Meet the Casino.co.uk Team

Our Leading Experts

Each of our writers brings their unique and dedicated knowledge to the table to give detailed and unbiased insights on where Brits can find the best UK online casinos. Whether you need information breaking down promo types or guidance on which banking methods offer the quickest withdrawals, we have in-house experts covering it all:

Alan Kendall

Area of Expertise: Casino Reviews

Aside from writing about online gambling for 20 years, Alan has also worked with major brands including Entain and Flutter Entertainment and spoke at notable industry conferences like SIGMA Europe and iCS Georgia. He’s utilised his first-hand expertise across 15+ detailed casino reviews, tailored to the wants and needs of British gamblers.

Location: Liverpool, UK

Reviews and Guides Written: 17+

Years of Experience: 20+

Learn more about Alan

Richard Trenchard

Area of Expertise: Minimum and No Deposit Casinos

Richard was an editor for several household UK newspapers and magazines for over 15 years, but began focusing on gambling in 2011 and has since produced content for popular brands such as Casumo, LeoVegas and 888 Sport. At Casino.co.uk, he has penned numerous helpful guides on important topics varying from no deposit bonuses to fast payout casinos.

Location: Preston, UK

Reviews and Guides Written: 11+

Years of Experience: 15+

Learn more about Richard

Jon Young

Area of Expertise: Slots Games

With a CV that includes working as an editor for the World Poker Tour, Betway and 888 Casino, slots specialist Jon has seen and written about it all in online gambling during the last two decades. Away from his guides to the likes of Megaways and mobile slots (and more), his work for Casino.co.uk has also covered minimum deposit casinos, bonus types and reviews.

Location: Oxfordshire, UK

Reviews and Guides Written: 25+

Years of Experience: 21+

Learn more about Jon

Claudia Hartley

Area of Expertise: Payment Guides

Claudia’s near decade spent writing about iGaming has seen her curate content for well-known casinos like Kwiff, as well as for players around the globe including in the UK, Canada, India and South Africa. She’s our go-to source when it comes to enjoying seamless deposits and withdrawals, thanks to her thorough knowledge of banking options.

Location: London, UK

Reviews and Guides Written: 5+

Years of Experience: 8+

Learn more about Claudia

Sam Pearce

Area of Expertise: Guides and Games

After 5 years spent writing for Pinnacle’s casino and sportsbook products and across several gambling-focused websites covering markets including the UK, Ireland and USA, Sam became our lead content editor in 2024. He’s contributed to over 70 reviews and guides, utilising his research skills to ensure they’re all delivered with an honest and player-focused approach.

Location: Essex, UK

Reviews and Guides Written: 70+

Years of Experience: 6+

Learn more about Sam

Our Fact-Checkers

Everything you read by our expert writers is also meticulously fact-checked by online gambling specialists to guarantee that it’s completely accurate and up-to-date:

Paul Lamford Published Author and Gambling Expert Location: Wales, UK Years of Experience: 27+

Former Welsh chess champion Paul has written several books about gambling, including The Amazing Book of Casino Games and Starting Out in Poker. During his career he has also served as a consultant and games designer for several major UK online casinos and sportsbooks, such as bet365 and Betfred.

Martin Booth iGaming Expert Location: London, UK Years of Experience: 15+

Following an extensive career in journalism across newspapers including the Daily Express, Sunday Mirror and News of the World, Martin joined Ladbrokes as Head of Content Management in 2011. Since then, he’s worked in roles providing content and data to the gambling and sports industries, with clients including Paddy Power and UK Sport.

Why You Can Trust Our Writers

Casino.co.uk has been supporting online gamblers in the UK by providing honest reviews, guides and more since 2012, but we lean on more than just our experience to ensure we’re a valuable resource for players. You can trust our advice on real money casinos for the following reasons:

• ✅Genuine industry insights: We have inside information about how casinos operate, across everything from how often they run promos and which bonus terms are the best value for your money, to how they source games and process payments. That means our reviewers can immediately tell where a casino stands out and falls short compared to competitors.
• ✅Facts without fluff: With over 175 licensed online casinos to choose from in the UK, our goal is to present you with useful, impartial and honest information that helps you make informed decisions about which gambling sites to join. We’re not owned by any of the casinos that we’ve reviewed, and while we may earn a commission if you sign up with any through Casino.co.uk, this doesn’t influence our ratings or feedback and is what allows us to provide our expertise for free.
• ✅Safe and secure recommendations: We help you avoid sites that fail to look after players by only featuring casinos with valid licensing from the Gambling Commission (UKGC). Equally, any operators that fall short of our strict standards are added to our blacklist.
• ✅Strong track record: Our numbers speak for themselves, as 37,000+ UK casino players have used Casino.co.uk to sign up with a gambling site since 2020. Our writers have also been quoted by publications like the Daily Star and Metro.

