A register answers a narrow question
The Gambling Commission's register of gambling businesses can be searched by business name, trading name, domain name or account number [1]. Anjouan Gaming's register can be searched by licence number, company name or operational domain, and its results show the registered name, licence number, licence type and current status [2].
Anjouan says what its results are not. Verification is not an endorsement of the licence holder's services, products or business practices [2]. Its registry disclaimer adds that the register confirms licensing status only [3]. Read a result as a statement about a licence, not about the service.
A regulator can also publish more than one list. The Commission's public registers cover licensed businesses, individuals, regulatory actions and premises [4]. The regulatory actions and public statements each have their own search page [5] [6]. Each list answers a different question, so check the one that fits.
What a status means, in two regulators' words
Both registers use the labels Active, Suspended, Revoked and Expired. The definitions are each regulator's own, and they are not identical.
| Status | Gambling Commission | Anjouan Gaming |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Licence is active and up to date [1] | Currently valid, and the holder is authorised to conduct licensed activities within its conditions [7] |
| Suspended | Suspended by the Commission pending investigation [1] | Temporarily suspended, and the holder is not authorised to conduct licensed activities during the suspension. It may be imposed pending investigation, remediation of deficiencies or resolution of regulatory concerns [7] |
| Revoked | Revoked as a result of regulatory action or breach of licence conditions. A separate label covers revocation for non-payment of the annual fee [1] | Permanently withdrawn, in cases of serious breach, persistent non-compliance or where remediation is not achievable [7] |
| Expired | The licensee has not applied for a new operating licence after the current one reaches its end date [1] | The validity period has ended and the licence has not been renewed. It may follow non-renewal by the holder or a decision by the Authority not to renew [7] |
Summaries of the definitions on each regulator's page, read on 9 October 2026.
The Commission's register has labels Anjouan's page does not: Forfeited, Lapsed, Pending and Surrendered [1]. Anjouan states that only an Active licence status authorises licensed internet gaming activity, and that users should check the register before relying on a claimed licence [7].
A label gives the licence's state and, at most, a class of reason: the Commission's definitions point to investigation, regulatory action or an unpaid fee [1]. The specific grounds, where a regulator publishes them, are in the enforcement lists described below.
Domains, names and dates are the weakest fields
The Commission's register says domain names and trading names are provided by the gambling business, and that the Commission cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided by third parties [1]. It records a domain as Active, Inactive or White label [1].
Anjouan puts it differently. A domain in its register confirms only that the domain was notified to the Authority as associated with licensed activities. It does not confirm ownership of the domain or any trademark [3].
Currency differs too. Anjouan's register is updated periodically and may not show changes since the last update [3]. The Isle of Man commission dates its list of former licence holders to 2 October 2026 and says it covers licences that ceased from 1 January 2020 onward. For earlier ones it asks you to email [8]. The Commission's business register was marked updated on 9 October 2026, the day we read it [1].
Curaçao's, Kahnawà:ke's and Ontario's registers carry their own caveats and dates, set out in our guide to licensed in one place, available in another.
What an enforcement list adds
The Commission says businesses and individuals who do not follow the rules can expect regulatory action. The powers it names include adding a licence condition, removing or amending a condition, and imposing a financial penalty [9]. It publishes a sanction once the person or business has been informed and any objections to publication have been considered [10].
So an entry records a measure the regulator took and the grounds it gives. Read what the entry says before drawing a wider conclusion about the business. Its register of businesses has a field for sanctions or settlements imposed as a result of regulatory action or investigation [1], and the regulatory actions list gives details of actions taken against licensees [4].
Malta's Enforcement Register shows how a case can run across several entries. The register we read lists suspensions, cancellations, a revocation and notices of cancellation, and the newest entry was dated 16 September 2026 [11]. In the entries we read, a notice of cancellation was followed later by the cancellation itself. One suspension entry says the suspended company must still give registered players access to their accounts. The entries cite the regulations relied on, and several say the decision may be appealed [11].
Curaçao's register page links to an Enforcement register (a PDF) beside its licence overviews [12]. We did not open it, so we say nothing about its coverage.
Lists of sites that falsely claim a licence
Two of the regulators we read publish lists of sites that point to them without a licence. Malta's declares that it has no connection with the listed URLs, and that any reference to a Maltese licence on them is false and misleading [13]. The Isle of Man commission posts sites that purport to be licensed by it, where they come to its attention [14].
The Isle of Man wording matters: the list covers sites that came to the commission's attention. A site missing from such a list has not been cleared. Only the licence register can show a licence.
Reading a record, step by step
- Find the regulator the site names, then its register. The Commission advises checking that the business holds a British Gambling Commission licence, and whether you can see its address, domain names, trading names and current licence status [15].
- Search by more than one key. Use the licence number or company name, and the domain. Compare the domain you are on with the domain the register shows. The Commission advises checking that the licence details, including activities and website domain names, match the public register [15].
- Read the status and its definition. Use the regulator's own definition, because the labels are not interchangeable (see the table above).
- Look for enforcement entries separately. Search the regulator's enforcement or regulatory actions list for the company name, and read what measure the entry describes.
- Check the date. If the register shows no date, or says it may lag, ask the regulator before you rely on it.
Sources
The numbers in the text point to these pages. Each was opened on the date shown.
- Gambling Commission, Register of gambling businesses. Read 9 October 2026.
- Anjouan Gaming, Verify a licence. Read 9 October 2026.
- Anjouan Gaming, Registry disclaimer. Read 9 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Public registers and datasets. Read 9 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Regulatory actions. Read 9 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Public statements. Read 9 October 2026.
- Anjouan Gaming, Licence status definitions. Read 9 October 2026.
- Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, Former online gambling licence holders. Read 9 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Action we can take. Read 9 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Publishing regulatory action. Read 9 October 2026.
- Malta Gaming Authority, Enforcement register. Read 9 October 2026.
- Curaçao Gaming Authority, Licence register. Read 9 October 2026.
- Malta Gaming Authority, Unauthorised URLs. Read 9 October 2026.
- Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, Unlicensed gambling websites. Read 9 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, What to look at before you gamble. Read 9 October 2026.
About this guide
Published by Avenmark Media. A separate pass re-opened every source above and checked each claim against it, on . A second, independent check compared a sample of the claims with the same sources. How we research and correct our pages.
Found a mistake? Email [email protected]. We correct the page, change its updated date and say what changed.