About Us

Best Online Casinos is an independent research site covering casinos not on GamStop for UK readers. We were built around one question that kept coming up: for players who have self-excluded but are legally free to gamble elsewhere, which sites actually pay out, and which ones are worth avoiding? This page explains who we are, what we cover, and how we put our rankings together.

What We Actually Do

We are not a casino, a bookmaker, or a payment provider. We do not accept deposits and we never handle player funds. What we do is research operators that sit outside the GamStop self-exclusion scheme — most of which hold licences from jurisdictions such as Curaçao rather than the UK Gambling Commission — and report back on what we find: bonus terms, game selection, payment options, and how quickly winnings tend to move once withdrawal is requested.

Our focus on payout speed is deliberate. Readers coming to a site like this one usually already know the games and the bonuses; what they want to know is whether a casino releases winnings promptly and without unreasonable hoops. That's the lens we apply throughout.

Why Casinos Not on GamStop Exist

GamStop is a free UK self-exclusion scheme that blocks a person from accounts at GamStop-registered operators. It doesn't remove someone's legal right to gamble — it removes their access to that specific network of sites. Casinos not on GamStop simply sit outside that network, typically licensed abroad, and remain open to UK adults who choose to play there. There's nothing unlawful about a UK resident using them; the choice, and the responsibility that comes with it, sits with the player. For a fuller breakdown of how the scheme works and what it does and doesn't cover, our guide to non GamStop casinos in the UK goes into more detail.

Plenty of players choose these sites for reasons beyond bypassing exclusion — bigger welcome packages, faster registration, a wider spread of game providers, and payment options like crypto or Paysafe that aren't always available on GamStop-registered platforms. We try to reflect that range fairly rather than assuming a single motive.

How We Rate and Rank

Every operator on this site is assessed against the same set of criteria. No brand pays for a higher position — commission from affiliate links never enters the scoring, and we say that plainly rather than as a footnote. Our ranking process looks at:

• Payout reliability — withdrawal limits, processing timeframes stated by the operator, and how transparent those terms are up front
• Licensing and site security — confirming a valid licence is held somewhere, even where that's not a UK licence, and checking for basic account security measures
• Bonus terms — reading past the headline percentage to the wagering requirements, maximum cashout caps, and game restrictions attached
• Game range — slots, table games and live dealer options, and the software studios supplying them
• Payment methods — the deposit and withdrawal options on offer, including any fees or minimums
• Customer support — availability and responsiveness where this can be verified

Ratings are ours, expressed as editorial scores out of 10 — they are not customer reviews, and we don't present them as such. We update listings as offers and terms change, since welcome packages and wagering conditions at these operators shift more often than at UK-licensed sites.

A Look at Where Betmica and Kikibet Sit

Betmica currently tops our list, largely on the strength of a welcome offer sized at 570% up to £5,700 plus 270 free spins — one of the largest packages we track, though as with any offer this size, the wagering requirements attached deserve a careful read before depositing. Kikibet follows closely with a 350% match up to £5,555 and 300 free spins, a slightly more conservative headline figure that in our experience tends to come with more workable playthrough terms. Neither is a UK-licensed operator, which is a distinction we flag clearly rather than gloss over: readers choosing sites like these are stepping outside GamStop-registered and UKGC-regulated protections, and that trade-off should be an informed one.

Money Matters: Deposits, Withdrawals and Costs

Taking part costs nothing beyond what a player chooses to deposit — there's no membership fee to browse or compare these sites. Once you do deposit, the operators we cover typically support a mix of debit cards, e-wallets, Paysafe vouchers and, on several sites, cryptocurrency. Withdrawal timeframes and any processing fees vary by operator and by method, and we note these against each brand where the information is published rather than estimating them ourselves. Minimum deposit and withdrawal thresholds, and any caps on bonus-related cashouts, are terms we treat as material — meaning we try to place them next to the offer they belong to, not bury them in small print.

Beyond the Casino Floor

Most operators we cover don't stop at slots and table games. A number also run sportsbook sections — betting sites not on GamStop that let players wager on football, horse racing and other sports through the same account. Where that's the case, it's usually built on the same licence and payment infrastructure as the casino side, so the eligibility and payment considerations carry across. We mention this where it's relevant, but our core focus stays on the casino product and its payout performance.

Games and Choice

The catalogue across these sites generally splits into slots, table games such as blackjack and roulette, and live-dealer rooms streamed from studios. Slot libraries tend to be the biggest draw, often sourced from multiple third-party providers, while live-dealer sections vary more in size from one operator to the next. We describe what's actually on offer at each site rather than assuming every casino not on GamStop carries an identical spread.

Staying in Control

Choosing to play at a casino outside GamStop doesn't remove the tools for managing your own limits. Most operators offer deposit limits, session reminders or the ability to close an account directly with the site. If self-exclusion is something you're reconsidering, or you want support around setting limits, our Responsible Gambling page has practical guidance on that. We'd rather a reader use those tools proactively than need them after the fact.

Where We Stand Commercially

Best Online Casinos earns revenue through affiliate links — if a reader signs up with an operator we've reviewed, we may receive a commission. That relationship has no bearing on how a brand is scored or where it appears in our rankings; the criteria above are applied the same way whether or not a commercial arrangement exists. Full terms for how our site operates are set out in our Terms and Conditions, and any questions about our process are welcome through Contact Us.