Casino Premises Changes to Legislation
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 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.
Protections for this group will be increased, for instance through earlier interventions to assess financial risks, and structural controls such as a lower stake limit for online slots games. This will create a clear distinction between gambling products for adults and lower risk products accessible to children (such as crane grabbers or coin pushers) which have non-cash prizes or are entirely unlike an adult gambling product. We will also give legislative backing to the current voluntary measures preventing the use of Category D cash out slot machines by under 18s. We nonetheless challenge other providers to adopt this precautionary measure, so that there is no online or widely and easily accessible gambling for under 18s. We expect all operators to take steps to offer appropriate redress to customers where needed and if the ombudsman does not attract sufficient cooperation or deliver the protections as we expect, we will legislate to put its position beyond doubt.
A further 25 casinos have multiple licences within one premises, allowing them to supply 40 or 60 machines. The current estimate is that 90 out of 122 casinos are limited to 20 gaming machines, regardless of overall size. Only 4 of the 8 Small casino licences have been developed, one has since closed, and none offer the maximum allowance of 80 gaming machines as it would be impractical to site the necessary tables. Currently, no more than 20% of the total number of gaming machines on casinos not on gamestop these premises can be Category B; the remaining machines must be of a lower category (i.e. C or D). Outdated and overly restrictive rules on gaming machines will be reformed so casinos and arcades can have more machines.
Gambling premises, either proposed or existing, within GVZs are expected to take into account the information contained with the Council’s Local Area Profile when completing their local gambling risks assessments. This varies slightly in Wales where betting offices are still in the A2 use class, and in Scotland, as some gambling premises are classed as ‘Class 11’ and some are ‘sui generis’, but both categories require change of use planning permission. For example, an office cannot be turned into an adult gaming centre without planning permission from the planning authority, and it will also need a premises licence before it can open.
We propose to introduce a stake limit for online slots, consulting on a limit of between £2 and £15 per spin, to structurally limit the risks of harmful play. The Gambling Commission intends to consult on mandating participation in a cross-operator harm prevention system based on data sharing, following assessment of the currently live operator trials which have had input from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Commission. Individual operators can take steps to prevent harm on their own platform but people suffering gambling harms usually hold multiple accounts or can open new ones easily. Further information will only be requested from customers as a last resort where it is necessary to complete an assessment, and the use of any data gathered through such checks will be restricted to assessing financial risk and indicators of financial distress.
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.
A small minority called for a full ban on all gambling activity, but this sentiment was not widespread. Some of these individuals’ responses were provided in templates circulated by charity or campaign organisations in an effort to facilitate personal experience engagement with the call for evidence. These came from a diverse range of respondents (Figure 31) and varied from short letters outlining personal experiences of gambling (both good and bad), to full analyses responding to every question which ran to hundreds of pages in length. This annex gives an overview of the responses we received and the other sources of evidence we considered.
From 29th July 2026, a new Gambling Commission licence condition concerning non-compliant gaming machines comes into force. These changes force operators, casinos and machine designers to prioritise safer gambling over profit to ensure players are protected with accountability in mind. Licensed operators can provide remote gambling facilities across major verticals (casino, betting, bingo, lotteries) provided they hold the correct operating licences and comply with the LCCP and technical standards. For casinos, arcades, and betting shops, this rule introduces clear legal authority for the regulator to demand the removal of problematic machines. For gambling businesses like land based and online casinos, the updates introduce new compliance requirements and operational changes.
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 pointed to findings from the retail alcohol industry.
However, excessive commercial caution risks driving customers to the black market where they can be exposed to a variety of risks. It is apparent that some operators may be using restrictions to minimise commercial risk with excessive caution. However, some did acknowledge that operators cannot be expected to endlessly pay expert or even professional bettors as this would inevitably increase the costs for all customers, for instance through worse odds. Some specifically highlighted that restrictions could drive individuals to gamble with unlicensed operators or to illegally use third-party accounts (for example, in a family member’s name) to continue gambling in the licensed sector. The practice of not accepting bets from those who routinely ‘beat the book’ occurred long before the growth of online gambling, but has become far more sophisticated in the digital age.
