Find the company behind any casino site
This guide shows you how to identify the legal company that runs an online casino and the body that issued its licence, then check both against the regulator’s own public register. It is written for readers in Ireland who want to know who holds their money and where a complaint would go. We cover where the company name appears on a site, how to read the Irish, Maltese and Curaçao registers, and the mismatches that should stop you before you deposit anything.
Why the brand name tells you very little
The name on a casino’s homepage is a trading brand, and a brand cannot hold a licence, sign a contract with you or be pursued over an unpaid withdrawal. Those things belong to a registered company, usually with a name that looks nothing like the logo, and often based in Malta, Gibraltar or Curaçao rather than in Ireland.
One operating company frequently runs dozens of brands from the same platform, so two sites that look unrelated can share the same owner, the same terms and the same complaints history.
That matters for three practical reasons, and none of them is academic. When a withdrawal is held for KYC or a source-of-funds request, the company named in the terms is the party you are dealing with. When you want to complain, the regulator that licensed that company is the body that can act, and a regulator in another jurisdiction has no duty to hear a case about a brand it never licensed. And when you self-exclude, the exclusion normally attaches to the company’s account system, which is why knowing the sister brands is useful.
The work, then, is matching a brand to a company and a company to a licence.
Where the company name appears on a casino site
| Location on site | What it usually shows | How reliable | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website footer | Company name, licence number, regulator seal | Starting point only | Check service scope |
| Terms and conditions | Full legal name, registration number, address | Most reliable on site | MGA claims only |
| Privacy policy | Data controller company and address | Good cross-check | Read action details |
| Regulator seal link | Live page on the regulator's domain | Reliable if domain matches | Absence proves nothing |
| Payment descriptor | Company or processor name on statements | Often a third party | Check customer territory |
Reading the regulator's register correctly
Once you have a company name and a licence number, the only confirmation that counts is the regulator’s own register, opened by typing the regulator’s address yourself rather than clicking a link on the casino site.
Ireland: the GRAI register
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland publishes a public licence register at grai.ie, and when we checked it listed licence holders such as Betfair International plc, Betway Limited and 888 EIRE LTD. Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 the GRAI began issuing remote betting licences first, and its own guidance states that casino games and slot machines are licensed in a later phase. Read the licence type on each entry: a remote betting licence is not a remote gaming licence, and it does not cover an online casino.
Malta and Curaçao
The Malta Gaming Authority runs a verification page on authorisation.mga.org.mt, and the MGA itself tells readers to confirm that the address starts with that domain before trusting what it shows. The Curaçao Gaming Authority became the online regulator under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), which entered into force on 24 December 2024, replacing the older master-licence and sublicence arrangement.
On every register, compare three things: the exact company name, the licence status, and the domains or brands attached to the licence.
How an Irish licence differs from a foreign one
Finding a valid foreign licence answers one question, whether a regulator somewhere supervises the company, and leaves open the question that matters most to a reader here, which is what that regulator will actually do for a player in Ireland.
A licence from Malta or Curaçao is supervised under that jurisdiction’s law, with its own complaints route and its own idea of player protection. The comparison below sets an Irish GRAI licence against a typical foreign licence on the points readers ask us about.
GRAI licence against a foreign licence
Each row compares one practical point; the winner column marks which licence gives the reader in Ireland the stronger position.
GRAI licence (Ireland) | Foreign licence (MGA, Curaçao) |
|---|---|
| Supervised under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 | Supervised under another country's gambling law |
| Complaints can go to an Irish regulator | Complaints go to a regulator abroad |
| Public register on grai.ie | Public register on the regulator's own domain |
| Licence type states the exact activity covered | Licence type states the exact activity covered |
| Tied to Irish rules such as the credit card ban | Irish consumer rules may not be enforced abroad |
| Online casino licences come in a later phase | Online casino licences available now |
Checking a casino's licence holder yourself
The procedure below takes a few minutes per site and needs nothing more than a browser. Follow it in order, because each step uses the result of the one before.
If any step fails, stop there and treat the site as unverified rather than looking for reasons to explain the gap away. A missing or mismatched licence is not a paperwork quirk, and in our experience the explanations operators offer for it rarely survive a look at the register.
Six steps to verify a licence holder
Keep a note of the company name and licence number as you go, so you can compare them at the end.
- Step 1
Open the terms and conditions page
Scroll to the opening clause of the terms. Copy the full legal company name, its registration number and its registered address exactly as written, including suffixes such as Limited, plc or N.V. - Step 2
Note the stated regulator and number
Find the regulator and licence number the site claims, usually in the footer or the terms. Write down both, and note whether the site names a regulator or only shows a logo. - Step 3
Type the regulator's address yourself
Go to grai.ie, mga.org.mt or the Curaçao Gaming Authority site by typing the address. Do not use the seal link on the casino site, because a copied seal can point anywhere. - Step 4
Search the register by company
Search the register using the company name rather than the brand. Confirm the status is active and the licence type covers casino gaming, not only betting or supplier services. - Step 5
Match the domain to the licence
Check whether the register lists the website's domain or brand under that licence. A valid licence held by a different company, or covering other domains only, does not cover this site. - Step 6
Check the company registry entry
Search the company in its home registry, such as the Malta Business Registry or Companies Registration Office in Ireland. Confirm the name, number and address match what the terms state.
Warning signs that should stop a deposit
Some problems are visible before you ever reach a register, and they are worth recognising on sight.
The clearest is a terms page that names no company at all, or names one that cannot be found in any registry. Close behind it is a seal shown as a flat image that does not link to the regulator’s domain, or links to a page on the casino’s own domain designed to look official. A licence number that the register returns as expired, suspended or surrendered means the site has no current licence, whatever the footer says.
Watch also for a mismatch between the company named in the terms and the one named in the privacy policy, since a data controller in one country and a contracting party in another can make a complaint or a data request much harder to pursue. Under the older Curaçao system many sites displayed a master-licence holder’s seal rather than a licence of their own, so a reference to a sublicence is a reason to check whether the operator holds a licence in its own name under the LOK.
None of these signs proves fraud. Each one means you cannot confirm who holds your money.
Related Terms
Questions about finding a casino's licence holder
Can the brand name and licence holder be different?
Yes, and they usually are. The brand is a trading name, while the licence is held by a registered company named in the terms and conditions, often based outside Ireland.
Does the GRAI currently license online casinos?
The GRAI began with remote betting licences, and its guidance says casino games and slot machines are licensed in a later phase. Check the licence type on its register before assuming casino cover.
Is a regulator seal in the footer enough proof?
No. Seals can be copied as images or linked to fake pages. Type the regulator’s address yourself and search its register for the company named in the terms.
How do I check an MGA licence?
Use the MGA’s verification pages on authorisation.mga.org.mt, confirm the address starts with that domain, and check the licensee name, status and the domains listed under the licence.
What changed with Curaçao licences?
The National Ordinance on Games of Chance entered into force on 24 December 2024, making the Curaçao Gaming Authority the online regulator that issues licences directly to operators.
Does a foreign licence protect me like an Irish one?
Not in the same way. A foreign regulator applies its own law and complaints process, and Irish consumer rules such as the credit card ban may not be enforced abroad.
What if the terms name no company at all?
Treat the site as unverified. Without a named legal entity you cannot check a licence, identify the party holding your funds or know where a complaint should go.
More about online casinos
What we check first is the opening clause of the terms, because that is where the operator has to name itself as the contracting party. Footers are edited by marketing teams and seals can be copied as images, so we treat both as leads to follow rather than as evidence.