Licensed gambling premises National Data Library
These respondents would prefer to see table games as the most common activity under a casino licence, highlighting that table games are more likely to lead to breaks in play. An examination of the responses shows that respondents were of the view that the maximum entitlement would apply per licence, with no restrictions on the overall maximum per physical location. More respondents were opposed than in favour, but this largely stemmed from those who are opposed to any increases in the supply of gambling opportunities, rather than operators and industry stakeholders. Subsequent discussions with industry have indicated that this would equate to the majority of casinos in practice. Seven operators replied to this section of the consultation, some of which account for multiple venues and a significant proportion of the land-based casino sector.
Doing this will save you from signing up for operators that aren’t reputable. One important thing to note is that the licensing process is similar in all countries. After paying the required fees and submitting all the necessary documents, the commission will review everything you’ve submitted.
The ASA monitors compliance and has the authority to ban adverts that break the rules and issue large fines, which helps ensure that the gambling industry maintains high standards of honesty and social responsibility. Ads must not target minors, feature anyone under the age of 25 in a prominent gambling role, or imply that gambling can enhance personal or financial success. GAMSTOP is free to use and available to anyone with a UK address, and it helps to provide a safety net for individuals experiencing harm or looking to limit their gambling. GAMSTOP is the UK’s national self-exclusion scheme, which is designed to help players take control of their gambling. Its three main aims are to prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, ensure it is conducted fairly, and protect children and vulnerable people.
The Key Responsibilities of the UKGC
The UKGC’s License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) mandate training on responsible gambling, AML, and customer interactions. Running a casino involves managing staff under strict UK casino employer laws. Casino advertising is tightly regulated to protect consumers, with casino advertising rules enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
Casino Premises – Changes to Legislation
Operators must meet a clear set of standards focused on fairness, transparency, and responsible gambling. Yes, gambling is legal in the UK and falls under the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission of Great Britain. This article outlines the current rules, types of licenses, and responsibilities involved in holding a UK gambling license in 2025.
Six guarantees you get at a licensed casino that you simply don’t at an unlicensed one. Use these focused guides when you want a specific payment, withdrawal, or safer gambling check before choosing a casino. Our editorial team checks every site listed here, but we always recommend you independently verify — always check if a UK casino is UKGC licensed before you play. Understanding how to check if a UK casino is UKGC licensed protects your money, your rights, and your access to GamStop self-exclusion.
- Running a casino involves managing staff under strict UK casino employer laws.
- This included a number of measures to adjust outdated regulatory restrictions applying to the land-based gambling sector.
- In this Part, where premises are required to contain a non-gambling area—
- The UK Gambling Commission actively monitors licensed operators to ensure they meet strict legal, technical, and social responsibility obligations.
- The changes made enable the holder of a converted casino premises licence relating to premises in England and Wales to make up to 80 gaming machines (including Category B gaming machines) available for use, provided a number of specified conditions are satisfied (“the extended entitlement”).
If a gambling company fails to comply with the regulations, it can face substantial fines from the Gambling Commission. All licensed operators must comply with the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). Ancillary licenses apply to operators that provide telephone and email betting. The Commission has the authority to investigate and enforce regulations, impose penalties for non-compliance, and address concerns related to problem gambling. All of the legal UK casino sites we recommend hold a valid UKGC licence and meet these requirements.
Gambling licence information, guidance and advice for businesses and individuals.
This means that many FEC operators do not currently have age-controlled areas and would have to invest in creating such an area for what is a low stake product. Secondly, it would be costly as most family entertainment centres (FECs) are unlicensed and do not offer Category C products. This view was most strongly argued by licensing authorities. We will also work with the relevant trade bodies and operators to understand the feasibility of implementing voluntary test purchasing to help understand whether operators are abiding by this new restriction.
Please select all the ways you would like to hear from -casinos.com If an online casino cannot demonstrate it holds a valid UKGC licence, it is not worth your time or money. Licensed online casinos always display a link to the UKGC website. At most online casinos, licencing information is displayed in the website footer.
The Act requires licensing authorities to comply with any code of practice issued by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State has issued a code of practice about the procedure to be followed by licensing authorities in making determinations at both stage one and stage two, and also about the matters authorities are to take into account in making such determinations. Further information on the new entitlements, provisions in place, and the required premise licence variations is available in the guidance on the legislative changes. Casino operators are reminded that those wishing to utilise the new extended entitlements will need to inform the Commission under Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) Ordinary Code Provision 8.1.1 (Information requirements).
