UK Casino Law 2026: Your 5 Player Rights
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) have provided detailed information on each casino, including floor space and the number of existing machines. Should access to a greater number of gaming machines require compliance with each of the three size requirements outlined above? Do you agree with the proposed (i) minimum gambling area; (ii) table gaming area; and (iii) non-gambling area requirements for 1968 Act casinos under the new regime? Only areas that comprise 12.5% of the minimum table gaming area can be taken into account when determining the total table gaming area for 1968 Act casinos that access the new machine entitlements. Under the sliding scale proposal (Fig 3), this casino would only be entitled to 70 machines due to the size of its non-gambling area in this instance. While the gambling and table gaming area requirements would be enough for an entitlement of 80 machines, its non-gambling area is too small to qualify for this entitlement.
There are no statutory stake limits on other forms of in-person gambling such as casino table games or over the counter betting. Slower and less intense games are also likely to generate less revenue than the current games (subject to the precise rule change), but in our view they will make the gambling product offer more sustainable rather than relying on potentially harmful practices to keep customers engaged. However, as one think tank pointed out, reasonable minimum standards are in fact a targeted intervention as they prevent designedly harmful or risky play, but do not impact how most people actually use online products.
Evidence we received from one researcher suggests that just 6.6% of academic papers published containing empirical research on gambling behaviours and policies between 2019 and March 2021 were from British-based researchers. Gambling may cause or contribute to poor mental health and wellbeing for some people, but for others, poor mental health may cause or contribute to harmful gambling. The relationship between gambling and some harms, such as mental health issues, is not always straightforward and can be bi-directional.
- However, a small proportion do suffer significant harm as a result of gambling, and the PHE evidence review included a detailed quantitative analysis on this issue.
- Gambling can also contribute to tourism, for instance to seaside towns across the country, or high-end casinos attracting wealthy overseas visitors who spend across a number of other sectors while in this country.
- Always check bonus terms, as some operators have adjusted minimum deposits, maximum bet sizes during wagering, or game contribution weightings to compensate.
- The next sections cover when the licence requirement triggers, the categories of remote licence available, and what the application process actually involves.
We would also like machines that use the BGC’s Anonymous Player Awareness System (APAS) to implement these limits and for APAS not to act as a substitute for these thresholds. Furthermore, the average stake size on B1 machines is similar to the stake size on B3 machines and therefore we do not think that the mandatory limits should be different between the different categories. In line with their responses to other questions, the pub sector did not want these non gamstop limits to apply to Category D crane grab machines.
Option (3) would not impact any 1968 Act casinos and would give these casinos greater flexibility in the layout of their venues. 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.
Figure 4: ‘Indicators of harm’ online operators are required to monitor and example constituent indicators
Licensed gambling premises should be tightly controlled environments with adequate supervision to protect young and vulnerable people. We therefore do not think there is a justification for split-screen bingo and B3 machine games on tablets in bingo venues, due to the potential for harm with simultaneous play products. It also called for updates to licence conditions to allow flexibility to extend their default playing hours, to allow for split-screen functionality to enable simultaneous playing of bingo and B3 machine games on tablets in venues, and to allow more freedom to offer bingo outdoors or through social media. In response to the call for evidence, the bingo sector put forward a number of proposals for changes to rules which they argued could balance consumer freedoms with prevention of harm to vulnerable groups and wider communities. As set out in section 5.3 above, we acknowledge that some British Beer and Pub Association members are taking more measures to prevent the underage use of Category C machines in pubs. Given the excess supply of Category C and D machines, this should reduce energy costs without materially reducing GGY.
The register also shows enforcement history and which domains a licence covers. Licensed sites must display their licence details. Check the operator name or licence number from the site footer against the UKGC public register.
