Casino guides: the rules behind every daily prize
Within each daily free prize, there is an account. Within each account, there is a licence. The guides below concern the rules and regulations that apply to both: what a casino can ask of you, what it may withhold, how long it may take to process a withdrawal, and where to go when it goes wrong. Each guide was compiled using the Gambling Commission's own pages, the applicable legislation, and the published terms and help centres of the ten casinos we review, with every figure linked to its source.
Written by Ewan Prescott · Last checked: 3 September 2026
Checks and your money
What a casino can ask of you, what a casino can read, and what any of it may mean to your wallet.
Affordability checksThe £150 check, the £5,000 assessment stage, and what each of the ten casinos asks forRead the guide
Bank statement requestsWhat UK casinos can ask for, what each accepts, what to redact, and what a refusal costsRead the guide
Credit score and mortgagesWhat the agencies record, what mortgage lenders read in your statements, and which casino checks leave a soft searchRead the guide
Deposit limitsThe 24-hour rule, the lowest-limit rule, net versus gross, and all ten casinos comparedRead the guide
Tax on winningsHMRC takes nothing from a win; the 40% duty casinos pay and the rules that catch the money laterRead the guide
Withdrawals and disputes
From the time you click withdraw to the decision maker who decides who is right.
Withdrawal pendingThe four stages, how long each takes at ten casinos, why weekends stall it and who to chaseRead the guide
Withdrawing free spins winningsWhich of the ten casinos pays cash, which locks wins behind wagering, the caps and expiry dates, and the minimumsRead the guide
Casino won't pay outThe legal floor under a bet, the four reasons wins are voided, the eight-week clock and the free adjudicatorsRead the guide
Account closed or restrictedThe six reasons, what happens to your balance and bets, how each of ten casinos reopens an account, and the dormancy feesRead the guide
Blocks and breaks
The tools that shut the door, how each of them works, and how long it takes to shut the door.
GAMSTOP explainedWhat the national self-exclusion blocks, what it misses, and why it cannot be lifted earlyRead the guide
Bank gambling blocksWhere to switch it on at 20 UK banks, the 48 or 72-hour wait to lift it, and what slips throughRead the guide
Gubbed: promotions stoppedThe three reasons a UK casino stops your offers, what it must tell you, and what comes backRead the guide
How these guides are made
This guide addresses one question a player asked, and explains the answer using some documents you can review yourself.
Each guide begins by referencing the relevant section of the Gambling Act, the licence condition, the HMRC manual, or the FCA handbook. Once referenced, the guide states what all ten casinos on this site publish about it, including the information written in the help centres and the terms, and puts the ten side by side in one table. Even if a casino fails to publish any information, the row will say so rather than speculate. All figures and quotations are fully referenced in the sources list at the foot of the page, and the guides do not include any affiliate links, as they refer the user to our reviews and to lists such as the fast withdrawal casinos and existing customer offers pages, which carry the links and say so.
The pages of casinos and regulators are frequently updated with new information. The date under each heading indicates when a particular guide was last checked against its sources. A stale guide is not retained; it is corrected.
Several of these guides describe tools for stopping: GAMSTOP, bank blocks, deposit limits, self-exclusion. If you are reading them for yourself, the National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open all day, every day.
GamCare, 0808 8020 133 GambleAware GAMSTOP Our safer gambling pageThe lists the guides point to