Evidence from industry suggests effective age verification by on-course bookmakers is more challenging at high-profile racing events, due to the high volume of customers. This introduces an inconsistency as children’s risk from gambling participation is unlikely to vary by licensee size. The Gambling Commission provided evidence on the removal of the test purchasing exemption for smaller operators. The gambling sector has been heavily disrupted by COVID-19 and therefore test purchasing data is predominantly from before the pandemic. Since 2015, the Gambling Commission has required larger operators to carry out test purchasing, or take part in collective test purchasing programmes, to assure effective policies and procedures are in place to verify the age of gamblers and prevent underage gambling. The most comprehensive evidence on the efficacy of existing age verification policies and procedures comes from test purchasing at venues Figure 19 by operators, local authorities, the Gambling Commission, the police and commercial testing companies.
Gambling Act 2005
The legislative changes allow for betting to be offered as an activity in converted casino premises. The changes allow casinos that were already operating when the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) came into force, referred to as converted premises, to access new entitlements if certain conditions are met. These casinos all offer similar gaming offerings, and they also have their own casino membership, which Attempting to gamble underage is illegal under the Gambling Act 2005.Is it safe to play at UK online casinos?
Under the Act, licensing authorities in England and Wales have the role of issuing premises licences for casinos and monitoring those licences. It is noted that, for the casino sector, this proposal will be taken forward in the context of plans to harmonise the operating and premises licence fees between 1968 Act casinos and 2005 Act Small casinos. The consultation sought evidence as to the current level of funding received by licensing authorities in the form of gambling premises fees, alongside the number of premises licence applications which they receive and the number of live premises licences in their areas. We believe that the implementation of voluntary test purchasing is an important safeguard for ensuring that premises are abiding by the proposed ban on the use of ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style gaming machines by those aged under-18.
Some respondents felt restricting children from playing all Category D machines would protect them from harm, but the research on this is mixed. The government will challenge the remaining operators who allow 16 and 17-year-olds to buy their products to stop this practice so that there is no online or widely and easily accessible scratchcard gambling for under 18s. Our intent is that the most easily accessible lotteries should only be available to adults to further reduce the risk of gambling-related harm to children.
We would not object to customers being able to set their voluntary limits during these cooling-off periods. Some trade associations also highlighted the GamCare Code of Conduct for the display of socially responsible messaging, which they adhere to and requires that 20% of screen content displays safer gambling messages. The vast majority of responses stated that specific safer gambling messaging should be considered within cashless gambling. While such alerts will not require an interaction with a customer each and every time a threshold is reached, they should form an important part of the venue’s approach to customer interaction, alongside other types of markers and behaviours that could indicate harm. We expect some parts of the industry to oppose this measure due to concerns around its technical feasibility and burdens it would place on staff, particularly in a pub environment. This proposal will help build a picture of the customer’s play and is already standard in betting shops.
The White Paper proposes reforming the fee structure for the Gambling Commission to give it greater flexibility to respond to any emerging risks and challenges posed by the industry. The checks will be targeted to where there is the most risk of harm. These checks will happen instantaneously, and will not impact gameplay, unless there are signs of financial harm where people may have declared bankruptcy, or are racking up debts to fund their gambling. The measure will help prevent runaway and life-changing losses and level the playing field between the online and land-based sectors. The government’s priority is to ensure there is sufficient long-term funding for high-quality research and treatment of gambling harm and addiction. Bingo halls, seaside arcades and casinos create employment, generate tourism and provide entertainment.
Guides and information for helping you protect your money and understanding your rights when gambling. You can find more information about safer gambling at the following websites. We also work with other regulators, charities and organisations to understand gambling habits and trends, promote safer gambling practices, and ensure that gambling is safe. If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling-related problems, contact the National Gambling or NHS Wales Helplines (opens in new tab). Get help, advice and information on how to use tools that manage your gambling activity.
Casino measures
Genting International Casino is one of the largest casinos in the UK and certainly the largest in Birmingham. Yes — all licensed UK casinos offer games that use Random Number Generators (RNGs) to ensure fair and random outcomes. All player funds are held in separate accounts, ensuring they are always protected and available for withdrawal.Are online casino games fair? UKGC-licensed casinos protect your money and personal details using strong encryption and trusted payment methods.
