Gambling terms, explained straight

Online Gambling & Industry

Gambling license check

A gambling license check is a verification step to confirm whether a gambling operator or individual holds a valid licence and meets licensing requirements.

Applies to
Remote gambling operators, personal licence holders, and operating licence applicants in Great Britain 14
Legal basis
Part 5 of the Gambling Act 2005 requires criminal record checks for licence applicants 23
Verification tools
Includes DBS check and, where relevant, overseas police reports 13

Key points

  • A gambling license check confirms that an operator holds a valid licence to offer services to consumers in Great Britain 4.
  • The UK Gambling Commission reviews application material and supporting evidence, such as a DBS check, to assess suitability 13.
  • This check is distinct from a Curacao gaming licence check, which follows different oversight rules 34.

Where this term is used

Online KYC gambling Explains Know Your Customer checks in gambling, which overlap with but differ from licence verification. Online KYC meaning Defines the general term Know Your Customer, a related identity verification process. Online Gambling commission Covers the UK regulator that conducts gambling license checks. Online Ecogra An independent testing lab that certifies gambling software, separate from licence checks. Online KYC meaning crypto Explains KYC in cryptocurrency contexts, another form of identity verification. Online Gli-11 A technical standard from Gaming Laboratories International

Sources

  1. Personal Management Licence (PML) guide gamblingcommission.gov.uk Provides the definition and process for personal management licence checks.
  2. Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice gamblingcommission.gov.uk States the legal requirement for criminal record checks under the Gambling Act 2005.
  3. Criminal record checks - Gambling Commission gamblingcommission.gov.uk Details the criminal record check process and its application to licence checks.
  4. Operating licences - Gambling Commission gamblingcommission.gov.uk Confirms that holding a licence is a condition for remote gambling operators in Great Britain.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.