Guidance to licensing authorities Part 17: Casinos
All UKGC operators must allow you to set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits. This free service is mandatory for all remote licensees. Our database mirrors the official UKGC public register. Look for a statement such as “Licensed by the Gambling Commission” with an accompanying licence number.
Licensing authorities have an important regulatory role alongside the Gambling Commission in licensing local premises. Please upload any further evidence or any other information that should be considered as part of this consultation relating to an age limit on ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines. Should it be a criminal offence for a person to invite, cause or permit children or young persons to play on these machines? What measures, if any, do you think venues should adopt to ensure that no under-18s play on ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines if the age limit is introduced? Should ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines be required to move to age-restricted areas in venues? Should the government introduce an age limit on ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines to 18 and over?
How to Verify a Casino’s UKGC Licence
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.
Kenya Gambling Regulations 2026: The Ultimate Guide to GRA Licensing Requirements
Checking a casino’s current licence status is a simple way to confirm it is meeting those standards right now. Not all casino sites display all the data in their footer. Open the casino website and check that the data listed by the UKGC matches. You can learn more about this in our guide on how to protect your rights at an online casino. You could also find licence details listed in the about us section, the help pages, or the responsible gambling page. You may see the licensing authority’s logo or written details about the licence issuer and number.
The majority of these respondents argued for measures which tended to be more restrictive of the gambling products available within the land-based sector. Industry responses frequently highlighted the commercial pressures placed on their businesses in recent years – as a result of COVID-19 inactivity and rising energy costs – as a central reason for necessitating greater commercial flexibility. The majority of these responses came from respondents who submitted evidence to the original consultation. We also received 16 additional responses to a supplementary consultation which was held specifically to gather further evidence on the reform of the 80/20 rule.
Please share any evidence or information that is relevant to the proposed amendment to the definition of gaming tables since the government stated its intention to make this change in 2018. Neither partially automated nor wholly automated gaming tables, including products such as pinball roulette, will count as ‘gaming tables’ for these purposes. The customer demand for 40 gaming tables does not exist, which can mean that a number of tables are sited but never used. This clarifies that wholly automated gaming tables are not gaming tables for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Act. The Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009 makes provision as to how references to “gaming tables” should be interpreted in this context. (Mandatory response)Large increase in demand / Small Increase in demand / No change in demand / Small decrease in demand / Large decrease in demand / I don’t know
In August 2026, a survey conducted by GamblingNews.uk found that 68% of Brits believe bookmakers sometimes “use anti-money laundering and responsible gambling checks as pretexts to void winning bets or delay payouts”. Such checks include providing proof of income for large deposits, affordability checks and answering questionnaires about how gambling affects their daily life. To realize this, bookmakers are required to ensure that online wagering promotions are not aired to minors.
This does not prevent the licensing authority imposing conditions on such matters under section 169, subject to any mandatory conditions which the Secretary of State may prescribe under section 167. Provision of facilities for bingo may not be made in a small casino, but the Secretary of State has power to repeal this restriction by order. The regulations will determine whether the banks of terminals count as a table in their own right.
This was a reflection of their overall position that cashless gaming should not be permitted on gaming machines. The government proposes that a maximum transaction limit of £100 should apply to all direct cashless payments made on gaming machines. There was some concern that this would create a safety risk for customers using gaming machines in pubs as it would increase the potential for their PIN to be observed by other customers.
However, unlike Gamstop, Gamban is not licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and is instead a third-party service that blocks access to gambling-related sites. In the UK casino scene, the tool for choice for such regulation is Gamstop. In any case, gambling remains a tax-free activity when it’s only treated as entertainment. Whether it’s a big or small problem depends on perspective, but the UKGC tackles it with highly effective regulations.
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.
Category D machines are typically played by families and children and are usually found in seaside arcades, family entertainment centres (FECs) and unlicensed FECs. Category D machines include a range of low stake machines, such as coin push, crane grabs and slot-style fruit machines. However, the intended objective is to allow customers to pay by the means they prefer and preserve the viability of the gaming machine sector which is at risk of being eroded by the move to a “cashless” society. 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? In order to help customers make informed decisions and keep track of spending, the government considers that the display of session time and session net position (£) should be mandatory on machines that accept direct cashless payments.