UK Gambling Laws (2026 Rules Information & Guidance)
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.
Do you agree with the proposal that casino operators will be required to notify licensing authorities and the Gambling Commission if they decide to take-up their entitlement to additional gaming machines under the new regime? Some of the same size requirements for Small 2005 Act casinos will apply for 1968 Act casinos, should they increase their entitlement to gaming machines to more than 20 (including one or more Category B machines). This amendment will mean that 1968 Act casinos that meet the same size requirements of Small 2005 Act casinos (subject to our final position on maximum size of gambling space) will be entitled to 80 gaming machines. This will ensure that casinos continue to offer a variety of gaming and non-gaming activities for customers while at the same time allowing a greater number of machines to be sited on the premises. In order for a 1968 Act casino to be entitled to 80 gaming machines, we propose that it must have a gambling area of at least 500sqm, the same minimum requirement for Small 2005 Act casinos.
To install three or more machines, the holder of an alcohol licence (for consumption on the premises) must obtain a Licensed Premises Gaming Machine Permit (LPGMP) from the local authority. A premises licence holder in Scotland is entitled to install up to two machines once the proper notice (Licensed Premises Notification (LPN)) has been given and fee paid to the local authority. These limits apply where any machines offered are Category B. Nearly all machines in casinos are Category B1, which has a maximum stake of £5 and is restricted to casinos only. Despite this, the land-based sector has a significantly larger workforce than online gambling, and in the Gambling Commission’s industry statistics published in May 2020, it was estimated to employ approximately 80,500 people.
- All casinos listed on Accord Global hold active UKGC licences.
- The stake limits already applied to electronic gaming machines in the land-based sector could be a sensible starting point.
- The United Kingdom Gambling Commission also has rules that dictate how operators can advertise their platforms.
It sent 4 questions (or variants of them) from our call for evidence with four additional gambling-related questions to 1.25 million of its members including people in every UK constituency. Researchers and academics shared a number of helpful pieces of evidence, including some new analysis of data from previous publications to specifically support consideration of questions in our call for evidence. According to DCMS industry statistics (September 2022), the gambling workforce is relatively diverse (9% ethnic minorities, 16% with some disability), with most of these people being employed in the land-based sector across the country. Studies for local authorities in Westminster and Newham suggested that gambling harms may be more prevalent in ethnically diverse areas (although as with the PHE review, the evidence is not conclusive). As explored in the introduction, PHE evidence review combined Health Survey (England) data in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2018, and highlights higher levels of problem gambling amongst young adults when compared to older ages, according to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Online, men spend more on betting (54% of gambling spend), compared to women who prefer gaming (83% of spend).
Cutting-edge technologies are transforming the UK gambling industry, making it crucial for entrepreneurs to stay abreast of developments. Exploring the future of casino regulation in the UK isn’t just about compliance; it’s about anticipating shifts that could redefine the industry. The UK government has been actively reassessing its approach to casino regulation, aiming to strike a balance between consumer protection and industry growth. Given the overall success of online gambling in the United Kingdom, it’s no surprise that nations all over the planet look in our direction for guidance. The UKGC is also developing new rules to govern betting on widely popular e-sports and other forms of social gaming. Given the number of legitimate sites, there isn’t really an incentive to visit rogue or otherwise unregulated casinos.
However, as not all licensing authorities charge the maximum fee, this suggests that appropriate flexibility is possible within a cap. One submission stated a preference for a removal of nationally set fees, to a flexible system where local authorities can set fees in accordance with their costs (as happens with alcohol and taxi licensing). Some responses also suggested that more guidance, in particular relating to attaching licence conditions, would be helpful. There was some emphasis on cashless gambling and acknowledgement of arguments both against and in favour of allowing greater use of debit card payments. A key point was that only 8 of the 16 licences made available in 2005 have since been developed (with one having subsequently closed), which is in part attributed to licences not being allocated on the basis of customer demand. These submissions called for more powers to be delegated to ministers or the Gambling Commission so that machine games can more quickly adapt to future changes.