Register of gambling premises
Remote gambling and software technical standards do not apply to the software you provide for overseas operators who are not licensed by the Gambling Commission. The firm’s entire team works exclusively within the betting and gaming sector, ensuring an in-depth, real-time alignment with the industry’s evolving landscape. Wiggin serves as the leading advisor to the global gambling industry’s top players, setting itself apart by understanding both national and international laws and regulations like no other firm. Wiggin extends its reach to the centre of European decision-making, maintaining a Brussels office that advocates for clients on various EU-related issues, including copyright, audio-visual regulations, data protection, competition policy, trade and e-commerce. He is a commercial and regulatory lawyer and specialises in all aspects of online and land-based gambling.
However, we want to avoid any regulation that would allow table gaming areas to be placed in obscure or less accessible areas for customers so that a genuinely mixed offering of products remains in the casino. We appreciate that for commercial reasons and for a better customer experience, tables are already grouped together in casinos, often in one large area. The overarching principle is that specific areas in the casino should be separated for the purposes of table gaming.
B2B “Host” Licences
It is also responsible for remote gambling which includes betting online, by telephone and other communication devices using the equipment, that offer or advertise services to the residents of Great Britain. An online casino must adhere to stringent gambling laws to obtain and keep its licence. These licenses are necessary for land-based gambling businesses such as betting shops, bingo halls, casinos, and arcades. Businesses that provide online gambling services through websites, apps, or remote devices fall under this category. Next Steps When all the statutory instruments have been laid in the UK Parliament, the Commission will publish information on the overall intent of the statutory instruments, what the changes mean for operators of casino premises that intend to make use of the amended Regulations and how this process should be administered by licensing authorities when applications are received. One effect of the amendments made by the 2025 regulations is to make it clear that only gaming tables controlled or operated by casino staff can qualify as a gaming table for the purposes of calculating gaming machine allowances.
Projections on the impact of this proposal for the AGC sector suggest there will be a 10 percent reduction in the number of Category C machines and a 20 percent reduction in the number of Category D games, in-fills, and tablets. The increase in Category B machines will enable bingo halls to better meet customer demand and will likely result in greater GGY. This would result in an overall decrease of over 900 cabinet machines across these venues, predominantly consisting of legacy Category C cabinets. Significant increases in Category B machines may increase the amount of money staked by customers, and/or the risk of harm.
Similarly to bingo halls, this would likely result in both energy savings and increased GGY for operators. The removal of energy intensive legacy Category C cabinets will likely reduce the overall energy consumption of these operators. If it appears evident that the ‘available for use’ guidance is not working as intended following changes to the current regulatory framework, we will consider bringing forward secondary legislation to more directly deliver the intended machine mix. To ensure a proportionate and evidence-based balance is satisfied, we are seeking views from a range of interested stakeholders to inform the strengths and risks of each option. The impact of each option will vary in how these objectives are balanced.
Rawa Kaftan is a regulatory lawyer in Wiggin’s Betting & Gaming team and advises key stakeholders in the gambling industry, including many of the world’s largest online B2C operators, software suppliers, payment service providers and investors. Finally, in June 2025 the UK Government announced that it plans to introduce a “Voluntary Code” for prize draw operators whose offerings do not require a licence under the gambling framework because of the presence of a free entry route. The Gambling Commission’s Notice essentially makes clear that those B2B operators have a role in assisting the Gambling Commission in tackling unlicensed gambling in the British market and that such B2Bs place their own licence at risk by not taking sufficient steps to ensure that its content is only made available to British consumers via licensed B2C websites. The regulator has indicated that it may be less inclined to “settle” regulatory enforcement actions, particularly where operators have been made the subject of prior regulatory enforcement action, leaning towards the imposition of sanctions and penalties or, in more serious cases, suspensions and revocations of licences. For instance, since 28 February 2025, online gambling operators have been required to undertake a financial vulnerability check where a customer’s net spend exceeds £150 in a rolling 30-day period and, following the passing of secondary legislation, since May 2025 maximum stake limits per spin for online slot games are in place (£2 for those aged 18–24; £5 for those aged 25 and over). The main legislation governing gambling in the three forms identified in English law (gaming, betting and participating in a lottery) is the Gambling Act 2005.
