Gambling-related legislation
Other evidence suggests adolescents have a greater risk tolerance compared to older adults and this may be reflected in their attitudes towards gambling specifically. PHE’s evidence review highlights a higher problem gambling and at risk rate among younger age groups than older age groups. Making the Gambling Commission’s code of practice for alcohol licensed premises binding would provide licensing authorities with greater powers on underage gambling in premises, but we do not expect it to create an additional burden for them. In their submissions to the review, representatives of the pub sector outlined a number of steps they are taking to address this, including regular staff training and building age verification into the machines themselves to reduce the reliance on staff supervision. However, due to the exemption, the Gambling Commission currently has an incomplete picture of the risks from underage gambling in premises run by smaller licensees. There have been calls from both industry and campaign groups to introduce ‘Think 25’ as standard for all land-based gambling, a position shared by the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG) in its 2018 report which non gamestop casino pointed to findings from the retail alcohol industry.
We have reviewed and analysed the evidence received through both consultations to arrive at an evidence-based policy position which we believe meets our objectives. Evidence was received in response to the land-based gambling consultation and through an additional supplementary consultation which focused on this reform specifically. Operators will also need to be able to demonstrate that their new gambling and non-gambling areas abide by the updated rules in the Mandatory and Default Conditions, which will include the sliding scale and other restrictions on the sizes of different areas of the casino.
Here is a detailed breakdown of every major regulatory change affecting online casinos this year. Every legitimate UK online casino must display its UKGC licence number, typically in the website footer. Live betting and live casino sit in the same lobby, which is unusual — most operators silo them — and useful if you flit between roulette and Premier League goals in the same evening. If there are online operators servicing British residents without a proper licence from the UKGC, they are considered to be engaging in illegal activity. Arcades feature varied gaming machine types, each of which falls into a different category. The Act also mandated that operators must pay 15% of their profits obtained from UK customers back as part of their licensing agreement.
Overview of the land-based sector
Where these background checks fail to provide sufficient assurance that the account holder is of legal age, operators are required to have alternative age verification methods in place, which could involve requesting documentation. Some campaign groups called for even stronger online age verification measures, such as requiring ID document photos for all accounts or mandatory video calls on account creation. The largest football pools operator already prevents under 18s from creating an online account and supports increasing the minimum age to 18.
The Commission’s continued close monitoring of licensees who enter into white label partnerships is unlikely to have new impacts on the sector, but will help ensure that the existing rules are followed and consumers are not put at risk. Gambling Commission enforcement against a major white label provider provides a wide-ranging example of the types of compliance risks which can emerge when licensees fail to maintain sufficient oversight and control of their white label partners. Social responsibility provision 1.1.2 (responsibility for third parties – all licences) makes clear that licensees are responsible for overseeing all third parties they contract with and ensuring they fully comply with the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.
In practice, operators elect to site Category B machines and typically have an offering of 20 Category B1 machines. Without intervention, there is a risk that machines could become obsolete as we move towards a “cashless” society. The white paper proposed to reform the 80/20 rule in response to evidence that the current rule does not allow operators to adequately meet consumer demand, while still providing a balanced product offer to customers. Arcades and bingo premises are subject to an 80/20 rule which governs the balance of Category B (maximum £2 stake) and Category C or D machines in these venues (up to a maximum £1 stake). The size of Britain’s land-based casino sector has remained relatively flat in recent years, in contrast to an expanding online market.
Premier League clubs will still be able to maintain other forms of gambling sponsorship, such as in stadiums, providing it adheres to existing rules on social responsibility and provisions in the forthcoming sponsorship Code of Conduct. We welcome this step taken by the League, which will reduce children’s exposure to gambling logos, particularly when reproduced in children’s products such as stickers and video games, and will help to break the association children may form between gambling brands and their role models on the pitch. In line with changes to the advertising rules, the Premier League has agreed that from the end of the 25/26 season gambling logos will no longer appear on the front of players’ shirts. However, we recognise that sports sponsorship remains an environment where children may be exposed to gambling brands. A commitment only to accept sponsorship from firms operating under licence from the Gambling Commission. A proportion of sponsorship inventory to be used for dedicated safer gambling messaging, compliant with the programme of work at section 2.4 of this chapter.
Forty-two per cent expected a small increase in the supply and availability of other gambling products, while 41% expected either a small decrease or large decrease in the supply of other gambling products. Respondents had differing views on the impact on other gambling products. 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. Forty responses were received to this question, with 60% opposed to venues being able to hold multiple licences.
This Act applies to both remote and non-remote gambling conditions and has received approval from HM Treasury. It serves as the regulatory agency for all gambling operations in the UK. The Gambling Commission is responsible for administering and enforcing the Gambling Act 2005, which is the primary legislation regulating most forms of gambling in the country. The Gambling Commission’s guidance for licensing authorities.
This difficulty is further exacerbated by data availability and the difficulty of measuring changes in gambling harms as explored in the introduction to this white paper. We also recommend that licensing authorities make more use of their powers to attach conditions to premises licences, such as opening hours and security measures. This does not prevent the authority from granting a licence, or allow them to issue a blanket refusal to applications, but a CIA does encourage the gathering of more evidence for assessing applications and requires the operator to evidence how it will mitigate risk. CIAs will complement existing powers by supporting licensing authorities to capture and regularly review a wide range of evidence, such as density of premises in a particular area, health and crime statistics, and residents’ questionnaires.
