge directory. Brands such as Cosmobet, Rolletto and Zizobet are assessed against verifiable licensing and transparency criteria - if we cannot independently confirm a licence, the operator does not go on the site. Our methodology page sets out the full standard, including the disclosure that our parent group is connected to the operators we list.

The five-minute version

If you remember nothing else:

1. Find the licence number and the operating company name
2. Go to the regulator's official register yourself - never via the casino's badge
3. Confirm the number, the company name and the active status all match
4. Check the domain is covered where that data exists
5. Then, separately, check the operator's reputation

Ten minutes of this beats any logo, any review score and any marketing claim.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment, not income. Free, confidential support: BeGambleAware.org.