Casino Licensing in The UK
If available, please provide estimates of the potential impact of Options 1, 2 and 3 on the overall number of machines. What impact would Options 1, 2 and 3 have on the overall number of Category D machines? What impact would Options 1, 2 and 3 have on the overall number of Category C machines? If available, please provide evidence of the potential impact of Options 1, 2 and 3 on the GGY of operators and on the wider gambling sector. Anecdotal evidence suggests that for some individuals the option of attending physical bingo premises delivers substantial social benefits which would be lost if the sector is not supported. A healthier land-based gambling sector, able to compete on a more even basis with similar online gambling opportunities, is likely to support local employment opportunities, regeneration effects and contribute to business rates.
By contrast, licensing authorities and respondents from the third sector tended to highlight the risk of increased gambling-related harm as a result of increasing commercial flexibility for businesses. In general, responses received from gambling industry respondents typically argued for the most liberalised position across the range of measures outlined in the consultation. We received 87 responses to the land-based gambling consultation.
- A fairly even number of respondents were for and against the 12.5% rule applying for 1968 Act casinos, whereby any table gaming area would only count towards the minimum table gaming area if it constitutes 12.5% or more of the total table gaming area in the venue.
- It comes with legally binding conditions on fairness, security, player-fund protection and responsible gambling.
- The flat additional annual fee payable for a licence that combines all three of these activities is £9.375.
- Unlike most commercial gambling, Category D gaming machines, which include coin pushers and crane grabs, are not restricted by age.
Of those who didn’t answer ‘I don’t know’, 80% of respondents favoured operating and premises licence fees being the same for Small 2005 Act casinos and 1968 Act casinos non gamstop casinos that elect to increase their gaming machine entitlement. Very few responses were received by operators who hold more than one premises licence at the same location, but the majority of these indicated that they would not look to take up the maximum entitlement of 80 machines per licence were it to be an option. You must hold an operating licence if you are intending to run a gambling business for profit such as a betting shop, a gaming machine arcade or a casino. For converted casinos, however, there is an additional restriction on the number of betting machines relative to the size of the floor area of gambling area in that casino. Regulation 3 of these Regulations amends section 172(5)(b)(i) of the Gambling Act 2005 (c. 19) (“the Act”) to change how to calculate the number of gaming machines that may be made available for use in small casinos licensed under the Act.
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.
Player protections can be used to mitigate increases in the risk of gambling harm. Therefore, the risk of increased gambling harm is assumed to be higher for Options 1 and 3 than Option 2. This increase is expected to be higher under Option 1 than Option 2, as operators will not be restricted by device constraints. Data on net expenditure per session shows that from April to September 2019, the vast majority of sessions across all machine categories ended in the player either winning money or losing up to £20.
This indicates that an applicant poses a substantial risk to the licensing objectives; or there are significant concerns about an applicant’s suitability; or there is a risk of significant non-compliance with the requirements of the Act and the Commission’s LCCP. There is a positive obligation on applicants to show that they are able to satisfy the licensing objectives. In some circumstances the Commission may attach specific conditions to the licence, which may, for example, have the effect of restricting the activities that may be carried out in reliance on the licence. On considering an application for a licence the Commission is required to grant it, refuse it or grant it in respect of one or more of the specified activities and refuse it in respect of the others. However, the responsibility for taking the lead in developing and updating measures designed to protect the licensing objectives lies principally with an operator.
Application Fees
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.
This will ensure that only distinct and sizeable table gaming areas can count towards the total, giving customers a genuine mix of products that are easily accessible and identifiable in a casino. The same 12.5% rule that applies in 2005 Act casinos is also proposed to apply for 1968 Act casinos that seek to move onto the new regime. Furthermore, this exemption is tightly drawn to reduce any advantages that these casinos may gain compared to their competitors. The government proposes that venues will be required to comply with all specified sliding scale requirements in order to access the enhanced gaming machine entitlement. With regard to venues currently operating with a gambling area of 1500sqm or more, the strongest preference from consultation respondents was for these venues to be made to reduce their gambling area below 1500sqm. 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.
