How to Check Whether Two Casino Brands Are Related

The question this guide answers

Are two casino brands related? Comparison websites often say so, sometimes on thin evidence such as a similar design or the same games. This guide gives a repeatable method that uses public records, explains what each kind of evidence can prove and lists the signals that look convincing but prove nothing. It is the method we use for every profile on this site.

The evidence, ranked

Step 1: read each website's footer

Start with the footer of each brand's website. The Gambling Commission tells consumers to check that a gambling business is licensed, and licensed businesses must display their licensed status and link to the public register. Note the name of the licensed company each website gives. If the names differ, that does not rule out a relationship, but it tells you the brands are run by different licensees.

Step 2: look the licensees up on the register

On the register, open each licensee's record and read three things: the account number, the licensed activities and the list of domain names with their statuses. Two brands whose domains both appear as active under the same account share an operator. For example, the record for Gamesys Operations Limited lists jackpotjoy.com and doublebubblebingo.com as active, so those two websites share an operator.

Pay attention to the status column. An inactive listing is history, not a current link: the 888 UK Limited record lists dozens of inactive bingo domains, including foxybingo.com, and that tells you nothing about who owns those brands today. A white-label listing shows the licensee responsible for a site presented under another brand, but it does not tell you who owns that brand name.

Step 3: check what the groups say

A licence record answers "who runs this?". For "who owns this?", go to the group. Groups list their brands on their own websites and in annual reports, and that is the most direct evidence of shared ownership. Rank, for example, names Mecca and Grosvenor as its brands; evoke names William Hill, the 888 brands and Mr Green. If neither group claims both brands, you have not found common ownership.

Step 4: check for changes, with dates

Ownership changes through acquisitions and reorganisations, and each one has an announcement date and a completion date. Use the original announcement, keep agreed and completed deals apart, and do not treat a licence start date as an acquisition date. Our Ownership Updates section records each change we have verified with its date.

What does not prove a relationship

Several signals are common and misleading. The same games appear on unrelated websites because studios supply many operators. A shared software platform shows a supply contract. Similar colours, layouts or welcome offers prove nothing. A shared office address is consistent with a link but does not establish one, and an old or inactive register entry describes the past. When the only evidence is of this kind, the honest conclusion is "not confirmed".

Putting it together

Write the answer as a short chain, with a source for each link: the group that owns brand A, the licensee that runs it, and the same for brand B. If both chains reach the same owner through stated facts, the brands are related by ownership. If they meet only at the licensee, they share an operator. If they meet nowhere, call them unrelated or unconfirmed. For worked examples, see William Hill and 888casino compared and our Jackpotjoy profile, and for the vocabulary used here, read shared ownership vs shared software.

Conclusion

Checking whether two brands are related takes four steps: footer, register, group statements and dated changes. Ownership comes from the groups themselves, operation from the register and everything else is context. More guides of this kind are collected in Industry Explainers.