How Our Team Reviews and Rates UK Casinos

All of the 65+ casinos reviewed by our experts has been subject to the same seven-step process designed to identify its strengths and weaknesses. We take an in-depth look at several important factors to determine whether a site or app ticks every box to earn our recommendation:

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Security & Fairness

Making sure casinos are completely safe and secure

Licensing / SSL Encryption / Fair RNG Software

Before anything else, we look into whether a casino is fully licensed by the Gambling Commission. This indicates that it complies with the UKGC’s stringent standards for player safety, by protecting your money and data with advanced tools such as SSL encryption and two-factor authentication (2FA). The available games should also use fair RNG software approved by recognised regulators like eCOGRA, and players must have access to easy-to-find responsible gambling tools and resources.

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Bonuses & Promotions

Finding bonuses with generous but reasonable terms

Welcome Offers / T&Cs / Wagering Requirements

We award top marks to casinos that offer both new and existing players consistent chances to boost their bankroll, with offers such as 100%+ deposit matches, free spins and cashback. However, in all cases, these need to come with unrestrictive terms and conditions that don’t dilute the bonus value via high wagering requirements and low maximum win limits. Our team are especially impressed if the bonuses include minimum and no deposit offers suited to budget players, alongside a VIP or loyalty scheme for those willing to deposit more frequently.

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Games & Software

Take your pick from thousands of top games

Themes & Types / Software Providers / Jackpots

The best casinos are home to massive games selections comprising thousands of popular and new titles from software studio heavyweights such as Games Global and Pragmatic Play. Apart from featuring a noticeable variety of slots, table games, live dealer options and more, they should equally cater to players of all budgets and experience levels, and ideally include free demos that let you try out games with no financial obligation. Last but not least, we like it when the library is straightforward to navigate with options to save your favourites.

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Localisation

Feel like you’re playing at a casino made for Brits

Location / Language / Legality

Obvious as it may sound, an online casino available to UK players should come with everything they need. This includes well-known payment options that process your deposits and withdrawals in pounds (GBP) and customer support channels that let you easily get help in English. Brits preferably shouldn’t be excluded from any promos or features either. Behind the scenes, the casino needs to follow all relevant gambling laws and regulations and hold a legitimate licence.

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Mobile Compatibility

Highlighting well-designed mobile sites and apps

Casino Apps / Mobile Platform / Smartphones & Tablets

Mobile casinos are now just as popular as their desktop counterparts, so a well-designed smartphone platform is a must for every top casino. We directly test every casino’s mobile site and/or app to review the loading times, gameplay quality, storage space and mobile data demands. Extra points are available if they enhance the experience with push notifications and exclusive offers, and boast high scores from other players on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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Customer Service

Efficient and reliable support on call 24/7

Availability / Live Chat / Response Time

Our team spends a lot of time during every review directly testing a casino’s customer support, which should preferably include live chat, email and social media options. Aside from whether they offer help round-the-clock, we check the quality, professionalism and speed of the assistance by asking support agents numerous questions across a variety of topics. Afterwards, we’ll look through the FAQs and help pages to assess if they provide detailed and helpful answers to common queries from and issues encountered by players.

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Banking Options & Payout Speed

Instant deposits and quick withdrawals with no fees

Payment Options / Withdrawal Speed / Deposit Process

We expect casinos to make both funding and cashing out from your account easy by accepting a range of popular payment methods including Visa and Mastercard debit cards, e-wallets like PayPal, Skrill and Neteller, and mobile-based options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Higher scores are awarded when these have no fees attached, minimum deposit and withdrawal limits of £10 or less and quick payout times that send your winnings within 24 hours.