Withdrawn Changes to the regulatory framework for land-based casinos: draft secondary legislation
Safe online casinos in the UK always display licensing info in the site’s footer. Whether you’re a new or a regular online gambler, always make sure that you play on casinos with a UKGC licence. Under strict regulations from the authority, online casinos are bound to offer you fair outcomes on every spin or hand.Legal UK casinos also offer you better safety and security. Though offshore casinos aren’t explicitly illegal, they must have a licence from the Gambling Commission to accept players from the UK.You’ll also find complaints online about fixed or rigged games on casino sites. Currently, there are more than 175 online casinos licensed by the UKGC.
Browse and search all companies holding UKGC gambling licences. The comprehensive directory of gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain. The comprehensive directory of Gambling Commission licensed casino operators. All commercial gambling operators must hold the appropriate licence before offering services. These licences authorise the holder to provide specific gambling services to customers in Great Britain.
Casinos would not have the option of reverting back to their legacy rights under the existing regime, once they decide to increase their machine allowance in this way. As at present, a 1968 Act casino with a gambling area of at least 200sqm would also need to provide a non-gambling area equivalent to at least 10% of its total gambling area. This relates to ensuring that casinos which share the same building, or adjoin or are adjacent to another casino, are wholly distinct and separate from one another.
These laws ensure proper protection measures and responsible gambling practices from the operator’s part. These operators employ player protection measures like SSL encryption, secure payment portals, firewalls, and two-factor authentication to keep you and your data safe. By signing up on sites licensed by the UKGC, you can rest knowing that the games won’t be rigged. For instance, QuickBet, Funky Jackpot, and HotWins Casino will offer you top-notch mobile casino experience in the UK. Every casino operator optimises their sites for both desktop and mobile devices. With several debit card and e-wallet options available, your withdrawals will reach your account within a few hours after processing.
Such a resolution must be published as part of the authority’s licensing policy statement made under Part 18, and lasts for 3 years from the date it takes effect. The licensing authority may take into account any principle or matter in making its decision, and may pass a resolution giving effect to their decision at any time. This decision is to be taken by the licensing authority as a whole, and may not be delegated to the licensing committee under sections 154 and 155. Where the licensing authority grants an application, a person who made representations may appeal.
How to check a casino’s UKGC licence
We do not currently have sufficient data to estimate the likely uptake of additional machines by casinos. We estimate that most of the remaining casinos would also be able to benefit from increased machine allowances, proportionate to their size and non-gambling area. Should access to a greater number of gaming machines require compliance with each of the three size requirements outlined above?
The government will consider the need for bespoke dedicated safe play messaging as part of cashless gambling on gaming machines. As mentioned above, the existing regulations prohibit the use of debit cards for direct payments to gaming machines, and prohibit any use of credit cards. The introduction of direct forms of cashless payments on gaming machines, subject to suitable safeguards, therefore represents an opportunity to future-proof the land-based gambling industry. The lack of direct cashless payment methods on gaming machines contrasts with the cashless options that consumers have within the wider retail economy.
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. Click the link and see if the licence status is “active”. In the search bar, enter the short version of the licence number. For this, you can search the licence number on the business register.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is a respected EU regulator — many good operators hold both — but on its own it doesn’t provide UK-specific protections like GAMSTOP. If gambling itself is causing difficulty, please see our responsible gambling page for free, confidential support. UK licensing conditions have tightened significantly, making Britain one of the most protective markets in the world. Each of our reviews lists the operator and licence number, verified on the public register. Casinos must verify you’re 18+ and confirm your identity (KYC), which protects against under-age gambling and fraud, and keeps your account secure.
When asked about the proposed minimum gambling area, table gaming area and non-gambling area requirements, the table gaming element received one-third less support than the other 2 requirements. Respondents were in favour of venues having to comply with all of the sliding scale requirements in order to increase their gaming machine allowances. • Any non-gambling area may consist of one or more areas within the premises.
We are often engaged in dealing with prosecutions for breach of licensing conditions and are also known for our work in reviews and in particularly contentious applications. As a full-service law firm, we offer licensing work as part of a service with other departments and disciplines such as commercial property or insolvency. Our team combines expertise in both licensing and business regulation. We offer a full-service licence application product in which we draft, collate and submit full applications.
You’ll also find lots of responsible gambling tools and support options, which are often inadequate at offshore casinos. Due to its strict regulations, operators need to acquire different types of licences for different types of products they offer. Our dedicated page is your gateway to finding the most secure and reputable online casinos in the UK, all fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Let’s find out more about online casino banking, gambling regulations, and responsible gambling in the UK. As a result of such regulations, UK casinos are popular for providing safe environments for all players online. These are safe and trustworthy casino sites with proper licensing and player protection measures.Safe UK casinos also allow you to file formal complaints to the operators.
For UK players, a UKGC licence is the line between a protected experience and a gamble on the casino itself. You may see offshore casinos advertised as “non-GamStop” or promising bigger bonuses with fewer checks. For more on how these rules shape bonuses and play, see our casino bonuses guide and our responsible gambling page. See our top UK casinos or full reviews for casinos we’ve already checked.
UKGC Licensing Statistics
Overall, they would either prefer the current contactless payment restrictions to apply for debit card payments on machines or for chip and pin to only be required at the beginning of any session. While this option does not provide as great an increase in commercial flexibility as Option 3, Option 2(b) and, potentially for some operators, Option 1, the evidence received suggests that the vast majority of operators would benefit under this option. This option balances our 2 key priorities, the first being to support arcade and bingo premises through increased commercial flexibility within the context of many businesses operating at a loss post-COVID-19.