Requirement to meet all three size requirements
Restrictions on supply were originally viewed as an important protection in the 2005 Act, but in the light of the availability of remote gambling the characteristics of products and quality of monitoring have assumed greater importance. The Gambling Act Review white paper published in April 2023 set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of gambling in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission will take a closer look at how bonuses are constructed and targeted to prevent them being used in harmful ways and its work will inform new rules to stop dangerous practices. Bonus offers, such as free bets or spins, can drive harmful behaviour and trigger people to spend more than they intended. New powers will be given to the Gambling Commission to tackle and block unlicensed black market gambling firms from operating in the United Kingdom. Only about three percent of the highest spending accounts will have more detailed checks, similar to those carried out when people buy products through online credit agencies or sign up to some mobile phone contracts.
Whether a UKGC licence is required, and which type, is the first practical question for any operator considering UK-facing online play. The Commission must pursue the licensing objectives and permit gambling insofar as reasonably consistent with those objectives. It is a criminal offence to provide gambling facilities without a relevant licence, permit, notice, or exemption. Most UK online gambling regulation discussion is Great Britain-centric, because the Gambling Act 2005 created the modern UKGC regime for Great Britain.
This suggests that, had the operator assessed the customer’s financial circumstances earlier and more effectively, they could have acted to reduce the extent of financial harm suffered. In a similar compliance case study identified by the Commission, a customer lost approximately £33,000 in three months without the operator carrying out any financial risk assessment. As such, the rate and level of spending would have been unaffordable for the vast majority of UK households, and likely to indicate harm. 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.
Similar provisions of the Act relate to gaming and gaming machines in licensed premises in Scotland, but these apply to premises which have a premises licence granted under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. 1968 Act casinos are limited to 20 gaming machines only, regardless of size, unless they restrict themselves to lower stakes machines only. The land-based sector includes casinos, licensed betting offices, licensed bingo premises, family entertainment centres, adult gaming centres, and on-course betting at racecourses.
Seven operators replied to this section of the consultation, some of which account for multiple venues and a significant proportion of the land-based casino sector. A sliding scale was proposed in the consultation which detailed potential requirements across (i) gambling space; (ii) table gaming space; (iii) non-gambling area; and (iv) machine to table ratio. The consultation proposed a number of measures with a view to modernising the regulation that applies to land-based casinos. All casinos will be allowed to offer betting, which was previously restricted to 2005 Act casinos.
Players in the UK pay no gambling tax on winnings, one of the few places in the world where that is still true. UK gambling laws include strict measures to protect players and encourage responsible gambling. Separate licences cover software suppliers and the key individuals who run the business.
Slot Stake Limits
A further key component of the online advertising landscape is social media, which has been found to have a particular impact on children and young people, and accounts for an increasingly large proportion of their gambling ad exposure. This means it is likely that the minority experiencing serious harm from their gambling are not only seeing more gambling adverts than others, but are also more likely to spend money as a result of seeing them. Evidence submitted by a major charity found that even occasional gambling substantially increased online advertising exposure, with around 40% of those who gambled once a month reportedly being served 4 or more ads a day. Adverts such as TV, radio and online banner ads tend to influence a lower percentage of viewers to begin or increase gambling than those on social media. It is clear that the risks posed by gambling advertising are not uniform across the population, and that people respond to different types of adverts in different ways.
UKGC licence is current, the responsible-gambling tools are properly integrated, and the affordability checks kick in at the regulated thresholds without making routine play feel surveilled. UKGC licence is current, GAMSTOP is integrated, and the responsible-gambling controls are properly placed. UKGC licence is current and the responsible-gambling tools are properly integrated.
This opposition was primarily from industry stakeholders, who argued that the other space requirements and the imposition of a machine to table ratio would ensure a balance between table gaming, machines and non-gambling space. For example, safer gambling functionality is now available and widely used on many gaming machines. This consultation relates to land-based gambling provided to customers in Great Britain, by operators who are consequently required to hold the appropriate licence from the Gambling Commission. The five types of licences included within this are casino premises licences, bingo premises licences, adult gaming centre premises licences, family entertainment centre premises licences, and betting premises licences. The GGY impact of this measure will depend on the take up of cashless gaming machines by operators, but also on the player protections.
