Public Register
There is evidence of a concerning trend across these forms of advertising whereby those at the greatest risk of harm have the highest exposure. The limited high-quality evidence we received shows a link between exposure to advertising and gambling participation, but there was little evidence of a causal link with gambling harms or the development of gambling disorder. In particular, individuals with personal experience of gambling harms provided personal accounts of feeling ‘aggressively’ targeted with large quantities of direct marketing and online ads and being ‘groomed’ into problem gambling by VIP scheme managers.
Likewise, our understanding of gambling-related harms and gambling disorder has developed enormously over recent years. Land-based gambling also finds itself in a very different place in light of these changes, with some of the assumptions which prevailed 18 years ago looking increasingly outdated. Newly available data and technology can both increase risks to players and facilitate innovative protections. Multinational tech businesses now provide gambling services which customers can engage with from almost anywhere and at any time of day or night. In the past year or so, the Gambling Commission has introduced a series of curbs on gambling, including raising the age limit for playing the National Lottery and banning the use of credit cards.
UKGC-licensed operators must verify the age and identity of all customers before allowing them to gamble. The ban was introduced to prevent players from gambling with borrowed money, which is a significant risk factor for problem gambling. This applies to all forms of online and offline gambling. It has been illegal to use credit cards for gambling transactions at UKGC-licensed operators since 14 April 2020.
There is a large market in the United Kingdom for gambling on competitive sports at bookmakers (betting shops) or licensed websites, particularly for horse, greyhound racing and football. Gaming machines are divided into a number of categories, mainly depending upon the stakes and payouts involved, and whether there is an element of skill (these are known officially as AWPs or “Amusement with Prizes” machines). Many towns and cities bid to host one of these so-called “super casinos”, which will be similar to those found in Las Vegas.
The financial regulation of gambling is set out mostly in the British Finance Acts and provides for various levels of duty upon different types of gambling. Not regarded as gambling where the element of chance is no more than de minimis. Free-to-enter draws and betting competitions may be exempt if they meet conditions for free draws or prize competitions.
We do not believe that a 10% increase is sufficient to future-proof licensing authority funding in line with the recovery of the land-based sector from the challenges of COVID-19 and rising energy prices in recent years. Increased fees will enable licensing authorities to undertake more enforcement and engagement activities with licensed premises. We believe that on balance an increase to the maximum cap on premises licence fees by 15% is proportionate. A low number of premises visits may also be indicative of the lack of funding received by licensing authorities to fully undertake duties, such as inspections, alongside other administrative and enforcement functions. However, premises visits are only one aspect of a licensing authorities regulatory work. A number of these responses acknowledged the financial pressures placed on licensing authorities, which was reflected by the substantial number of industry responses that advocated for a 10% increase.
The UK Gambling Commission is the independent regulatory body responsible for licensing and overseeing all commercial gambling in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales). Understanding UK gambling regulations is not just for industry professionals. The UK online gambling landscape has undergone its most significant transformation since the Gambling Act 2005. UKGC licence is current, responsible-gambling controls are properly placed, and affordability monitoring kicks in at the legally required thresholds. UKGC licence is current, the site uses GAMSTOP integration, and the responsible-gambling toolkit is properly in place. UKGC licence is current and responsible-gambling controls are properly placed.
We have taken into account that these machines currently account for approximately two thirds of Category D slot style machines. While many welcomed this voluntary move, some respondents called for the restriction to become mandatory, while others like the Gambling Related Harm APPG wanted it to be extended to ticket-out slot style machines too. The distinction with ticket-out machines was drawn on the basis that while cash can be reinserted for further play (potentially facilitating behaviours like chasing losses), tickets cannot and have no value beyond what they can be redeemed for within the venue. Industry has recognised the concerns around slot style machines and in March 2021, Bacta members updated their Social Responsibility Charter and Code of Practice to voluntarily implement a ban on under 18s using cash out slot style machines. 18% of 11 to 16-year-olds had played on fruit style machines where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes and 10% on fruit style machines with small cash prizes. The tickets these machines pay out can be exchanged for a small physical prize such as stickers, sweets or a toy.