A plain, step-by-step way to confirm whether a casino is licensed in Great Britain, using the UK Gambling Commission public register and a sceptical read of the footer. The Secretary of State will, by order, determine the locations of the new casinos after consulting Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Assembly. 457.This section sets an initial limit of 1 regional casino, and 8 small and 8 large casinos.
(Mandatory response)Increased revenue / No impact Decreased revenue / I don’t know (Mandatory response)Significant increase / Slight increase / No impact / Slight decrease / Significant decrease / I don’t know / Not applicable Casinos that are currently permitted to offer betting may site a maximum of 40 Self-Service Betting Terminals (SSBTs). Additionally, an objective of this measure is to reduce average session duration, which is linked to gambling harm.
- This will help ensure that operators are operating within the regulations and enable licensing authorities to undertake appropriate licence checks.
- If an online casino doesn’t hold a valid license from the Gambling Commission in the UK, it is not legally allowed to operate in the UK.
- Some respondents used this section of the consultation to further highlight their opposition to the minimum table gaming area requirement.
- Bojoko is your home for all online gambling in the United Kingdom.
- As outlined in the consultation, the fees payable for gaming machine notifications and gaming machine permits are not in scope of this review.
- All online gambling businesses must ask you to prove your age and identity before you gamble.
We intend to place some restrictions on the number of SSBTs to avoid a scenario in which the product offering becomes unbalanced and a large number of these machines are sited in a relatively small gambling area. Where a machine is made available to take bets on virtual races, it is classified as a gaming machine and would therefore count towards the maximum permitted number of such machines. 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. The white paper proposed that all casinos should have the ability to offer betting, should they wish to do so.
Where a gambling business delays a request to withdraw casino not on gamstop funds due to insufficient ID, they may be in breach of Licence Condition 17 – Customer identity verification and may be subject to regulatory action. However, there may be occasions where a gambling business can only ask you for information at that time in order to fulfil legal obligations. Our rules say that a gambling business can’t ask you to prove your age and identity as a condition of withdrawing your money if they could have asked you at an earlier point. Including information on how we carry out assessments, your responsibilities under the LCCP and our new sector guides with detailed guidance and policies by the sectors we licence. Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once For accurate premises information, Licensing Authorities should be contacted directly as they will each maintain an accurate and up to date register.
Non-UK sites have looser regulations and face less scrutiny if they operate maliciously. Non-UK gambling sites may be safe, but there is no real way of knowing beforehand. There, you will find licensing information and links to the UKGC website, where you can verify this information. Having a valid UKGC gambling license is a requirement for operating a gambling website that allows British players to join. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing all forms of gambling within the United Kingdom. It’s not just the secure and fair gameplay you get, but also the decision towards responsible gambling.
Alcohol licensed premises have an automatic entitlement to up to two category C or D machines upon notification to the Licensing Authority. 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. For remote gambling, the Commission issues licences to those operators whose remote gambling equipment is located in the territory of Great Britain. Covers internet casinos, betting websites, online bingo and virtual gaming platforms. Search and verify casinos, betting sites, bingo platforms and gaming operators authorised to serve British players. Search and browse all online casino operators holding Gambling Commission licences.
Looks are the cheapest thing for an unlicensed operator to buy. Our overview of your rights when a casino is not on GamStop sets out what is realistic. The absence of a UK licence narrows the easy routes; it does not always close every door. It does not automatically mean you have no options if you have already lost money.
It means the UK safer-gambling rules do not bind it, GamStop self-exclusion does not reach it, and the UK complaints and dispute-resolution route is not available to you for that site. A licence badge that is a flat image with no working link to the regulator is unverifiable by design. A number that cannot be verified at source is not evidence of a licence; it is just a number printed on a page. Players regularly find that an offshore number returns as expired, as belonging to a different company, or as not licensed at all when run through the issuer’s own checker.
An “economic crime levy” is payable by entities that are regulated for anti-money laundering purposes (currently only casinos in the UK) and which generate more than £10.2 million in UK revenue. It should be noted that in April 2025 HM Treasury opened a consultation (which closed on 21 July 2025) on a proposal to introduce a single remote gambling duty that would apply to all remote gambling activities targeting the UK. 15% of the commission charges charged by betting exchanges to users who are UK citizens Operating licences are generally indefinite, subject to paying annual fees. Eligibility for a British gambling licence depends upon the Gambling Commission’s assessment of a variety of factors, primarily the integrity and probity of the applicant and the applicant’s ability to conduct gambling in a solvent and responsible manner in compliance with law and regulation.
In practice, venues which include sportsbooks as part of their product offering do not utilise a maximum of 40 — the largest casino by gambling area currently sites 12 terminals. The white paper set out the intention for all casinos to be able to include a sportsbook as part of their product offering. A further advantage would be allowing operators to create an experience which competes with international gaming jurisdictions, and elevates the reputation of Britain as a gaming destination for international gaming tourists. For example, it may lead to increased popularity/GGY of casinos which could have knock-on benefits to surrounding businesses or other sectors which are closely interlinked with it, for example the food and beverage or advertising sectors.
Under Option 1, the vast majority of industry respondents projected that there would be an increase in GGY for arcade and bingo operators. A summary of these responses is outlined below. Licensing authority responses were predominantly in favour of Option 2, though a number restated their original position that the current 80/20 ratio should not be changed in the liberalising manner proposed. The majority of industry responses expressed a preference for either Option 1 or Option 3, and were strongly opposed to Option 2. This section of the consultation received 40 responses. Further details of proposed new operating licence fees will follow in due course.