Industry also stated that it is a different environment to online gambling where this information can be displayed at all times without impacting the customer’s privacy or influencing other player’s behaviours. In contrast, most industry responses were concerned that customers may use this information to incorrectly determine that a machine is due a pay-out and therefore could lead to people spending more on a machine. This work could then feed into the messaging that is displayed on machines.
The list of responsibilities of the Gambling Commission includes work to ensure that licencees act in accordance with the requirements imposed by the Gambling Act 2005 and other related regulations and standards. Previously, an operator in one of the whitelisted gambling jurisdictions could advertise their services in Great Britain without requiring a separate licence from the Commission. Whilst, those operators who wish to advertise their services in England, Wales, or Scotland, but are based outside the country, have to obtain a licence from the Gambling Commission following the passage of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014. The Gambling Commission is an executive, non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for regulating gambling and supervising gaming law in Great Britain. All of the legal UK casino sites we recommend hold a valid UKGC licence and meet these requirements.
Figure 2: Current and proposed number of Category B machines for different types of casinos
Yes, most UK online casinos work on mobile phones and tablets. Good UK online casinos should not withhold winnings without a valid reason, but delays can happen. Yes, licensed UK online casinos pay real money winnings. That being said, at Online-Casinos.co.uk, responsible gambling is a must when we review casinos.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The lack of direct cashless payment methods on gaming machines contrasts with the cashless options that consumers have within the wider retail economy. As such, any change in the composition of gaming machines which results in a higher share of Category B machines will represent an uplift in GGY for operators. We will use the responses to this consultation as well as wider engagement with the sector to gather data to estimate the likely uptake of additional machines and removal of existing machines under each option. The rationale for considering this option is primarily to ensure that a truly balanced offer of gaming machines is available to customers following the loosening of restrictions from 80/20. As some of the differences between 1968 Act and Small 2005 Act casinos are brought in line, operating and premises licence fees and mandatory licence conditions should be harmonised accordingly. We propose that an operator must notify the licensing authority of their intention to increase their number of gaming machines.
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.
The government proposes that the existing safer gambling messaging is used on machines that accept cashless payments. As outlined above, we think the player protection measures that these machines will be required to implement will be adequate to mitigate against the risk of gambling-related harm, considering the lower maximum stakes that they are subject to. Some industry responses also argued that members of staff in casinos already monitor players and interact where appropriate.
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In addition, the gaming machine to gaming table ratio for Small 2005 Act casino premises is amended by The Casinos (Gaming Machines and Mandatory Conditions) Regulations 2025 (opens in new tab). Paragraph 7.9 – The Gambling Act 2005 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Order 2025 (opens in new tab) amends the gaming machine entitlements for converted casino premises. The following paragraphs of the GLA have been affected by legislative changes that came into effect on 22 July 2025 concerning the entitlements for casino premises licences. The licensing authority’s gambling statement may also identify interested parties from whom the licensing authority will accept representations in respect of an application related to a premises licence.
The UK Gambling Commission requires operators to contribute financially to organisations focused on research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. The list of operators and personal licence holders who have had a regulatory sanction imposed on them is published on the site of the Gambling Commission. They also collaborate with other UK organisations and the police in cases where suspicious betting or gambling activities are detected. Apart from reviewing the activities of the licensed operators, the Commission is authorised to take regulatory actions against those licencees who breach the rules in some way.
436.Where the licensing authority determines to grant the licence, they must give reasons for the attachment or exclusion of any conditions. 435.Following the grant or rejection of a premises licence, the authority must notify the applicant, the Commission, any person who made representations, the police, and HM Customs and Excise of their decision as soon as reasonably practicable. The procedures vary, depending on whether representations have been made, and what the licensing authority proposes to do with regard to licence conditions. 432.Additional procedures apply in the case of applications for a casino licence.