For remote gambling, the Commission issues licences to those operators whose remote gambling equipment is located in the territory of Great Britain. Many online casinos have multiple licences. Subject to the final Parliamentary procedures, the statutory instruments when approved will have the effect of adding new conditions to applicable non-remote casino premises licences seeking to take advantage of the new entitlements.
- Another operator stated that both options could, over time, potentially lead to a 20% to 25% increase in Category B cabinets and would likely lead to the reduction of tablets and in-fills to at most a nominal level.
- There are 2 types of Category D slot-style machines, one that pays out a small amount of cash, and one that pays out tickets which can be exchanged for a small prize, toy or sweet.
- For customers who are aged 25 and older, the maximum they can stake per game cycle for online slots is £5.
- To ensure that this is enforced we will make it a criminal offence to invite, cause or permit someone under the age of 18 to use these machines.
- This fee enables licensing authorities to fund their enforcement and administrative gambling duties on a cost recovery basis.
The online sports betting market in the UK is estimated to be worth £650 million which has seen a compounding annual growth rate from 2009 to 2012 of approximately 7%. There is a large market in the United Kingdom for gambling on competitive sports at bookmakers (betting shops) or licensed websites, particularly for horse, greyhound racing and football. Gaming machines are divided into a number of categories, mainly depending upon the stakes and payouts involved, and whether there is an element of skill (these are known officially as AWPs or “Amusement with Prizes” machines). Instead it supported plans for 16 smaller casinos, including ones in Solihull and Wolverhampton. Many towns and cities bid to host one of these so-called “super casinos”, which will be similar to those found in Las Vegas.
Personal Management Licences allow people to work in certain roles in a gambling business. Our online fees calculator can help you with understanding the amounts of your application, first annual and annual fees. The fees you need to pay depend on what you are applying for, and what your anticipated gross gambling yield (GGY) is. The Gambling Act 2005 defines a casino as an arrangement whereby people are given an opportunity to participate in one or more casino games. The white paper set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of the gambling sector.
Breaks in play are designed to stop dissociation/disconnection from the world around them, with research suggesting that best practice is to combine breaks in play with responsible gambling messaging. (Optional response) Sliding scale If No is selected What do you think the maximum committed payment limit should be for the following machine categories (£)? Shown if No is selected What do you think the maximum deposit limit should be for the following machine categories (£)? (Optional response)Sliding scale
We have pages covering all the most popular payment methods available at UK casino sites. If you’re looking for a specific brand, we have reviewed the casino games developers below in detail. These regulations make player safety the core priority, and our ranking weights it accordingly. William Hill features a high average RTP across its games, measuring at 98.58% according to our data. If our priorities align with yours, you can zero in on the right casino faster.
Subsections (3) to (5) of section 172 of the Act make provision as to the number of gaming machines which may be made available for use in a casino by the holders of a licence issued under casinos not on gamstop the 2005 Act. Non-remote operating licences authorise land-based gambling activities and must be accompanied by a premises licence issued by the relevant local authority. We use the data provided to maintain a register of premises licences, which we use to inform our compliance and enforcement work, and to monitor the licensing of premises nationally.
Substantial fines have been imposed, individuals have been sanctioned pursuant to their “personal management licences” and licences have been suspended. There is no restriction on the use of digital and virtual currencies as a payment method for gambling, though operators wishing to accept virtual currencies will need to demonstrate how any additional risks of them doing so are mitigated. 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.
Remote licences are, in fact, a legal requirement for any business, wherever located, to offer facilities for gambling to British residents. Points to note are that land-based casino licences are not freely available and the rollout of major casino resorts envisaged when the legislation was passed has generally not occurred. The Gambling Act 2005 provides for a range of licences to be granted to both non-remote (i.e., land-based) as well as remote businesses.
Not regarded as gaming where there is no prize offered in “money or money’s worth”. Fantasy betting (payment to back a ‘league’ or ‘portfolio’ selection over a period of time, for example in relation to sport) Sports/horse race betting (if regulated separately to other forms of betting) It is anticipated that under the Crime and Policing Bill, which was introduced to Parliament in February 2025, the Commission will be granted yet further powers to more quickly and effectively take action against illegal gambling websites.
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.
Remote casino game host operating licence Remote betting intermediary operating licence Non-remote betting intermediary licence
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.