The primary benefit of this measure is a reduction in energy and maintenance costs from unused machines. The Gambling Commission will conduct a future review of the gaming machine technical standards. The increase in Category B machines is expected to be even higher for Option 3, where no restrictions would be applied. All options set out in this section are expected to lead to an increase in the total number of Category B machines across bingo and arcade venues.
The stated aims of the Commission are to keep crime out of gambling, Ensure it is conducted in a fair and open manner and to protect the vulnerable. The Gambling Commission and the Government continue to listen to concerns from campaigners, the wider public, and both the gambling and horse racing industries as part of the consultation process on these checks. This includes the introduction of a statutory levy for research, prevention and treatment, as well as financial risk checks designed to prevent catastrophic, life-changing losses. Although most people gamble without issue, the restrictions introduced today are just some of the proposals set out in the Government’s white paper to modernise the gambling sector and make it fit for the digital age. We welcome the Government’s announcement to introduce lower online stake limits for under 25s as an important mechanism to protect young people.
The maximum number of gaming machines that may be made available for use on the premises remains unchanged at 80. For every gaming table used in the casino, the effect of the amendment is to increase from two to five the number of gaming machines that may also be made available for use. As well as a fixed numerical maximum, the number of gaming machines must not exceed a specified multiple of the number of gaming tables used in that casino. Thanks to recent legislative changes, the UKGC would have the power to regulate and tax not only online casinos physically based in the United Kingdom, but any gambling sites that serves UK players.
They collect fees for applications and annual renewals to cover the costs of gambling licensing and enforcement (and the fees can only be used for such costs). We do not propose that these machines should be required to be moved to an age-restricted area. We propose to move the voluntary commitment into legislation, introducing a legal age limit of 18 on Category D ‘cash-out’ slot-style machines. To achieve this, we are consulting on options for amending the 80/20 rule to a new requirement that 50 percent of machines must be Category C or D. This included a number of measures to adjust outdated regulatory restrictions applying to the land-based gambling sector.
The UK casino regulations represent the most significant overhaul of British gambling law in over two decades. Membership of GAMSTOP is mandatory for all licensed online operators. Operators pay gambling duties instead, including the 40% Remote Gaming Duty introduced in April 2026. Every casino in our UK casino rankings is licence-checked as part of our review process, so the list is a safe starting point.
Betting is permitted in 2005 Act casinos, which represent seven of the 122 casino premises open across Britain’s casino estate. As the Gambling Commission’s advice underlines, as a minimum, operators must be able to implement age verification and customer interaction, and maintain self-exclusion effectively regardless of the number of machines they are permitted to offer. This data was collected by the Gambling Commission from over 80% of the land-based casino sector. Notably, these rates are below the at-risk and problem gambling rates for casino table games (31.5% and 6.4% respectively). • Each separate area comprising the non-gambling area, other than the lobby areas and toilet facilities, must contain recreational facilities that are available for use by customers on the premises.
Trade bodies representing the land-based gambling sector have recently established a new voluntary safer game design code for gaming machines which aims to instil a minimum set of standards for land-based game design. We also received evidence on the current balance of Category B and Category C and D gaming machines in adult gaming centres and licensed bingo premises. The vast majority of gaming machines in casinos are Category B1 machines, which have a £5 maximum stake and £10,000 prize limit.
The Commission also highlighted that in spite of the increases since 2017, it has continued to find operators breaching their licence conditions, particularly the social responsibility codes. Since April 2016, the Commission has also revoked 14 operator licences and 66 personal licences, often due to operators failing to adhere to social responsibility and anti-money laundering rules. The Commission’s approach to enforcement changed significantly in 2017 when it unveiled a new strategy to tackle operators which breach their licence conditions and relevant codes of practice. Our call for evidence posed a series of questions relating to the Gambling Commission’s powers and resources and received responses from industry, campaign groups and members of the public. The Commission has taken action following the independent review of Football Index to implement those recommendations, including enhancing its licensing approach to novel products and agreeing a memorandum of understanding with the Financial Conduct Authority.