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Complain to the casino first, and if you’re not satisfied, escalate for free to its independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider. Reports from players help the Commission identify operators that breach the rules, even though it doesn’t resolve individual disputes directly. The UK Gambling Commission can investigate and take action, including fines, additional conditions, suspension or revocation of the licence.
(2) In section 172 (gaming machines), in subsection (5)(b)(i), for “twice” substitute “5 times”. Most providers of commercial gambling based in Great Britain or those providing remote gambling to consumers in Britain require an operating licence. All forms of online gambling are licensed by the Gambling Commission and therefore can be legally provided in the country under a licence from the commission. Liberal Democrat politicians called for a complete ban on sports betting and online casinos sponsorships in high-level UK sports competitions such as the English Premier League. We are responsible for issuing personal gambling licences for individuals and gambling operating licences for businesses operating in Great Britain. If you run a 1968 Act casino, you should already have a premises licence from your local licensing authority.
Online.casino, or O.C, is an international guide to gambling, providing the latest news, game guides and honest online casino reviews conducted by real experts. By signing up to Gamstop, you are given the opportunity to prevent access to all participating UK licensed online casinos in the system for a period of time. One of the main benefits of a national gambling licensing system is that it can help casino customers regulate their gambling within the system.
Bacta estimates that the removal of each Category C and D machine could save on average up to £21 per week, or £1,092 per annum, depending on trading hours. Many responses, particularly those from the bingo club sector, highlighted that their desired outcome for the reform of 80/20 is to reduce energy costs, rather than achieving substantial gains in GGY. We have received estimates from the bingo club sector which show that the average weekly GGY produced per tablet machine is c.£3.80. In the bingo sector, for the equivalent machine we received estimated weekly GGY per machine to be c.£500. We did not receive GGY estimates for the arcade sector, however, industry responses indicated that they anticipated greater GGY returns under Option 3 than under Option 1. 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 non gamstop casinos bingo club operators), whilst others projected a small decrease in GGY.
- As far as remote gaming and betting is concerned, licences are readily available to suitable applicants.
- While heavily regulated, licensed online casinos still offer a whole lot of entertainment.
- 1968 Act casinos to be subject to a limit on the number of self-service betting terminals depending on their total gambling space.
- Free-to-play casino games with prizes are regulated by the Gambling Commission (licence required).
- Willingness to comply with regulatory responsibilities, uphold the licensing objectives and work cooperatively with the Commission.
CasinoReg.co.uk only features casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. We don’t recommend Curacao-only casinos for UK players — always choose a site licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. We don’t feature them and recommend sticking to UKGC-licensed casinos, especially if you have self-excluded.
Anecdotal industry evidence suggests that payment methods are a factor in this decline in machine usage, as pub goers now pay for food and drink by card but might have previously played a machine using spare change. While the existing framework has allowed for some innovation in cashless payments, gambling has largely remained cash-based. In addition to this, research commissioned by Bacta showed that in 2018, seaside arcades alone contributed £451m in UK GVA, and were responsible for employing around 19,000 people. Cash-only gambling was assumed to give players more control by providing natural interruptions in play to obtain more cash, helping players play within budget limits.
Gaming machines in arcades and bingo halls
Online casinos are regulated in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission, which enforces the regulations and protects players. Licensed casinos offer a wide range of games from reputable suppliers, and the regulations weed out less reputable providers. UK casinos are required to offer various tools and resources to promote responsible gambling.
A flat additional annual fee of £6,250 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. A flat additional annual fee of £5,000 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. A flat additional application fee of £2,100 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. A flat additional application fee of £1,680 is payable for a licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting. If you contract with any of the participants who use your gambling facilities (that is if any of those participants are your own customers) then you will need this licence instead of the casino (game host) operating licence.
Over 70% of responses also agreed that card account verification should be required on each transaction. The Commission will consult further on minimum transaction times, limit setting functionality, staff alerts, safer gambling messaging and the display of session time and net position. The Commission’s published Advice to Government recognised this area as a potential example whereby it would be appropriate for requirements to be placed in the Commission’s regulatory framework rather than within the 2005 Act or in regulations. We believe these measures strike an appropriate balance between regulation applicable to modern payment methods, consumer benefits and protection of the licensing objectives.