The UK Gambling Commission notes a 4.2 per cent drop in online harm since affordability trials began late 2024. Still, industry leaders tread cautiously; the Betting and Gaming Council warns that heavy red tape may nudge bettors toward risky offshore sites that skirt UK safety rules. An online casino guide here shows which brands follow the 2025 rules on game fairness and affordability tracking, and such guides have become a compass for users moving through the tighter online world. Online casino operators have been forced to make major tweaks in order to stay inside the new rulebook. Although the reforms attempt to rebalance gambling freedom with public protection, industry groups still worry about how expensive and practical the changes will prove to be. This article walks through the main 2025 changes, explains the impact on operators and on ordinary players, and charts the industry’s uneven path forward.
Should all 1968 Act casinos be permitted to offer sports betting, regardless of size? However, at this stage we do not know precisely what the GGY benefits will be, as we do not have any evidence on how casinos and players will respond to this proposal. For example, 88% of casino customers also bet online on sports at least once a month. Therefore, 1968 Act casinos are losing out on potential revenue that might otherwise have been generated if they were allowed to offer sports betting services. Consumers (particularly international tourists) still bet on sporting events via mobile devices while in casinos, irrespective of whether sports betting is permitted or not. Therefore, allowing casinos to provide sports betting services will open up a new section of the market to them.
Therefore, venues such as pubs and members’ clubs will not be impacted by any increases to premises licence fees. The fees payable for gaming machine notifications and gaming machine permits are not in scope of this review. Licensing authorities have an important regulatory role alongside the Gambling Commission in licensing local premises. Should it be a criminal offence for a person to invite, cause or permit children or young persons to play on these machines?
UK Casino Regulations 2026: Top 7 Rule Changes Explained
The UKGC is responsible for regulating arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, fruit machines, and lottery games as well as remote gambling, which including internet sites and telephone betting. A substantial number of responses drew upon the higher levels of customer spend which is evidenced on Category B gaming machines by comparison to Category C and D gaming machines, particularly as this relates to potential indicators of gambling-related harm. Equally, we want to ensure that customers receive a genuine offer of lower staking gaming machines as an important mitigation against gambling-related harm.
The industry argued this would prevent a scenario in which two casino venues of different sizes, located close to each other, could have vastly different gaming machines allowances. The ratio of machines to tables in 2005 Act Small casinos has forced operators to provide redundant tables which, alongside the locations to which the licences were allocated in 2007, has contributed to making them commercially unattractive for development. We received a cross-industry submission from the Cashless Group, made up of casino, adult gaming centre and bingo sector operators and trade bodies, in response to Question 40 on harms and benefits of cashless gambling. A central premise of the Gambling Act 2005 was to regulate gambling and manage gambling-related risks through controls which included restricting the number and location of gambling products, in particular gaming machines.
Annex A: List of responding organisations who agreed to attribute their response to their organisation
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the independent regulator for all commercial gambling in Great Britain and also oversees the National Lottery under the National Lottery etc. The big 2025–26 moves are the 1% statutory levy on operators (from 1 April 2025) and the 40% Remote Gaming Duty (from 1 April 2026), both enacted via the Finance Bill 2025–26. Those changes are being delivered through updates to the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) and through the annual Finance Acts, rather than through a new gambling statute.
Therefore, when Parliamentary time allows, we plan to give the Gambling Commission increased powers to support disruption and enforcement activity, such as to pursue court orders which require internet service and payment providers to take down or block access to illegal gambling sites. It is also intended that more regulatory data, suitably anonymised, will be made available in due course to support independent research. We also welcome the commitment from governing bodies across the sport sector to develop a cross-sport gambling sponsorship code, with rules to make sure all sponsorship deals are socially responsible. This should reduce children’s incidental exposure to gambling logos while watching football and particularly via products such as stickers and video games, as well as the direct association with star players. Advertising rules have changed to prohibit prominent sportspeople, in particular Premier League footballers, from appearing in gambling adverts, on the grounds of their strong appeal to children.
