Our promise, up front

SportsWhizz is an honest, AI-native betting guide. Two rules sit above everything else: we never let anyone pay to rank, and we only feature operators whose licence we can verify on the regulator’s own register. Licensing accuracy is critical, so where anything is uncertain we say so, and we always point you to the regulator’s own register to check for yourself. This article explains exactly how our verification works, so you can hold us to it.

Step 1: Find what the operator claims

We start by identifying the licence an operator says it holds — the regulator named, the licence or account number, and the licensed company name, usually in the site footer. A claim is only a starting point. It proves nothing until it’s confirmed at the source.

Step 2: Cross-check the regulator’s own register

This is the heart of our process. We take the claimed licence to the regulator’s own public register — the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar authorities, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Curaçao’s Gaming Control Board, Ontario’s AGCO / iGaming Ontario, and others. We never accept a badge, seal or logo on the operator’s own site as proof, because those can be copied or faked. Only the regulator’s own record counts.

On that register we confirm:

  • Brand / trading name matches the site.
  • Website domain is covered by the licence.
  • Products include sports betting, not just another category.
  • Status is active — not expired, suspended or revoked.

If all of that lines up, the licence passes. If it doesn’t, it fails. It really is that binary. Our public walkthrough of the same method is in how to check a bookmaker licence.

Step 3: Reject fakes, dead licences and disguises

We reject an operator whenever:

  • The licence can’t be found on the regulator’s own register.
  • The licence is expired, suspended or revoked.
  • The details don’t match — wrong brand, wrong domain, or wrong products.
  • The site offers only a company or data-protection registration dressed up as a gambling licence. That’s a common trick, and we treat it as unlicensed — see licence vs company registration.
  • The site is unlicensed or black-market for the region it targets — see offshore betting sites risks.

There’s no negotiating on this. A failed licence check means no feature, regardless of how attractive the operator’s offer is.

Step 4: Judge the strength and market honestly

Passing a licence check is necessary but not the whole story. Not all regulators protect players equally, so we assess how strong the licence is — a UKGC licence carries more consumer protection than a light-touch one — and whether the operator is regulated, grey or black for a given region. When a market is grey, we say so plainly rather than pretending everything is fully regulated everywhere. See what is a grey market in betting.

Step 5: Keep checking

Licences change. Operators can be suspended, and reforms (like Curaçao’s) shift the landscape. We treat verification as ongoing, not a one-time stamp, and we update our assessments when the facts change.

What we won’t do

  • We won’t let commercial relationships influence rankings or licence checks. No pay-to-rank, ever.
  • We won’t feature an operator we can’t verify.
  • We won’t give betting tips or pretend betting is a way to make money — our focus is safer, better-informed play.
  • We won’t hide uncertainty. If a licence or market position is unclear, we tell you and point you to the regulator’s register.

Verify us, and verify for yourself

The most important safeguard is the one you control. Even when we’ve verified an operator, we encourage you to run the same check yourself before depositing — it takes a couple of minutes and it’s your money. Use our how to check a bookmaker licence guide, read our full standards in our methodology, and see the results in our best betting sites list and individual reviews.

Honest, verifiable, never for sale. That’s how we assess licences, and how we’d want ours assessed if the roles were reversed.

18+. Gambling involves real financial risk. If it stops being fun, take a break — play responsibly.