Features of the UKGC Gambling Licence
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The Gambling Commission’s guidance for licensing authorities. There are three types of licence that business owners may need, and in certain situations, your business may need all three. Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once This is the case even if you hold a licence in another jurisdiction.
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). With technological developments, land-based casinos have been able to introduce a greater range of customer protections and the experiences of applying these across each type of licence have provided insight on the likely impact of any proposed changes. Since the Gambling Act 2005, land-based casinos have operated under two licensing regimes with different requirements in terms of the type and volume of product they are able to offer, as well as venue size. By consulting the UKGC and legal experts, operators can build compliant, player-focused casinos that thrive in 2025 and beyond.
The categories of people who need a personal licence are outlined in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The Commission’s approach to risk underpins its licensing, compliance and enforcement functions. The same survey revealed 31% of British punters had placed bets on unregulated betting platforms, including prediction markets platforms like Polymarket.
- Some operators were keen to highlight the increasing cost burden for land-based casinos in other areas, but acknowledged the logic of applying consistency across regimes.
- Licensees should also be aware of the changes and matters they must keep the Commission informed of whilst they are the holder of a licence9.
- Currently, there are more than 175 online casinos licensed by the UKGC.
- Whether you’re launching a high-street venue or a digital platform, understanding casino licensing requirements UK is the first step.
- Energy costs per machine will be estimated in the final stage impact assessment using an energy calculator.
The Gambling Commission will also undertake a review of gaming machine technical standards, to include assessment of the role of session limits across Category B and C machines and the role of safer gambling tools. While online operators are able to track play precisely and apply more tailored player protections, land-based casinos have adopted a range of measures in recent years that have enhanced player protections and tracking. Casinos originally licensed under the 1968 Act are limited to a maximum of 20 gaming machines of Category B, C and D if at least one machine is Category B, or an unlimited number of Category C and D machines. The sectors which pay these fees are casinos, bingo halls and bingo-licensed arcades, adult gaming centres, family entertainment centres and betting shops. Licensing authorities (local authorities in England and Wales and licensing boards in Scotland) are responsible for licensing gambling premises, in parallel with the Gambling Commission licensing of operators.
The primary cost of this measure is the additional costs incurred by gambling operators resulting from the increased licensing fees. The primary and intended benefit of this measure is to increase funding for licensing authorities to carry out administrative and enforcement duties in relation to land-based gambling premises in their remit. Scottish Ministers also have power to set application and annual fees for premises licences, which differ from the fees set out for England and Wales, and are set out in the Gambling (Premises Licence Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2007. This activity may include inspecting gambling premises to ensure that they are complying with their licence or dealing with complaints from residents or neighbours.
To be honest, there are tons of benefits that come with playing at a licensed online casino in the UK. Online-Casinos.co.uk may receive commission from listed operators. Yes, online gambling is legal in the UK when you play at a properly licensed operator. Credit cards are not accepted for gambling at UK-licensed operators. We may receive commission from listed operators.
Therefore, we are consulting on how best to allow casinos to move onto the new regime. What impact is permitting sports betting expected to have on revenue from non-gambling activities e.g. increased income from sports bars which allow customers to place a bet? If your casino already offers sports betting, what is the GGY from this activity? However, at this stage we do not know precisely what the GGY benefits will be, as we do not have any evidence on how casinos and players will respond to this proposal. If this proportion was representative across all casinos, then total casino sector GGY could increase by approximately £1.3 million.
As they are an extension of card payment, the direct use of contactless mobile systems such as Google Pay or Apple Pay on gaming machines is also prohibited. The Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) Regulations 2007 prohibit the use of debit cards for direct payments to gaming machines, and prohibit any use of credit cards. What impact would Options 1, 2 and 3 have on the overall number of Category B, C and D gaming machines? We do not currently have sufficient data to estimate the likely uptake of additional Category B machines under each option, nor on how the average GGY per machine will change as a result. We do not currently have sufficient data to estimate the likely reduction of Category C and D machines under each option.
Licensed online casinos always display a link to the UKGC website. At most online casinos, licencing information is displayed in the website footer. From September 2025, online slot machines will be capped at a £5 maximum stake per spin. In 2024, the market generated over £15 billion in gross gambling yield (GGY), with remote (online) gambling accounting for more than half.
An existing Small 2005 Act casino wishes to utilise the new table to gaming machines ratio alongside a reduction in its minimum required table gaming area. The Regulations enable the licensee to show (as required) the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a table gaming area (previous regulations did not require the plan for a converted casino premises licence to include a table gaming area). An existing converted casino premises licence holder wishes to utilise the new extended gaming machine entitlements. If a current gambling area in a converted casino is simply to be reassigned for the provision of betting facilities (which is authorised by the new Regulations as of 22 July), without any changes to the gambling and non-gambling areas as shown on the premises plan, then it would not require a premises licence variation. An existing licensed 1968 Act casino operator already holds an operating licence for remote betting and wishes to make use of the new Regulations to provide SSBT facilities in its casino. An existing licensed 1968 Act casino operator already holds an operating licence for non-remote betting and wishes to make use of the new Regulations to provide non-remote sports betting facilities in its casino (without providing any Self- Service Betting Terminal (SSBT) facilities).
