Closed online casinos UK

What closed online casinos UK players should know first

When people talk about closed online casinos in the UK, they usually mean one of four things, and the difference decides what happens to your money. A brand can be retired while its operator carries on with other brands. A company can surrender its licence, sometimes because its brands have moved to a different licence holder. The Gambling Commission can suspend or revoke a licence after a regulatory failure. Or the business itself can fail financially.

Our guide to what happens when a casino closes covers the general process; this page focuses on reading the signs on the register and getting money back.

Licence and domain statuses on the register

The Gambling Commission's public register of businesses (opens in a new tab) is the most reliable place to see whether a casino is still trading legally. Each entry shows the licence holder, the status of each licence, and lists of trading names and domain names with their own statuses.

A domain listed as Inactive, or not listed at all, is the clearest sign that a web address is no longer a licensed casino for British players. If that address still takes deposits, treat it as unlicensed. Our licence check guide shows where each tab sits.

Examples of closed, suspended and moved UK casino brands

Real cases show why it pays to read the register rather than rely on a site going quiet. The examples below come from the register and Commission announcements; we haven't added any reasons the records don't give.

You can see the Karamba position on the domain list for account 39483 (opens in a new tab), where every domain is marked inactive, and read the Commission's announcement of the LEBOM suspension (opens in a new tab). For brands that changed hands rather than closed, our page on rebranded casinos explains what to check.

What happens to your money when an online casino closes

Money in your casino account is yours. Under Commission rules you can withdraw at any time without unreasonable delay, you can't be made to withdraw in instalments, and a business can't confiscate your balance because you didn't log in or verify your identity within a time limit. A closure doesn't remove those rights while the company still exists. In practice, most retiring brands contact customers, invite them to withdraw and give a deadline after which balances are returned to the payment method on file or handled as the terms describe.

The harder case is a business that fails. Then the question is whether your balance was protected. The Commission's guide to what happens to your money if a gambling business goes bust (opens in a new tab) explains that it depends on the protection rating stated in the operator's terms.

Worked example: a £300 balance under each rating

Imagine you have £300 in an account when the operator becomes insolvent. If its terms said funds were not protected, the £300 counts as a company asset and you would rank as a creditor, possibly recovering little or nothing. With medium protection, safeguards such as insurance are in place, which improves your position, though the protection isn't absolute. With high protection, the money sits in a separate account controlled by an independent trustee and checked by an auditor, so it should be returned to you. Since 31 October 2025, operators with unprotected funds must remind you every six months, stating your balance.

What to do if your online casino is closing or has closed

1. Log in, if you still can, and request a full withdrawal straight away to a payment method in your name. Take screenshots of your balance and transaction history.
2. Read any closure email or on-site notice for deadlines, and check it came from the casino's real domain.
3. Search the register for the brand name and web address to see the licence status and whether another licence holder now lists it.
4. If the withdrawal stalls, complain in writing through the casino's published complaints procedure and keep a copy.
5. After eight weeks without a resolution, or once you receive a final response, take the dispute to the free ADR provider named in the terms.
6. If you paid by debit card and believe the service wasn't provided, ask your bank whether a chargeback is possible.
7. If the business has failed, look for an insolvency practitioner's notice and register your claim if your funds weren't protected.

Our guides to withdrawing casino winnings, what to do if a casino won't pay and chargebacks go into each step.

How to tell whether an online casino has closed

Sites rarely announce closures prominently, so look for a combination of signs rather than any single one.

• The register lists the domain as Inactive, or the licence as Surrendered, Suspended, Revoked or Expired.
• The site redirects to a different brand without explanation.
• Deposits are disabled but withdrawals still work, which often happens in a managed wind-down.
• Account messages or emails give a closure date.
• The footer no longer shows a Gambling Commission account number, or shows one that doesn't match the register.

A redirect to a sister brand on the same licence is usually a managed retirement. A redirect to an unrelated site with no UK licence is a warning sign.

Closure scams and copycat sites

When a well-known brand closes, copycat sites and phishing messages sometimes appear. They may claim your old balance has been transferred and ask you to log in, verify your card or make a small deposit to release it. A licensed operator moving balances wouldn't ask you to pay to get your own money. Check any new address on the register, type known addresses yourself rather than following links, and read our guide to casino scams to avoid. Sites promising to accept players after a closure without UK checks are likely offshore casinos, which our page on unlicensed casino risks explains.

Complaints and disputes after a closure

Start with the operator, even if the brand has gone, because the licence holder remains responsible for complaints about its brands. It has eight weeks to resolve your complaint. If it doesn't, or you disagree with its final answer, take the dispute to the ADR provider named in its terms; the Commission's guide to taking a complaint to ADR (opens in a new tab) explains how. ADR is free and providers must allow at least 12 months from the operator's final response. IBAS is one of the approved providers. The Commission doesn't resolve individual disputes, but it does want to hear about rule breaches. Our casino complaints guide has a template-style walk-through.

Closed casino or closed account? Two different situations

A casino closing is different from a casino closing your account, or you closing it yourself. Operators can close individual accounts under their terms, and must close or suspend accounts when you self-exclude and return your balance. Our pages on whether a casino can close your account and how to close a casino account cover those cases. If your goal is to stop gambling everywhere rather than at one site, GAMSTOP blocks all GB-licensed sites at once, and our self-exclusion guide explains how. The National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133.

Established licensed alternatives after a closure

If your casino has closed and you want to keep playing, take your time and withdraw any old balance first. These established casinos have clear entries on the register: Coral under LC International Limited (account 54743), PlayOJO under Skill On Net Limited (39326) and Casumo under Recro Limited (61549). Offers checked 5 October 2026; 18+, terms apply.

Coral gives new players 100 free spins on selected slots at 10p each once they deposit and stake £10 or more on slots; accept them within 48 hours and use them within 7 days, with no wagering on winnings, and note that PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify. PlayOJO gives new UK customers outside Northern Ireland 80 spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each with a first deposit of £10 or more, with winnings paid as cash. Casumo matches 50% of a first deposit of at least £20, up to £100, after opt-in; the bonus carries 10x wagering within 7 days and a £5 maximum bet.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.