The Gambling Commission has come under fire for not preventing the spread of Fixed odds betting terminals on the high street. The Commission issued a £600,000 penalty to LeoVegas in May 2018 for producing misleading adverts to customers as well as several self-exclusion failings. The Commission found that Camelot had poor fraud prevention controls in place and that it had breached the terms of its licence. In situations where additional investigation is required, the licence can be revoked.citation needed The range of actions that may need to be taken varies from issuing a warning to inflicting a fine on those who violate licence conditions.
Editorial Team Behind This Review
Likewise, 9% of ‘non-problem gamblers’ restarted gambling after taking a break after receiving an offer, compared to 53% of those with ‘problem gambler’ classification. Gamblers have reported engaging in higher-risk behaviours, such as playing multiple games simultaneously or using ‘auto-play’ functionality in order to play through bonus wagering requirements as quickly as possible. However, such incentives are not exclusively for existing customers, and ‘sign-up bonuses’ which reward new customers with a one-off benefit have become a key element of market competition. Often this involves giving certain individuals or cohorts a wide range of offers to encourage play and reward loyalty, including free bets or spins, cashback, and best odds guarantees.
This process of formal review – Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 – can result in almost any sort of penalty from the regulator, including suspension and revocation of licences. Remote licences are, in fact, a legal requirement for any business, wherever located, to offer facilities for gambling to British residents. Persons wishing to enter the British land-based casino market have typically purchased existing businesses. There are no tender or bidding processes, other than in the occasional case of land-based casino franchises being proposed. This distinction cannot be ignored, and the regulator has no power to grant a licence that authorises both remote and land-based activity. Hence, the typical remote gambling business will require three types of British licence to lawfully offer remote gambling to British residents – an “operating” licence, a software “operating” licence and a suite of personal licences for its main personnel.
There is a higher prevalence of problem gambling among people with poor health, low life satisfaction and wellbeing scores, and the problem gambling rate is higher among more deprived groups than less deprived groups. However, there are limitations to all of these sources including incomplete coverage and lack of detailed information. In non gamstop sites particular, it found men were more likely to be experiencing problem gambling than women and that 16 to 24-year-olds had the highest average PGSI score of any age group.
- Please explain your answer, including an alternative proposal for SSBT entitlements where applicable.
- In a case which recently led to compliance activity by the Gambling Commission, a customer lost £36,000 in four days without appropriate financial risk assessment being carried out.
- Following the publication of the independent Football Index report, we also committed to looking at whether gambling companies should do more to demonstrate their ability to cover liabilities arising from long term bets, especially if they make up a large proportion of their business.
- In the current predominantly cash-based landscape, ATMs must be positioned to require a player to take a break in play in order to access additional funds.
- Licensees should consider whether processing of such data is for a permissible purpose, such as it being necessary in the public interest and/or a regulatory requirement.
We believe these to be of a smaller magnitude than the effects considered above, and expect forthcoming policy-specific consultations will broaden the evidence base to support detailed impact assessment. We recognise that our proposals also involve additional friction and/or reduced incentivisation for some people who are spending at high levels which they can afford and who are not being harmed. As part of the consultation, we will strongly encourage licensing authorities to consider the range of resources required for comprehensive monitoring and enforcement, such as IT and analytical capability, which may not have been a necessary or proportionate requirement when the fees were originally set.
Each sector can be broken down into terms of what each represents, the brick-and-mortar options therein, legal gambling ages, etc. There are many different legal UK gambling options for residents to partake in. To enter and gamble at a casino or horse racetrack participants must be at least eighteen. Generally, the minimum gambling age in England is 18, however, the minimum age to purchase a National Lottery ticket is sixteen. They work to vet spread betting brokers for proper and legitimate business ethics.
There were mixed views on casinos’ ability to hold multiple licences at the same physical location. More respondents were opposed than in favour, but this largely stemmed from those who are opposed to any increases in the supply of gambling opportunities, rather than operators and industry stakeholders. It was proposed that the requirements would form part of a new regime that operators would have the option of moving onto, taking up a new gaming machine entitlement under the new rules. Subsequent discussions with industry have indicated that this would equate to the majority of casinos in practice.