Guidance to licensing authorities Primary legislation
For operators, the service could help resolve compliance questions more quickly, potentially reducing delays or misunderstandings when dealing with licensing rules. The initiative follows industry feedback from operators who said they wanted a more consistent way to resolve regulatory questions. The Commission has also launched a Licence Support service, designed to give operators direct access to technical guidance. The Commission has prioritised enforcement in recent years, particularly around unlicensed operators and consumer protection. Young said she is looking forward to working in the gambling sector and supporting the Commission’s consumer protection role. These include a new senior appointment, changes to reporting requirements, updates linked to new consumer protection laws, and tax changes affecting bingo operators.
Since 28 February 2025, remote operators have been required to undertake financial vulnerability checks once a customer’s net spend exceeds £150 in a rolling 30-day period.Operators are expected to have in place measures to detect self-excluded persons who might wish to re-register using different details. More widely, operators are expected to implement processes designed to identify when customers are exhibiting signs of potential harm and to interact and intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk identified. The bulk of the social responsibility obligations imposed upon British gambling licensees are set out in the second part of the LCCP, as referred to above.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Punters who bet more than £1,000 online in a 24-hour window will have to undergo an assessment, the regulator says. Officials say two unlicensed premises in Doncaster were targeted a multi-agency operation. The bookmakers says it had ‘no choice’ after rises in gambling tax, national insurance and wages. The new measures are aimed at reining in the power and addictive nature of the games and giving the customer more of a chance to rein in spending. The Commission has already cracked down on one of the bookmakers’ cash cows, the fixed-odds betting terminal.
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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. Responses from industry advocated for either no non gamstop increase in the maximum chargeable premises fees or a small increase of 10%. This may include increasing staff numbers, with one licensing authority stating that it would consider dedicating one full-time resource to the enforcement of licensed premises.
- To help check that your source of funds are legitimate, and as part of a gambling company’s anti-money laundering checks
- The evidence generated was diverse and was indicative of the varied positions of stakeholders, primarily arcade and bingo operators and licensing authorities.
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- The principal entrance to the casino should be from a street.
- Casinos with multiple licences at the same physical location could site more than 80 machines under the new regime – it is not clear whether the current rules are clear enough to prevent this situation from arising in practice.
These checks considered the customer’s ability to afford their gambling and looked for signs of vulnerability, such as accumulating debt or irregular spending patterns. As part of the UKGC’s commitment to tackle gambling-related harm, new financial risk checks were mandated at set deposit thresholds. These reforms aimed to reduce risky gambling behaviours and increase trust in the industry. Now, companies must clearly explain whether and how player deposits are protected in the event of insolvency, helping users make better-informed decisions. In 2025, UK gambling regulation underwent its biggest shake-up in nearly two decades. Stay up-to-date with the latest promotion offers and news.
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What impact is permitting sports betting expected to have on revenue from non-gambling activities e.g. increased income from sports bars which allow customers to place a bet? If this proportion was representative across all casinos, then total casino sector GGY could increase by approximately £1.3 million. For example, 88% of casino customers also bet online on sports at least once a month. However, at this stage we do not know precisely what these costs will be, as we do not have any evidence on how casinos will respond to this.
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In the financial year to 2022, the average GGY per Category B machine (across all licenced land-based venues) was £30,360, compared to £2,030 per Category C machine and £1,350 per Category D machine. Another key benefit is the increased GGY from Category B machines in bingo and arcade venues. The proposed measure will allow venues to remove unused Category C and D machines and save on the costs of maintaining and powering them.
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We welcome further evidence on the unmet consumer demand in the consultation response. The main theme that emerged from industry was that the current rule does not allow operators to meet consumer demand. A number of premises, particularly those located in motorway service stations, chose to retain their existing entitlements. Please upload any further evidence or any other information that should be considered as part of this consultation relating to casino measures. (Mandatory response)Increased revenue / No impact Decreased revenue / I don’t know (Mandatory response)Significant increase / Slight increase / No impact / Slight decrease / Significant decrease / I don’t know / Not applicable
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Substantial fines have been imposed, individuals have been sanctioned pursuant to their “personal management licences” and licences have been suspended. That said, non-gambling services are generally carved out of this wide net – payment processing, marketing affiliates and other ancillary services such as fraud prevention and age verification are per se not regarded as “gambling”. All gambling hosted by electronic means and available to persons in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. Since 28 February 2025, remote operators have been required to undertake financial vulnerability checks once a customer’s net spend exceeds £150 in a rolling 30-day period. It should be noted that in April 2025 HM Treasury opened a consultation (which closed on 21 July 2025) on a proposal to introduce a single remote gambling duty that would apply to all remote gambling activities targeting the UK. Affiliates are also coming under increased scrutiny (at least politically) and the links between gambling advertising and sport are likewise coming under increased political scrutiny.
As gaming machine allowances and machine to table ratios for 1968 Act casinos and Small 2005 Act casinos converge, more consistent size requirements should apply across the two types of licence to ensure a degree of fairness and consistency. This requirement was intended to ensure a balanced offer of gaming products in 2005 Act casinos, which had a significantly higher gaming machine entitlement than 1968 Act casinos. 1968 Act casinos that are smaller than the configurations of a 2005 Act Small casino but have a gambling area equal to or greater than 280sqm will be able to increase their gaming machine allocations on a pro rata basis commensurate with gambling area. 1968 Act casinos that have a gambling area of at least 500sqm will be eligible for the same number of machines as permitted in a Small 2005 Act casino. 1968 Act casinos will be entitled to an enhanced gaming machine entitlement if their gambling area is at least 280sqm.
Several games are run under this brand, including Lotto and Thunderball. The United Kingdom’s state-franchised lottery is known as the National Lottery, which was set up under government licence in 1993. The voluntary reduction also does not prevent shirt sponsorship, ads that run around hoardings in stadiums, so that gambling firms will still feature prominently during live sport. The gambling industry has announced voluntary curbs on television advertising. Sports gambling is advertised on television at times when children and young people are watching. Sports gambling has a long history in the United Kingdom, having been controlled for many decades, and more recently relaxed.
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Licensing fees vary by premises type. The Gambling Act 2005 created a partnership between the Gambling Commission and 368 licensing authorities in England, Wales and Scotland for the regulation of land-based gambling. Licensing authorities have an important regulatory role alongside the Gambling Commission in licensing local premises. Bacta’s members make up approximately 70-80% of the market for family entertainment centres and adult gaming centres. In addition, we would like to receive any evidence or information on best practice in these venues that could then be disseminated among operators.
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