Policies, procedures and controls will also need to be updated to address the risks identified in the risk assessment and to reflect the mitigations in place. Relevant risks may include (but are not limited to) cross-channel customer activity, payment methods and open loop payment processes. More information on the operating licences required is available in our guidance on the legislative changes. Casino operators are reminded that those wishing to utilise the new extended entitlements will need to inform the Commission under Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) Ordinary Code Provision 8.1.1 (Information requirements). Real gamblers run Casinos.org.uk,and we have over 20 years of experience in real money gambling.
- Therefore, we have formed a range estimate around these figures, with a lower bound of 0.1% and an upper bound of 1% (to allow for the possibility of a structural transformation in the market with sports betting at casinos becoming a widely recognised option among consumers and therefore much more prevalent).
- The UK Gambling Commission is the independent regulatory body responsible for licensing and overseeing all commercial gambling in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales).
- We will allow direct debit card payments to be made on gaming machines, subject to the player protection measures outlined within this government response.
The minimum legal gambling age is 18 for every product except the National Lottery and equivalent society lottery draws, where the minimum is 16. The thresholds below are the headline LCCP triggers; individual operators may layer stricter internal rules on top. These are sometimes called “affordability checks” in the press but the Commission now uses the terms financial vulnerability and financial risk. The 2023 White Paper proposed maximum online slot stakes of £2 per spin for 18–24-year-olds and £5 per spin for players 25 and over.
These initial checks use publicly available data and do not require sensitive personal information such as postcodes or employment details. Additionally, a mandatory minimum 2.5-second interval between spins is required to slow down gameplay and promote safer gambling. To promote responsible gambling in the UK, it is essential to understand the laws governing these games. The firm also plays a role in observing and influencing the regulatory environment and crafting innovative structures for commercial relationships within the industry.
This chapter of the consultation received 40 responses, primarily from licensing authorities and gambling operators. 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. A central component of allowing the land-based gambling sector to develop sustainably is to ensure that it is well regulated and that customers are protected. Many of the measures proposed within this consultation are modernising measures which are intended to support the land-based gambling industry to thrive sustainably. 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.
4 A new approach to safer gambling messaging
It also highlighted that inflexible funding negatively impacts ‘the Commission’s ability to ensure consumers are protected from … new risks’. The National Audit Office found that the requirement to adjust fees by statutory instrument “makes it more difficult for the Commission to invest in new skills to quickly address changing risks”. Some industry submissions suggested those who demonstrate effective governance and procedural controls should pay lower fees, although a number of other submissions from industry were strongly against such a proposal. They pointed out that the resources of the Commission are small compared to the financial power of the industry that it regulates and relative to other regulators.
Under section 6.1.1 of the Commission’s LCCP, operators must put into effect appropriate policies and procedures for accepting and handling these complaints. Where operators breach these rules, they are subject to compliance and enforcement action by the Gambling Commission and consumer complaints are an important source of intelligence to inform this. As outlined in the previous chapter, the existing legislation and the Gambling Commission’s regulatory framework provide protections for individuals in setting rules which operators must follow.
As the SI sets out, all games which meet the definition of an online slots game will be subject to a maximum stake per game cycle. “game cycle” means, for an online slots game, the period beginning with the initiation of a game by the individual and ending at the point at which all money staked during the game has been lost or all money won during the game has been delivered to or made available for collection by the individual as the case may be. (2) The condition is that, for an online slots game, the total amount which an individual may stake in relation to any game cycle may not exceed— We can also assess a licensee’s ongoing suitability to hold a relevant license, particularly if there is evidence of misconduct abroad and that does include in Northern Ireland. Added link to 2026 edition of the Gambling Commission’s Money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment. Read our guidance for information on operator LCCP requirements, including how these can be implemented in practice.
Any measure that increases the availability of Category B machines risks leading to increased gambling harm for those playing on the machines. The rationale for considering this option is primarily to ensure that a truly balanced offer of gaming machines is available to customers following the loosening of restrictions from 80/20. Significant increases in Category B machines may increase the amount of money staked by customers, and/or the risk of harm. The objective of providing customers with a genuine choice of higher and lower stake machines is understood in terms of providing a safeguard against increased gambling harm. As some of the differences between 1968 Act and Small 2005 Act casinos are brought in line, operating and premises licence fees and mandatory licence conditions should be harmonised accordingly. We propose that an operator must notify the licensing authority of their intention to increase their number of gaming machines.
All casinos listed on Accord Global hold active UKGC licences. The UK government has increased Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) from 21% to 40% of gross gambling yield for online operators. UKGC-licensed casinos can no longer offer autoplay functionality or turbo-spin (accelerated spin) features on online slots.
It suggests that many smaller operators already undertake test purchasing voluntarily or through membership of a trade body, and while there is a financial cost to each test purchase, this is normally low (under £50). The Gambling Commission’s ordinary code says that all land-based licensees should require their staff to check the age of any customer who appears to them to be under the age of 21, also known as ‘Think 21’. While low test purchasing rates demonstrate serious failures of process at venues, this does not necessarily mean that significant numbers of children are illegally accessing gambling. For instance, the Gambling Commission’s Young People and Gambling Survey (2019) found a higher proportion of children than adults reported having visited a casino in the last 7 days. Increasing the age limit to play Category D cash payout slots to 18 years — moving it from a voluntary to a legal footing to include all operators — will break the link between cash payouts and slot-style adult play for children.
Category D machines include a range of low stake machines, such as coin push, crane grabs and slot-style fruit machines. Should net position be visible at all times to the customer on machines accepting direct cashless payments? Should session time be visible at all times to the customer on machines accepting direct cashless payments? GamCare, in collaboration with the BGC, Bingo Association, Bacta and other businesses, have developed a land-based industry code for the display of Safer Gambling information. Should there be mandatory limits (default limits for time and monetary thresholds) on machines accepting direct cashless payments?