Safer Gambling
The Gambling Commission collects data on the outcome of individual gaming machine sessions (e.g. whether customers have won or lost overall and their net position). Legislation was subsequently enacted to reduce the maximum permitted stake on B2 gaming machines from £100 to £2, from April 2019. Debit card payments, including contactless, have emerged as an alternative to cash in the wider retail economy, but gambling premises have largely remained cash-based. Secondary legislation (the Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) Regulations 2007) prohibits the use of debit cards for direct payment on gaming machines, and prohibits any use of credit cards. Members’ clubs and miners’ welfare institutes may offer up to three gaming machines if they hold a club gaming permit (CGP) or a club machine permit (CMP).
Find out how you can stay safe when gambling. The Codes also require that advertisements for gambling products or services do not mislead. Such permission may come from a licence, permit, or registration granted in accordance with the Act or from an exemption given by the Act. The primary legislation governing gambling in Great Britain is the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab). It won’t be able to eliminate all forms of problem gambling, the only way to do that is to completely ban gambling, and nobody wants that. This might be one of the biggest gambling shake-ups in a while.
Many older Category C cabinet machines are reported to produce GGY at the lower end of that scale as they are outdated and less appealing to customers. Option 3, which would remove the ratio entirely, was the only option which generated projections of increased operator GGY from bingo club operators, arcade operators, trade bodies and gaming machine manufacturers. This was consistent across bingo club operators, arcade operators and gaming machine manufacturers. This will ensure that Category C and D machines made available by operators have genuine customer appeal and/or are genuinely available for use, as opposed to being used as a means to increase the number of Category B cabinets a venue can site. Additionally, the reform seeks to allow operators to reduce their energy costs through the removal of unused but energy intensive Category C and D machines and/or increase GGY through increased numbers of higher yielding Category B machines.
The impact of COVID-19 saw a further decrease of 4% to 609 licensed bingo premises between March 2020 and March 2022, and GGY declined by 33% in the same period. The overall number of licensed bingo premises has declined by 11% from a high of 710 in March 2014 to 635 in March 2020, GGY over the same period declined by 15%. The number of active licensed premises increased from 148 (2015) to 156 (2020), but the impact of COVID-19 resulted in a number of permanent closures (active licensed premises were 144 in 2022). The 2005 Act licences (8 Large and 8 Small) were allocated by a Casino Advisory Panel following bids from local authorities. The Gambling Commission’s advice to this review has emphasised the benefits of the land-based sector moving towards account-based play. This means that the length of time on a machine, stakes and the win/loss can be assigned to a customer’s profile.
For example, wagering requirements, sometimes called ‘re-wagering’ requirements, are a common feature of bonus offers in the gambling sector, whereby customers have to stake bonus funds a number of times (potentially adding some of their own money) before being permitted to withdraw any winnings. However, we encourage land-based operators to consider any use they make of targeted monetary or free bet bonuses and their purpose and we will continue to monitor whether there is a case for any further restrictions. Loyalty schemes in land-based venues are also a way of encouraging account-based play, meaning that a ban on them could have the unintended consequence of reducing the amount of available data on player behaviour. They emphasise that land-based play allows for close oversight of customers to ensure that bonuses are issued responsibly. In the majority of casinos, targeted offers are often through loyalty programmes that are open to everyone, with higher tier memberships offering higher value rewards. The schemes are intrinsic to high-end casinos’ business models, and the benefits tend to emphasise building a luxury experience rather than monetary rewards and free bets designed to be staked.
Local authorities (for Premises Licences).Sports/horse race betting (if regulated separately to other forms of betting)Fantasy betting (payment to back a ‘league’ or ‘portfolio’ selection over a period of time, for example in relation to sport)LotteriesLotteriesThe Gambling Commission.The Gambling Commission (for Operating Licences). The IA notes, however, that operators are less likely to be small and micro businesses due to the amount of capital and numbers of staff they need to operate. “We will now continue our work to deliver our remaining White Paper commitments, including our programme of evaluation.”
