MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International is the company behind Bellagio, Aria and the MGM Grand, one of the largest casino and hotel operators in the United States. It reached online casino players in Britain by a different route: in 2022 it bought the Swedish operator LeoVegas, and that acquisition, not its Las Vegas floor space, is what links MGM to the online brands and games covered on this site.
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This page sets out what MGM Resorts actually is, how its online business is put together, and why a US resort group ends up behind a UK-licensed casino. If you have seen the BetMGM name attached to an online casino here, the short version is that a company inside the MGM group holds the licence and runs the platform, and the detail below covers who does what.
A casino resort operator, not a games studio
MGM Resorts runs physical casino resorts. On the Las Vegas Strip alone its properties include Bellagio, Aria, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Luxor, New York-New York, Park MGM and Excalibur. Beyond Las Vegas it runs regional US casinos such as Borgata in Atlantic City, MGM National Harbor near Washington DC and MGM Grand Detroit, plus MGM Macau and MGM Cotai in China, for roughly 30 hotel and gaming destinations in total. It trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MGM and is led by chief executive Bill Hornbuckle. The business in its current form dates to 2000, when MGM Grand acquired Mirage Resorts to create MGM Mirage, and it took the MGM Resorts International name in 2010. The company reports in four parts: Las Vegas Strip resorts, regional US operations, MGM China, and MGM Digital, which is where the online business covered on this page sits.
MGM operates most of these resorts but no longer owns the buildings. The real estate largely sits with VICI Properties, a listed real-estate trust, and MGM leases and runs the venues. That structure matters here only as a reminder of what MGM is: an operating and brand company, not a supplier of casino games. It does not build slots or table games for other operators, so you will not find it alongside providers such as NetEnt or Pragmatic Play in a list of studios.
How MGM reached online players in Britain
MGM’s way into the UK online market runs through LeoVegas. It launched a tender offer for the company in May 2022, valuing it at roughly $607 million, and completed the takeover that September. LeoVegas became the core of what MGM now reports as MGM Digital, the arm that handles online casino and sport outside North America.
The licence that lets these brands take UK customers is held by LeoVegas, not by MGM itself. LeoVegas Gaming plc has held a UK Gambling Commission licence, account number 39198, since November 2014, and the group also operates under a Malta Gaming Authority licence for other European markets. BetMGM launched as a UK sportsbook and casino in August 2023, built on the LeoVegas platform rather than as a copy of the American product.
BetMGM in America and BetMGM in Britain are run differently
The BetMGM name covers two separate operations, which is the part most people get wrong. In the United States and in Ontario, BetMGM is a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts and Entain, opening online sports betting and casino games market by market as each state or province regulates them, and it also runs online poker under the partypoker brand. In the UK, BetMGM is not that joint venture at all; it is the LeoVegas-powered brand, licensed and operated by the LeoVegas side of the group. Same brand name, but a different owner and a different platform. In practice that means the UK product answers to UK rules and the LeoVegas licence, and the responsible operator shown in a site footer will be a LeoVegas entity rather than MGM Resorts International directly.
Where the games come from
Because MGM and LeoVegas do not make their own games, the content on their casinos is licensed in from outside studios and assembled through the LeoVegas platform. That usually means slots from a spread of suppliers and live dealer tables from specialists such as Evolution, plus staple table games like blackjack, roulette and baccarat. The exact line-up depends on what each market’s licence permits and which supplier deals are in place, which is why two LeoVegas-run brands can share a large part of the same game library.
What the group’s size means when you play a LeoVegas-run brand
When we weigh an operator group like this, we look at the strength of its licences, how much it has to disclose publicly, how long it has traded and how it is funded, rather than the marketing on the front page. MGM scores well on those measures. The UK products sit under a Gambling Commission licence, with the segregated-funds, GamStop and identity-check duties that come with it, and MGM’s status as a NYSE-listed company means its finances are filed in public every quarter. The trade-off is sameness. LeoVegas runs several sibling brands on one platform, so a BetMGM UK account can feel much like its stablemates, and the range on any single brand is narrower than the size of the parent might suggest. You can line it up against other operator groups to see how that compares.
The group is putting money into the online side rather than pulling back from it. In its first quarter of 2026, reported in April, MGM posted record quarterly revenue of about $4.5 billion, BetMGM turned its first quarterly profit, and MGM Digital, the LeoVegas arm, grew revenue by roughly 43% year on year. For anyone using one of its UK brands, the takeaway is simple: the parent is spending on the online business rather than winding it down.
Is BetMGM in the UK the same company as BetMGM in the US?
No. In the US and Ontario, BetMGM is a joint venture between MGM Resorts and Entain. In the UK, BetMGM is operated by LeoVegas, the European company MGM bought in 2022. They share a brand name but not the same ownership or platform.
Who holds the UK gambling licence for MGM's online casino?
LeoVegas Gaming plc, a company inside the MGM group. It has held a UK Gambling Commission licence, account number 39198, since November 2014, and the UK BetMGM casino runs under it rather than under MGM Resorts International directly.
Does MGM Resorts make its own casino games?
No. MGM is a casino resort operator and brand owner, not a games studio. Its online casinos license slots and live dealer games from outside providers and run them on the LeoVegas platform.
Why is a Las Vegas company behind a UK online casino?
MGM wanted an online business outside North America. Rather than build one from scratch, it acquired LeoVegas in 2022, an established European operator that already had the licences and technology to serve markets like the UK.
Is an MGM-owned online casino safe to use in the UK?
The UK brands operate under a UK Gambling Commission licence held by LeoVegas, which requires protection of player funds, GamStop self-exclusion and identity checks. As with any operator, confirm the licence details shown in the site footer before you deposit.
Casino list updated: July 2026
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