What we regulate

As a first step in licensing a casino, the licensing authority will have to invite applications for any casino premises licences that it may issue. Otherwise, payment processing per se is not licensable under British gambling law and the main restrictions are that land-based bingo and casinos may not offer credit for wagers and remote gambling operators may not accept credit card payments (including through money services providers). 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. As far as remote gaming and betting is concerned, licences are readily available to suitable applicants.

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The proposals were opposed by the gambling industry, including the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association.They also regulate crypto gambling websites and mitigate the risk of money laundering through such sites. From December 2020 through February 2021, the Commission invited public comment on improving the quality and timeliness of its statistics regarding problem gambling. The Commission’s stated aims are “to keep crime out of gambling, to ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and to protect children and vulnerable people”. The Commission concluded that in the period between September 2018 and March 2020 the operators did not make enough efforts to keep gamblers’ safe and prevent money laundering. It also collaborates with the police over suspected illegal gambling.The Commission replaced the Gaming Board for Great Britain in 2007.

Making it an offence for a person to invite, cause or permit a child or young person to use these machines should act as a further incentive to abide by the rules. The current industry voluntary code allows these machines to remain alongside all other types of Category D machines. Moving them to an age restricted area would disproportionately impact small businesses who are reliant on streams of income from all of their different types of machines. In addition, as the maximum stake on these machines is 10p, these machines are less likely to be played in an area where there are Category C machines which have a maximum stake of £1 and can often be played at different staking levels up to this maximum. The industry has said that they are primarily used by family members who are 18 or over, while children play machines like crane grabs and coin pushers in the same area. They do not have any age restricted areas as they have no adult-only machines.

“… for the purpose of calculating the Category B machine entitlement in gambling premises, gaming machines should only be counted if they can be played simultaneously by different players without physical hindrance.” (Gambling Commission, 2019 For casinos moving onto the new regime, section 187 of the Gambling Act 2005 should require operators to apply to the licensing authority to vary their premises licence. We agree that operators should be required to notify licensing authorities and the Gambling Commission if they decide to take-up the entitlement to additional gaming machines under the new regime. The majority of respondents (93%) agreed that operators should be required to notify licensing authorities and the Gambling Commission if they decide to take-up the entitlement to additional gaming machines under the new regime. In order for converted casino operators to take advantage of the new entitlements for gaming machines, the casino must contain a table gaming area.

Here is an example of how we display a bonus offer in our casino reviews. Before signing up for any casino bonus, always read through the terms and conditions. These are the most common questions we get asked, because casino bonuses are a broad and sometimes complex topic.

Therefore both wholly automated gaming tables and table games of equal chance do not attract any gaming machine allowance for the purposes of meeting the machine to table ratio. Furthermore, the regulations stipulate that real equal chance gaming tables (e.g. poker) are not considered as gaming tables for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Act. In updating this ratio, we intend to amend the definition of “gaming table” for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Gambling Act 2005 so that only tables where the apparatus is controlled or operated by casino staff count for the purposes of the ratio. These respondents would prefer to see table games as the most common activity under a casino licence, non gamstop casinos highlighting that table games are more likely to lead to breaks in play. An examination of the responses shows that respondents were of the view that the maximum entitlement would apply per licence, with no restrictions on the overall maximum per 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.

The UK Gambling Commission will not directly get involved with complaints, but they can review cases made against a casino to check if the operator fulfilled its licensing obligations. You may also search the UK Gambling Commission’s website for more information about a casino’s licence status. Check out our full portfolio of casinos, organised alphabetically for you to peruse.

These are safe and trustworthy casino sites with proper licensing and player protection measures.Safe UK casinos also allow you to file formal complaints to the operators. Safe online casinos in the UK always display licensing info in the site’s footer. Whether you’re a new or a regular online gambler, always make sure that you play on casinos with a UKGC licence.

Bacta highlighted that pubs no longer give cashback and ATMs have all but disappeared from pubs, making it more difficult for customers to access cash to use on machines. This indicates that unless customers actively plan to bring cash to a pub for use on a gaming machine, they are unlikely to be able to use one. Evidence submitted by the British Beer and Pub Association shows a post-COVID decline in both the percentage of pubs with machines and machine weekly income.

• While some of the other proposals put forward to ensure no under-18s play these types of machines were sensible, we do not think it is proportionate to mandate any of these measures due to the lower risk nature of this product.
• The remote casino operating licence will be required (instead of an ancillary licence), in addition to a non-remote casino operating licence if you intend to link terminals located in one casino premises to gaming that takes place in another set of premises (for example, touch-bet roulette terminals in one casino linked to a roulette wheel in another casino).
• This research recommended that the use of personalised messaging based on an individual’s own patterns of gambling may be more effective than generic messages.
• The cost of seeking the correct licences for the first time can be very high and there are ongoing fees to be paid once a gambling licence is in place.
• (5) No gambling is permitted in the table gaming area of the premises other than gambling by way of table gaming.
• They also stated that individual gambling businesses should be allowed to decide if they would like to update their systems to provide direct debit card payments as it would be a significant cost to businesses to update all machines to have this functionality.

A flat additional annual fee of £6,250 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. A flat additional annual fee of £5,000 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. A flat additional application fee of £2,100 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. A flat additional application fee of £1,680 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. If you contract with any of the participants who use your gambling facilities (that is if any of those participants are your own customers) then you will need this licence instead of the casino (game host) operating licence.