1968 Act casinos to be subject to a limit on the number of self-service betting terminals depending on their total gambling space. We propose that the number of machines is limited, based on the overall gambling area of the casino. These terminals are not gaming machines if they are designed or adapted for use to bet on future real events. The authorisations required may include a remote betting operating licence (required if customers are to be able to bet via Self-Service Betting Terminals), as well as a non-remote betting operating licence. In order to offer this, operators will be required to hold relevant operating licences from the Gambling Commission. Moreover, this measure would bring greater consistency to the different licensing regimes and bring greater parity between the online and land-based casinos.
The Gambling (Premises Licence Fees) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 established the maximum level of fees that local authorities in England and Wales can charge for gambling premises licences. A premises licence is required to operate a non-remote premises-based gambling business. To support their role, licensing authorities collect premises licence fees for applications and annual renewals to cover the cost of administration of their gambling duties and gambling enforcement. As set out in the white paper, we believe that a more precautionary approach is justified for slot-style games which mirror the mechanics of adult-only gaming machines, particularly those which pay out cash. Should there be voluntary limits (the ability for customers to set time and monetary thresholds) on gaming machines accepting direct cashless payments? This standard applies to feasible B3 gaming machines and provides players with a 30 second cooling-off period once voluntary limits are hit.
If you’re unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data and want to make a complaint, please write to the department’s Data Protection Officer using the details above. The Information Commissioner’s Office is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation, and maintains a full explanation of these rights on their website DCMS will ensure that we uphold your rights when processing your personal data. You have rights over your personal data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your data will not be transferred outside the UK.
We look to deal with all aspects of gambling licensing both land-based and remote, acting for a number of the major international operators. To successfully operate in the betting and gaming industry you need to make sure that you have the non gamstop casinos correct licences in place. You’ll see casinos advertising various licences, but for UK players only one guarantees full protection.
Features of the UKGC Gambling Licence
For absolute certainty, cross-reference with the official Gambling Commission public register at gamblingcommission.gov.uk. Use our operators search to find the company by name, licence number or trading name. All UKGC licensed operators must display their licence number in the footer of their website. Only gamble with operators holding a valid Gambling Commission licence.
A series of key proposals specifically relating to the land-based gambling sector were outlined in the white paper, including measures to adjust outdated regulatory restrictions applying to the sector. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published its gambling white paper in April 2023, which set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of the gambling sector. This response forms part of the government’s smarter regulation programme of regulatory reform measures that began in May 2023 with the publication of Smarter regulation to grow the economy. Make sure to check your local regulatory requirements before you choose to play at any casino listed on our site. If you are serious about wanting to quit gambling altogether, it could be a good idea to use Gamban in conjunction with Gamstop for an even more enhanced effect.
Figure 12: Premises Licence Fees in England and Wales
These applicants do not need to hold, or have applied for, an operating licence. The exception to this is an applicant for a premises licence that authorises a track to be used for accepting bets. Applicants must have an operating licence, or have made an application for one. Only people with a right to occupy premises are eligible to apply for a premises licence.
As outlined, the Gambling Commission has expressed concern regarding the adherence of operators to ‘available for use’ guidance. The increased flexibility will provide operators with more scope to make commercial decisions relating to energy consumption and customer demand. Under the scenario outlined in Option 1, it is expected that there will be a significant increase in commercial flexibility for operators across both bingo halls and AGCs.
Do you think premises should adopt voluntary test purchasing as a way to monitor under-18s activity on Category D ‘cash-out’ slot-style machines? Further research finds evidence that there is a correlation between the recollection of playing Category D machines in childhood and adult disordered gambling, although causation cannot be shown. Bacta, which represents the amusement and gaming machine industry in the UK, have an existing voluntary commitment for their members to ban all under-18s from playing Category D ‘cash-out’ machines. Granular data is not available on how many of these are ‘cash-out’ slot-style machines, which are in scope of this measure. We propose therefore that these machines are allowed to stay in unrestricted areas in licensed and unlicensed FECs, and other premises including but not limited to pubs and travelling fairs.
Please see the casino (host), bingo (host), general betting (host) (real events) or general betting (host) (virtual events) licences for further details. If you manufacture gambling software, but also provide facilities for gambling only in circumstances in which you host those facilities through other operators’ platforms, then you may be eligible to hold a host operating licence. Some gambling software businesses provide facilities for remote gambling by making their games or betting content available to customers of other operators.