Increased machine allowance to 80
This will take into consideration that there is likely to be diminishing returns, such that the more machines you have, the less GGY would be generated per machine. This will be used to model the estimated total increase in GGY for casinos in the final impact assessment. Combining this with the number of machines, this yields an average annual GGY of £57,500 per machine. These generate 11% of all GGY generated from Category B machines.
Online casinos enjoy huge popularity in the country and now they are believed to earn twice as much as brick-and-mortar establishments. Since 30 August 2024, remote operators have been required to undertake financial vulnerability checks on their customers once defined net deposit thresholds have been met in rolling 30-day periods. Generally, all betting and gaming products may be offered (albeit, as noted above, offering bets on the National Lottery is prohibited).
However, there are still too many instances of insufficient age verification in some venues, particularly those such as pubs, which can offer adult-only gaming machines but are not adult-only venues like many gambling premises. We have seen evidence showing that customers who have claimed online bonus offers are more likely to engage in high-risk gambling behaviour, especially those already at a higher risk of harm who are also likely to be targeted with more offers. The moves come in response to concern over what are known as online slot games – that is, games designed to mimic slot machines in real-life betting shops and casinos. Its remit covers arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, slot machines and lotteries, as well as remote gambling, but not spread betting which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Having an ombudsman in the gambling sector which can deal with social responsibility complaints and whose remit is signposted clearly would be an important first step towards a new approach to consumer redress. These bodies have been approved on the basis that they fulfil requirements under current legislation and the Gambling Commission’s improved standards, ensuring customers get the protections they are entitled to. There are eight providers of ADR for gambling, most of which also operate in other sectors with some performing functions outside of complaint handling too.
However, this change would challenge a principle at the core of the Gambling Act, that gambling should be permitted where it is consistent with the licensing objectives and the rules set by the regulators to prevent harm. The policy statement is an opportunity for a licensing authority to identify and address gambling-related harms in its area and publish specific objectives for a locality. Our discussions with industry have included the possible mitigations that could be offered alongside side bets to reduce the risk of harm. However, we agree with the Gambling Commission’s advice that introducing a provision to allow clubs to offer bingo via social media in reliance on a land-based licence would risk subverting the intention behind such a licence and blurring the lines between remote and land-based bingo.
The majority of responses were in favour of mandatory limits being a required feature on machines accepting direct debit card payments. We think that the requirements of account verification, transaction limit, and deposit limits, alongside a minimum transaction time will provide appropriate safeguards for these lower stake machines. The pub sector argued that it would be disproportionate, cost-prohibitive and unlikely to be achievable on these types of machines. We are also proposing that this minimum transaction time applies to all machines. Category D machines do not have a committed payment limit.
This is consistent with the Commission’s rules on transparency, and the regulator will monitor operators’ compliance in this area. However, operators are required to detail the terms of service, which would include the potential to apply account restrictions, in an easy and accessible way. While informal estimates from operators suggest between 0.7 to 3% of active accounts are restricted, operators tend to use ‘restriction’ to refer to a near-complete withdrawal of services rather than the staking factor restriction outlined above, so the real figure is likely to be higher. Operators already provide the account details to all customers wishing to make deposits by bank transfer, so the details themselves are unlikely to be confidential. This will help limit the ways that those who have taken the decision not to spend money on gambling can do so. However, in spite of most users’ expectations, these payments are not covered by most existing opt-in gambling blocks.
While a wide array of evidence submitted to the Commission and this Review has shaped our proposals, three key information points have been important in helping to make sure our proposals are proportionate and properly address the identified risks. The Commission’s requirements will specify that these checks should only be undertaken at the appropriate time and for legitimate purposes like harm prevention rather than to inform marketing tactics or disadvantage successful customers. The consultation will also consider how operators should respond to any findings from these checks in concert with their wider assessments of customer risk.
The UKGC can issue fines, suspend licences, or revoke them entirely. Players betting £1–£2 per spin will not notice any practical change; the limit primarily affects high-stakes slot players. Players have the right to access this data before placing a single bet. Return to Player (RTP) requirements were updated under the UK casino regulations 2026. Bonus terms have been completely overhauled under the UK casino regulations 2026.