From 6 April 2025, a new mandatory statutory levy replaced the previous voluntary system of contributions to research, education, and treatment (RET) of gambling harms. Subsequent annual fees are due on each anniversary of the licence issue date. The first annual fee is due 30 days after the licence is issued and is reduced by 25%. In 2024–25, 3,491 personal licence applications were submitted, with 95% processed within eight weeks. Personal licence applications require identity documentation, address history, employment history, a police report, a credit report, and (in some circumstances) a statement of assets and liabilities.
A ‘mixed session’ is a single session that takes place on games of different machine categories. These rates are lower than the majority of other gambling products, although remain above the at-risk and problem gambling rates for ‘any gambling activity’. These represent transition costs which are expected to be incurred in the first few years of implementation, with exact timescales depending on the option taken forward.
These steps deter money laundering and protect against underage gambling, ensuring a secure environment for all players. Independent bodies like eCOGRA test RNGs and ensure games meet casino compliance standards. Tools like self-exclusion programs allow players to block themselves from gambling, while deposit and time limits help manage spending.
Extended converted casino premises are also a new category of premises which applies to those premises which take up their increased gaming machine allowance. Applications for operating licences must be submitted through the Gambling Commission’s online licensing system. The Commission works alongside local licensing authorities, which are responsible for issuing premises licences for land-based gambling venues. Established under the Gambling Act 2005, the Commission oversees all commercial gambling in Great Britain — from high-street betting shops and land-based casinos to online slots, poker rooms, and sports betting exchanges. You can apply to us for a licence to provide casino games in a premises (non-remote) or online (remote). We issue operating licences and personal licences; premises licences are issued by local licensing authorities.
Before you sign up or deposit at any online casino in the UK, run through this quick checklist. You can find more info as well as offers on our page about best online casino bonuses. Whenever we test and review the best online casino sites, we always check which payment methods are available for deposits and withdrawals.
The current estimate is that 90 out of 122 casinos are limited to 20 gaming machines, regardless of overall size. Currently, no more than 20% of the total number of gaming machines on these premises can be Category B; the remaining machines must be of a lower category (i.e. C or D). The government will introduce regulations through a draft affirmative statutory instrument to ensure that, for every 2 Category B gaming machines sited in AGC or bingo premises, at least one Category C or D gaming machine of a similar size is also sited on the premises. Both policy options are variations of Option 2, meaning that they focus on addressing the practice of operators siting increased numbers of Category B cabinet gaming machines by making lower staking Category C and D content available on in-fill and tablet gaming machines. A substantial number of responses drew upon the higher levels of customer spend which is evidenced on Category B gaming machines by comparison to Category C and D gaming machines, particularly as this relates to potential indicators of gambling-related harm. Industry responses stated that in addition to the ability to increase GGY, a central component of increased commercial flexibility for many operators is the ability to remove underused gaming machines.
The Codes also require that advertisements for gambling products or services do not mislead. In practice, this means that in many areas the Act sets a framework, with more detailed rules set out in regulations made under the Act. 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).
We’ll show you how to check a casino’s licence in 5 simple steps. Online casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission are required to meet important safety and fairness standards. From September 2025, online slots will have a maximum stake of £5 per spin to reduce gambling harm. For operators seeking long-term growth, these benefits make the licensing process well worth the investment. Even experienced gambling operators can make errors during the license application process or after approval. Online operators must meet strict security standards, including encryption, data protection compliance, and fair game certification.
These responses highlighted the low-risk nature of these machines. Concerns were also expressed that the exposure of these machines to children may normalise gambling behaviour. Based on responses to the consultation, we will proceed with making it an offence for a person to invite, cause or permit a child or young person to use ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines. Most responses in favour of implementing these features on machines were in agreement with the rationale outlined in the consultation that it would help customers to make more informed decisions and keep track of their spending. However, some betting shop operators were aligned with the non-industry responses and believed that the session time and net position should be displayed at all times. We propose that Category D machines are not required to display safer gambling messaging beyond the current requirements placed on these machines.
Non-remote linked licences gambling software Non-remote 2005 Act casino operating licence Non-remote 1968 Act casino operating licence Non-remote pool betting operating licence
