Each-Way AtlasCheck a bookmaker's licence
How can you tell a UKGC licence is genuine and not just a footer logo?
Not on its own: a logo is an image that anyone can copy, so it proves nothing until the register agrees. The claim, made in questions readers ask, is that a footer badge shows a licence. On 6 November 2026 we compared it with three Gambling Commission sources, and it holds only when the number matches an Active record.
Editorial team of Each-Way Atlas · Checked
The claim
A reader asked whether a betting site's licence is genuine and not just a logo in the footer.
The claim behind the question is that a badge in the footer shows the site is licensed. The claim comes from user questions, and we do not name any site that made it.
The short version: the badge is a claim by the site, and the register is the evidence.
What the sources say
| Source | What it says | Date read |
|---|---|---|
| LC 8.1.1, display of licensed status | A remote licensee must show its licence statement, account number and a register link on every screen | 6 November 2026 |
| Public register record | Shows account number, status, activity, dates, domains and actions | 6 November 2026 |
| Commission guidance on checking a business | Tells consumers to confirm the business is licensed using the register | 6 November 2026 |
The condition asks for a statement with a number and a link, not for an image alone. A genuine licensee therefore gives you something you can verify in one click.
The short version: the rule requires a number and a link, so a bare logo is not what the rule describes.
When the claim fails
- The logo has no account number beside it.
- The number does not match any record on the register.
- The record exists but the status is not Active.
- The record covers casino only, and the site takes sports bets.
- The site's domain is not in the record, or is marked Inactive.
Domain status can be Active, Inactive or White Label. White Label means the licensee carries responsibility for a site run under its licence.
The short version: a logo fails the test whenever any one of these five points fails.
Example: one Active record and one other status
Example. Our notes of 6 November 2026 record SBG Sports Limited, account number 67370, as Active from 6 October 2025. They record Bonne Terre Limited, account number 38718, as Surrendered on 31 October 2025.
A footer logo reading the Bonne Terre number would no longer prove a current licence. Both lines are Not verified until we re-read the live register. See the Sky Bet record.
The short version: the same brand can point to an Active record today and an ended one yesterday.
How to check it yourself
Take the account number from the site and search for it on the register. Follow the register steps, then run the ten-point checklist. The licence statement rule explains what the site must show.
We hold no gambling licence ourselves, so nothing on this site should be read as a licence statement.
The short version: one search on the register settles what a logo cannot.
How we checked
We read LC 8.1.1, the register field list and the Commission's consumer guidance. We did not capture dated register screenshots yet, so the two records are Not verified. See How we check.
18+ only. Gambling can be harmful. National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7). Block your betting accounts with GAMSTOP.
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