Default limits for machines in betting shops are £150 being inserted as credit since session start or 20 minutes of machine play (both leading to a 30 second cooling-off period when triggered). As part of the process of allowing players to make debit card transactions by turning away from the gaming table at casinos, the sector committed to an approach of 30 seconds of visual separation in ensuring a break in play before accessing additional funds. (Optional response) i) Category B1 machinesii) Category B2 machines? While it is important to future-proof gaming machine payment methods, there must be a balance between this and any elevated risk of harm that could emerge from allowing direct cashless payment methods to be used for gambling. Gaming machines are currently permitted in a variety of locations and divided into various categories based on factors such as maximum stake and prize available, as well as the premises where they may be used.
One of the easiest ways to run an online casino licence check is to navigate the business register on the government website for the UK Gambling Commission. Online casinos in the UK must have a valid licence issued by the UK Gambling Commission. The first annual fee for a non-remote (2005 Act (opens in new tab)) casino licence is due six months after the licence is issued to you. A large casino under the 2005 Act (opens in new tab) has a minimum table gaming area of 1,000 square metres and a minimum non-gambling area of 500 square metres. A small casino under the 2005 Act (opens in new tab) has a minimum table gaming area of 500 square metres and a minimum non-gambling area of 250 square metres.
If you are a local authority/ licensing board, how many premises licences were live in your licensing area in the 22/23 financial year? 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.
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
From selling personal data and identity theft to promoting gambling to vulnerable players, these safety regulations are important. You should play at licensed casino sites to have a secure, fair, and responsible experience. See how we rate the sites, how casino regulation works, how you can verify the licence yourself. He’s passionate about online gambling and committed to offering fair and thorough reviews.
In respect of ensuring that customers receive a genuine offer of Category C and D machines, Option 2 is the only option which we believe would achieve this objective better than Option 2(a). Under the current rules, there is a risk that operators entering the market might use in-fills and tablets to account for the non gamestop casinos totality of their Category C and D offer while offering Category B machines exclusively on more popular cabinet machines. We also received a small number of responses from gaming machine manufacturers and suppliers to the supplementary consultation. Given the small number of responses, we assume that the favoured option amongst licensing authorities remains Option 2. We also received a small number of responses from local authorities, charities and gaming machine manufacturers.
A genuine UKGC logo should be clickable and lead you directly to the UKGC website, where you can view the casino’s licensing details. Most importantly, by playing at UK-regulated casinos, you stay away from casino scams. Regulated casinos in the UK must provide efficient and easily accessible customer service. By choosing a licensed site, you also choose a casino that can help you if need be. Licensed operators are required to promote responsible gambling. You can read it to better understand the measures UK-regulated casinos have in place.
The application fees are assessed pursuant to a somewhat complex online calculation engine on the regulator’s website. There are numerous charitable lottery operators that operate under certain regulatory constraints. On 1 February 2024, the Gambling Commission granted Allwyn Entertainment Ltd a 10-year licence to operate the National Lottery, replacing the previous licensee Camelot. Persons wishing to enter the British land-based casino market have typically purchased existing businesses. There are no tender or bidding processes, other than in the occasional case of land-based casino franchises being proposed.
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. “… for the purpose of calculating the Category B machine entitlement in gambling premises, gaming machines should only be counted if they can be played simultaneously by different players without physical hindrance.” (Gambling Commission, 2019 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 that elect to increase their gaming machine entitlement. For casinos moving onto the new regime, section 187 of the Gambling Act 2005 should require operators to apply to the licensing authority to vary their premises licence. We agree that operators should be required to notify licensing authorities and the Gambling Commission if they decide to take-up the entitlement to additional gaming machines under the new regime. The majority of respondents (93%) agreed that operators should be required to notify licensing authorities and the Gambling Commission if they decide to take-up the entitlement to additional gaming machines under the new regime.
If an online casino loses its UKGC license, the operator can lose the right to run and onboard players in the UK. The UKGC public register is free to use and displays important details about a casino’s licence status and validity. As of January 2026, operators licensed by the UKGC can’t offer bonuses with wagering requirements above 10x to players in the UK. Every licensed casino in the UK is required to display an approved ADR service for any disputes or complaints.
Under Option 1, we received responses from industry which suggested that only slight increases in Category B gaming machines would be made. As highlighted in Chapter 2 of the land-based gambling consultation, we are aware that Category B gaming machines on average result in greater customer losses per session than Category C and D gaming machines. However, some licensing authorities posited that rather than removing lower staking machines, gambling operators should be deploying novel solutions to saving energy, such as incorporating standby and sleep functions on machines which are not in use. However, even when accounting for device type (i.e. cabinet, in-fill or tablet), the responses suggest that Category C and D gaming machines generate less GGY than Category B machines.
This measure will also bring greater consistency to the different licensing regimes and greater parity between online and land-based casinos. These products do not count as gaming machines, but neither do they provide any of the benefits of a multiplayer table in contributing to a balanced mix or affording opportunities for social interaction. However, it is our intention to apply a fixed maximum of 80 gaming machines per physical location.