The Casinos (Gaming Machines and Mandatory Conditions) Regulations 2025
For instance, one operator found that the rates of harm detected among customers who had created their account with a sign up bonus was no different than among those who had no such offer, while another analysis found no correlation between receiving cashback bonuses and self-exclusion. Industry offered some insight based on its own data in relation to these promotions and their impact on customer behaviour. In the Gambling Commission’s online tracker survey, 65% of respondents who had seen promotional offers reported that they had an impact on their gambling behaviour, whether that was gambling for the first time or restarting after a break, the amount gambled, or the product gambled on. Submissions from people with personal experience of gambling harms elaborated on the negative effects which can come from such direct marketing and inducements. This is likely due to a combination of operators deliberately targeting more engaged customers, and engaged gamblers being on a greater number of mailing lists.
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.
Free-to-play casino games with prizes are regulated by the Gambling Commission (licence required). The Gambling Commission has a range of powers, including the ability under the Gambling Act 2005 to investigate and bring prosecutions against those that provide unlicensed gambling facilities to consumers in Britain. The legal approach is to completely criminalise gambling but then to make exceptions for persons who comply with the licensing regime, pay the applicable tax, observe the applicable regulation and so on.
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This requirement is also subject to guidance issued by the Commission, the policy statement produced by the licensing authority and the three licensing objectives. The Council expects that applicants and existing operators will need to meet the specific GVZ policy and expect enhanced scrutiny from the Council to ensure that the operation is in line with that policy and the principles of the legislation. Westminster City Council recently introduced a new gambling policy statement which includes the designation of several non gamstop Gambling Vulnerability Zones (GVZs). This enables a local planning authority (licensing authority) to take into account a variety of different factors, such as the balance of uses of an area or high street. Some submissions from licensing authorities suggested the ‘aim to permit’ provision should be removed altogether from the Act.
The evidence provided by the bingo club sector was more varied, with some operators projecting a small increase in GGY (though substantially less than Option 1 would generate for some bingo club operators), whilst others projected a small decrease in GGY. Evidence provided by arcade operators and the industry trade body Bacta suggested that this option would likely have a small but negative impact on GGY for many operators. Under Option 1, the vast majority of industry respondents projected that there would be an increase in GGY for arcade and bingo operators.
- We believe that these proposals will meaningfully reduce harms without disproportionate impacts on the sector’s ability to compete.
- A memorandum of understanding between the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), for example, requires that information on complaints data, including any trends and common problems, is shared with the FCA so that both organisations can serve customers effectively.
- In late 2025, the UKGC announced further alignment of the LCCP with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, including updates to consumer protection references and ADR-related changes.
We propose to introduce a maximum stake limit for online slots games of between £2 and £15, subject to consultation. Products which are safer by design will help prevent harm at source and reduce the reliance on reactive harm detection systems. With new technologies and payment regulations now in place, the Commission will work with others to consider what more can be done to reduce this risk.
The Gambling Commission will review and consult on updating design rules for online products, building on its recent work on online slots to consider features like speed of play which can exacerbate intensity and risk. In general, this government agrees with the principle that people should be free to spend their money how they see fit, so we propose a targeted system of financial risk checks that is proportionate to the risk of harm occurring. 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. The gambling sector also contributes significantly to other industries, including sport, advertising and racing. There are also benefits to gambling which should be weighed in decision making, although they do not negate the need to prevent gambling-related harm.
We received projections concerning GGY and the change in overall number of Category B, C and D gaming machines under Options 1, 2 and 3 from a range of stakeholders. As such, the consultation sought to understand if the regulatory framework could be strengthened to ensure that there is a consistent minimum offer of Category C and D gaming machines on cabinet devices in venues across the arcade and bingo sector. The Gambling Commission has raised concern that some of these machines appear to have been designed primarily to maximise the number of Category B cabinet machines which can be sited by an operator, rather than to provide a genuine lower stake gambling offer to customers.
