UK Poker Guide - Locating The Most Legitimate And Reputable Poker Rooms For UK Players

Trusted Poker Badge IconLegitimate UK poker sites may also support card players from other countries as well. Whether located in Northern Ireland, England or Scotland, card players looking for legitimate online poker for UK players will generally find the same characteristics offered by most legit operators.

A site will be considered reputable in Internet poker forums and chat rooms if it has obtained legal licensing, and offers a wide range of trusted banking options, as well as promoting cash games and sit-n-go tables which are supported with decent traffic around-the-clock. These licensed and regulated poker operations may be certified in the United Kingdom, or in reputable offshore jurisdictions known for offering legitimate licensing and Internet poker oversight and regulation.

These legitimate UK online poker sites deliver to British residents a secure and safe Internet poker experience. While Internet gambling has been more favorably received for many more years by English citizens and lawmakers than it has across the pond in America, there is still a need to qualify the available Internet poker choices for legitimacy and trustworthiness. A close inspection of virtual card shufflers, Random Number Generators (RNGs), a poker room's security measures and the banking suite offered significantly helps identify those above-board poker sites which cater to card players located in the United Kingdom.

Gaming selection and traffic are also important to investigate, as well as what type of poker software is used, what welcome bonuses and ongoing player rewards can be expected, and how quickly and reliably payouts and withdrawals are delivered. Legitimate UK poker sites will also always employ customer service teams which are available through live chat, telephone and/or e-mail access that will be happy to discuss any and all of these characteristics. The most transparent UK poker sites are generally the most trustworthy and reliable. These are also the more reputable poker operators which support popular deposit methods like credit, charge and debit cards.

In most cases, to ensure a legal and honest transaction for both parties, payouts may only include specific banking methods which are extremely safe. This may limit your payouts to check by mail, and check by courier or money transfer, but this is merely another sign of a legitimate UK online poker site. We are not only industry consultants, but are also frequent online poker players ourselves. Because of this, unlike some review sites, we know what you are looking for when you want to enjoy some responsible, adult poker played online for real money. That is how we have developed our exhaustive review process, which we feel effectively streamlines websites offering legitimate online poker for UK players to a handful of the top operators.

All things being equal, if you could dine at a five-star restaurant as opposed to a three-star diner, all costs and considerations being the same, where would you go? The answer is simple, and the same ideology applies to choosing an Internet poker room. If you are not insisting that you only hold accounts at legitimate UK poker sites which are legally licensed and regulated, you are needlessly putting your money and sensitive personal and financial information at risk. Fortunately, there are those reputable, safe and secure online gambling management firms which have been offering a trustworthy Internet poker experience for years. We consistently review and recommend the most legitimate poker choices available, so check back frequently to enjoy the best that UK Internet poker can provide.

Most Trusted UK Online Poker Rooms For 2024

Site NameGeneral InfoUSALegitimacy RatingVisit/Review
1Betonline Poker LogoBonus:100%
Software: Inhouse
Licensed: Panama
Established: 2004
4.5 /5Play Now Read Review
2SB Poker LogoBonus:100%
Software: Inhouse
Licensed: Panama
Established: 1999
18+ Only (T&cs Apply)
4.4 /5Play Now Read Review

What Makes a Legitimate UK Poker Site - Our Review Process

What makes legitimate UK poker sites is what we attempt to uncover with our review process. Over the years we have noticed that Internet poker players from the United Kingdom experience much less aggravation and frustration when certain characteristics are present at a particular poker room. These important considerations mean thoroughly investigating whether a website is legitimately licensed, if it is regulated by a reputable jurisdiction known for legalized Internet poker, if the banking procedures in place are safe and secure, and if the company goes out of its way to consistently and frequently review its operation and guarantee customer satisfaction. Here are the finer points of our extensive review process explained in a little more detail.

Legal Poker Licensing And Certification

Legitimate online poker for UK players can only be offered by a company which is concerned with obtaining and maintaining legal licensing. Believe it or not, there are those Internet poker rooms which are not regulated, and which have no oversight from any significant government or legislative body. But the good news is that legitimate UK online poker is out there, thanks to those companies which take the extra time and financial investment to become certified and licensed in reputable offshore jurisdictions where online gambling is legal and regulated. The problem for the casual British Internet poker player lies in identifying which licensing bodies are respected and honest, as opposed to less than trustworthy. As industry consultants, we have identified both English and offshore online gambling jurisdictions that provide trusted and legit certification and regulation to legitimate UK poker sites.

Are They Trustworthy and Honest

After absolutely guaranteeing that your GBPs will be safely deposited at a legitimate UK online poker room due to its reputable licensing and certification, we move to the next step in our review process. You only want to deal with an honest and trustworthy virtual poker site, and there are many ways to investigate whether a particular poker parlor is legit or not. We chat up the customer support team at any poker room where we are considering playing. We also lurk and carry on conversations in Internet poker chat rooms and forums, and these are two excellent ways to get a feeling for whether a website is reputable or not. Also, the more transparent a poker room is regarding FAQs, licensing, security and fair play as well as its stance on responsible gambling, the greater the likelihood that you will not get snookered, and that you are dealing with a legitimate UK online poker provider.

Fair Play and Security Measures

Frequent testing of a poker room's software, including card "shufflers", Random Number Generators (RNGs), responsive display technology, SSL data encryption measures and more, is required to ensure that you do not receive a dodgy experience. It may not be that your particular poker room is intentionally less than secure. It may just be that they do not frequently test their software, which in the end is wholly responsible for your wins and losses, and the outcome of each poker session. Legitimate UK online poker sites employ unbiased third party testing labs to consistently and randomly ensure they are delivering fair play in a secure and safe manner.

Banking and Payout Choices

Fortunately for our fellow Internet poker players across the pond (we are US-based Internet gamblers ourselves), banking options and payout methods are generally greater in those poker rooms catering to British card players. Even so, this is not an area to be glossed over. Poker players the world over prefer using major credit cards to fund their Internet gambling accounts, and for good reason. Credit card companies offer excellent security measures, and will protect you if anything goes awry. We have identified those sites which offer credit card account funding, as well as a variety of other safe and secure deposit methods, while also offering multiple and speedy payments and withdrawal methods. Your banking and payout choices must be reviewed carefully, before you can decide whether you are experiencing legitimate online poker for UK players or not.

The Rest ? Bonuses, Incentives, Traffic

We know what you are thinking. And we agree with you that thoroughly investigating the above traits is very time-consuming. We started out just as Internet casino gamblers, sports bettors and virtual poker players looking for reliable and safe online destinations to enjoy some responsible adult wagering. However, we are much pickier than the typical Internet poker player. So we ended up with this intensive review process, one that we happily and frequently employ when checking out new poker rooms catering to UK players. You can certainly undergo your own exhaustive review process, or simply refer to the legitimate UK online poker providers we list here, as they have passed our thorough review examination with flying colors. And after ensuring the serious characteristics above have been met and exceeded to our satisfaction, we then investigate welcome bonuses, ongoing player rewards and incentives, game selection and poker traffic support, as well as any offerings which are specific to a particular site. Only then do we recommend a virtual poker parlor as one of the few truly legitimate UK poker sites found on the web.

If you reside in America check out our list of reputable USA poker sites.