—TechRound does not recommend or endorse any financial, gambling, trading or other advice, practices or companies and operators. All articles are purely informational—
The UK’s online casino industry has witnessed a remarkable shift towards independent operators in recent years. These bespoke sites have carved out substantial market share by offering unique gaming experiences, innovative technology, and player-focused services that set them apart from generic white-label offerings.
However, while many punters might recognise the flashy brand names on their screens, the powerful companies pulling the strings behind the scenes aren’t always as well understood. Some are very well-known with a major UK presence and reputation, such as Bet365 Group, but others are more unfamiliar.
To provide players and people interested with more information on the large online operators in the UK, who are driving the industry, there are companies like Independentcasinos.com and others, who can provide more information and insights into who owns the most popular independent online casinos in the UK.
Profiles of Leading Independent Operators
Bet365 Group
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, Bet365 remains one of the UK’s most recognisable gambling brands. The company was founded privately by the Coates family and has built an empire on innovation and customer-centric thinking. The company continues to produce huge profits, with the Coates family regularly featured in The Sunday Times Rich List.
The company was one of the first to recognise the potential of gambling over the internet, with a sports betting platform being launched in 2001. Since then, they’ve gone on to become an all round gambling platform, offering sports betting, casino games, poker, bingo, and more. They also pioneered in-play betting technology and were one of the first online bookmakers to offer the option to cash out before bets had been settled.
They employ thousands of people in the Stoke-on-Trent area and around the world, and are one of the biggest gambling names in the world.
Flutter Entertainment plc
Formed through the 2016 merger of Paddy Power and Betfair, Flutter Entertainment has grown into a Dublin-headquartered powerhouse with dual-listing credentials. The company has reported huge operating incomes year-on-year, with no plans of slowing down.
Flutter’s UK casino presence spans multiple beloved brands including Paddy Power, Betfair Casino, Sky Vegas, and PokerStars Casino. Each brand maintains its unique character whilst benefiting from Flutter’s proprietary global platform technology.
The company’s strength lies in its ability to identify quality acquisitions from around the world, which has led to exponential growth since its foundation.
Entain plc
Originally founded in 2004 as Gaming VC Holdings (GVC) before rebranding to Entain in 2020, this FTSE 100 constituent has become a dominant force in UK gambling. With net gaming revenue of several billion, it’s one of the most successful public companies in the UK.
Entain operates an impressive UK portfolio including Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala Casino, Foxy Bingo, and PartyCasino. These brands are a mix of high-street names and online platforms, attracting all types of British gamblers. On top of their UK brands, they also run many successful overseas gambling names such as BetMGM, Bwin, STS, and more.
Entain has doubled down on its in-house technology strategy, now operating proprietary platforms across multiple international markets. This tech-first approach allows rapid deployment of new features and ensures quality player experiences across all their brands.
MGM Resorts
One of the biggest names across the globe, MGM Resorts is a gambling powerhouse with multiple gambling and entertainment resorts across the US and the rest of the world. Founded in 1986, the company regularly posts billions of dollars in profits and is one of the most recognisable names in the US.
However, it’s featured as one of the most popular independent operators in the UK due to its acquisition of LeoVegas Group in 2022. LeoVegas built its reputation as the “King of Mobile Casino” through its pioneering mobile-first approach. Their award-winning app delivers lightning-fast loading times through optimised HTML5 technology that outperforms many competitors’ desktop experiences.
The acquisition by MGM Resorts opened up brand new doors for LeoVegas, with the group able to lease its technology to bigger brands. This saw the opening of BetMGM within the UK during 2023, which operates on the LeoVegas independent licence.
Tek Fox Ltd
Not all of the most popular independent online casinos have huge companies driving them. A good example is MrQ.com which is operated by Tek Fox Ltd, a company with locations in both Malta and the UK. MrQ was launched in 2018 originally as a bingo site, but casino and other games were soon added to bolster the site’s portfolio.
Since launching, MrQ immediately became a success with UK players. Part of the reason for this is the standout feature to remove wagering requirements from the site completely, allowing players to withdraw winnings immediately. Very few other sites offered this back in 2018, giving MrQ a huge competitive advantage. However, since then, more sites have begun to embrace the no wager approach, including many of the big names on this list.
Still, this player-friendly approach has helped MrQ carve out a loyal customer base despite competing against much larger operators. Therefore, the site still regularly sits as one of the most popular independent casinos available.
FDJ United
FDJ is the operator of national lotteries in France and Ireland as well as a variety of online platforms. Originally known as La Française des Jeux, FDJ United became the company name in March 2025 after some significant changes. One of those was the acquisition of Kindred Group, which operates major UK brands Unibet and 32Red.
These two brands have been available in the UK for many years, with millions of active customers. They both run on the same independent platform, offering players a variety of bespoke features for a unique gaming experience.
Despite being a major firm before this acquisition, adding Kindred’s brands helped FDJ United raise its profile enormously. Thanks to the added international business, it was expected to become the second-largest gambling operator within Europe.
How Independent Operators Shape The UK’s Online Market
Independent operators drive innovation across the entire UK gambling sector. Their ability to develop proprietary technology and respond quickly to player feedback creates competitive pressure that benefits all punters. While white label operators are popular for starting a UK online casino, they are constrained by their platform providers’ capabilities and simply cannot match the pace of innovation.
—TechRound does not recommend or endorse any financial, gambling, trading or other advice, practices or companies and operators. All articles are purely informational—