From above-average deposit bonuses to ongoing promotions, this casino knows how to reward players. With such wins as “Best Online Casino Operator” and “Best Mobile Operator,” we see Casumo as a leading UKGC casino. We explain our picks further down with thoughts from our seasoned casino team. These brands offer more than your average casino, whether in the quality of their game portfolio, unique features, interfaces, or promotions. By choosing a licensed site, you also choose a casino that can help you if need be.

UK Gambling Licensing & Regulation Guide 2026

More information on licence applications is available from the Commission’s webpage Operating Licences. Converted casino licensees are advised that those wishing to utilise the new extended entitlements will need to inform the Commission under the Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) Ordinary Code Provision 8.1.1 (Information requirements). A series of key proposals specifically relating to the land-based gambling sector were outlined in Chapter 6 of the White Paper, including measures to adjust outdated regulatory restrictions applying to the sector. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published its gambling White Paper (opens in new tab) in April 2023, which set out the previous government’s plans for modernising the regulation of the gambling sector. Google acts as data processor on our behalf, further information is available in Google Cloud Platform Service Specific Terms (opens in new tab) and Google’s Cloud Data Processing Addendum (opens in new tab).

These operators must obtain a license from the Gambling Commission to legally offer their services to UK residents. It also ensures that operators meet certain standards for fairness, integrity, and transparency, issuing licenses to operators who meet these requirements. The Gambling Commission of Great Britain is the primary regulator of the UK gambling industry. To help you navigate the UK’s constantly changing regulatory environment, we’ve prepared a complete guide to UK gambling rules. The UK is constantly working to make the gambling industry safer. Understandably, industry regulations are continuously updated to prevent criminal activity in this massive industry.

We received detailed evidence through the consultation process outlining the impacts which increased fees would have on both the ability of licensing authorities to undertake their duties, and the commercial pressures placed on operators. These fees are used on a cost recovery basis to enable licensing authorities to undertake their gambling enforcement and administrative duties. To ensure this, we outlined in the white paper our intention to increase the cap on the maximum chargeable premises fees which can be charged by licensing authorities. The government will make inviting, causing, or permitting under-18s to play ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines a criminal offence through a draft affirmative statutory instrument. Bacta currently operates a voluntary age restriction on these machines for all of its members. We believe it is appropriate to make inviting, causing, or permitting under-18s to play ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines a criminal offence.

There was not a uniform view on what an alternative deposit limit should be, with responses ranging from £50 to £500. Industry’s perspective was mixed, with some responses stating that the limits for cashless payments should mirror the current ones to minimise the risk of delay to implementing the relevant legislation. There were a range of responses to the questions relating to maximum deposit and committed payment limits. In relation to taking a cautious approach, we think that a £100 limit is appropriate considering that our aim is to try and replicate the process by which someone uses cash to play on a machine.

Rawa Kaftan is a regulatory lawyer in Wiggin’s Betting & Gaming team and advises key stakeholders in the gambling industry, including many of the world’s largest online B2C operators, software suppliers, payment service providers and investors. Finally, in June 2025 the UK Government announced that it plans to introduce a “Voluntary Code” for prize draw operators whose offerings do not require a licence under the gambling framework because of the presence of a free entry route. The Gambling Commission’s Notice essentially makes clear that those B2B operators have a role in assisting the Gambling Commission in tackling unlicensed gambling in the British market and that such B2Bs place their own licence at risk by not taking sufficient steps to ensure that its content is only made available to British consumers via licensed B2C websites. The regulator has indicated that it may be less inclined to “settle” regulatory enforcement actions, particularly where operators have been made the subject of prior regulatory enforcement action, leaning towards the imposition of sanctions and penalties or, in more serious cases, suspensions and revocations of licences. For instance, since 28 February 2025, online gambling operators have been required to undertake a financial vulnerability check where a customer’s net spend exceeds £150 in a rolling 30-day period and, following the passing of secondary legislation, since May 2025 maximum stake limits per spin for online slot games are in place (£2 for those aged 18–24; £5 for those aged 25 and over). The main legislation governing gambling in the three forms identified in English law (gaming, betting and participating in a lottery) is the Gambling Act 2005.

We are unable to easily increase the maximum size of Small 2005 Act casinos as the legislation requires that Small and Large casinos are classified distinctly, so an overlap between the two categories would be problematic. However, as outlined in our proposals below, there are some difficulties in mirroring the exact restrictions that apply to Small 2005 Act casinos for 1968 Act casinos. Only tables for multi-player live gaming, operated by a casino dealer, will qualify for the purposes of this ratio.

A senior industry source called on Andy Burnham, a lifelong Everton fan and a vocal critic of the gambling industry, to condemn the deal. She was proved right within weeks, when Everton FC signed a three-year sleeve sponsorship deal with the crypto casino Stake.com, ignoring guidance from the Gambling Commission urging clubs to think twice before pursuing such deals. Stella David, chief executive of the Ladbrokes owner Entain, wrote to the gambling minister, Baroness Twycross, in early June, urging the government to act fast because sponsorship agreements with unlicensed firms were “surely now being finalised”. But a landmark sponsorship deal, signed during the delay, vindicated concern voiced by one of the UK’s largest licensed gambling firms.