TOODSGuidance to licensing authorities The process for issuing casino premises licences
It’s everything you need to know to become fully licensed and legally operate in one of the world’s most respected gambling markets. 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. 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. The Secretary of State may by order vary the limits on the numbers of different categories of casino, or lift the limits altogether.
While the powers to make changes to gaming machine entitlements are reserved, the protective measures that the government views as necessary accompaniments to any such change are devolved2. Some parts of the regulatory framework for casinos are reserved while other aspects are devolved. These types of products do not provide any of the benefits of a casino gaming table in contributing to a balanced mix of products or affording opportunities for social interaction. These Regulations make amendments to the Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009 (opens in new tab) (the 2009 Regulations) to alter what constitutes a “gaming table” in a casino for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Gambling Act 2005. 1 This condition only applies to converted casinos that choose to exercise the extended entitlement. In 2024, the new government reviewed the proposals in relation to modernising the rules for casinos and decided to implement the changes as outlined in the previous government’s consultation on this matter.
We will use your data to enable us to carry out our functions as a government department. All questions requesting an individuals personal information offer a ‘prefer not to say’ option. This notice sets out how DCMS will use your personal data as part of our legal obligations with regard to data protection. For the purposes of personal data collected in the course of this consultation, DCMS is the data controller. We welcome evidence from all parties with an interest in the way that gambling is regulated in Great Britain.
Therefore both wholly automated gaming tables and table games of equal chance do not attract any gaming machine allowance for the purposes of meeting the machine to table ratio. Furthermore, the regulations stipulate that real equal chance gaming tables (e.g. poker) are not considered as gaming tables for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Act. In updating this ratio, we intend to amend the definition of “gaming table” for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Gambling Act 2005 so that only tables where the apparatus is controlled or operated by casino staff count for the purposes of the ratio. 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.
You are required to tell us about certain things that happen in your business, these are dependent on the licences and activities you hold. If we grant you a licence to run a gambling business, you will be able to download a copy of your licence from eServices. The following guidance is specific to casino games, and is relevant to those who hold a casino licence. The LCCP outlines the requirements that all operating and personal licence holders must follow. The following legislation and policies are also applicable to operating licence holders. You can read more about the legal definition of casinos in Part 1 section 7 of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab).
Regulation 7 of the Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) Regulations 2007 sets the financial (payment) limit on the amount a person can deposit on a machine in a single action. The need to future-proof the land-based gambling sector provides the rationale for change. Consumer preferences therefore indicate that cashless would need to complement, rather than replace, cash as a gambling payment method. 45% of respondents would not be happy at all to pay for gambling via cashless payment methods. 77% felt that cashless makes it easier to spend more on gambling than intended, and 66% said that using cashless payment methods made it feel like they are spending less money than they actually are.
License for online gambling business on the Isle of Man.
It guarantees audited, fair games, protection of your deposited funds, age and identity verification, required safer-gambling tools including GAMSTOP, honest advertising with capped wagering, and access to independent dispute resolution. It comes with legally binding conditions on fairness, security, player-fund protection and responsible gambling. Scroll to the casino’s footer and find the UK Gambling Commission logo with an account number. It takes under a minute and it’s the surest way to know a casino is casinos not on gamstop genuinely licensed. If the name on the register doesn’t match, the licence status isn’t current, or you can’t find an entry at all, treat that as a serious warning sign and don’t deposit. 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.
The proposals were opposed by the gambling industry, including the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association.They also regulate crypto gambling websites and mitigate the risk of money laundering through such sites. From December 2020 through February 2021, the Commission invited public comment on improving the quality and timeliness of its statistics regarding problem gambling. The Commission’s stated aims are “to keep crime out of gambling, to ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and to protect children and vulnerable people”. The Commission concluded that in the period between September 2018 and March 2020 the operators did not make enough efforts to keep gamblers’ safe and prevent money laundering. It also collaborates with the police over suspected illegal gambling.The Commission replaced the Gaming Board for Great Britain in 2007.
What do you think are the potential impacts of raising licence fees on gambling companies? What do you think are the potential impacts of raising licence fees on licensing authorities? How much funding do you estimate is needed for administration and the enforcement of licences annually? We also require a better understanding of how licensing authorities will amend their fees in response to an increase in the maximum fee cap.
We are unable to easily increase the maximum size of Small 2005 Act casinos as the legislation requires that Small and Large casinos are classified distinctly, so an overlap between the two categories would be problematic. However, as outlined in our proposals below, there are some difficulties in mirroring the exact restrictions that apply to Small 2005 Act casinos for 1968 Act casinos. Only tables for multi-player live gaming, operated by a casino dealer, will qualify for the purposes of this ratio.
As previously discussed, an optimal strategy to combat disassociation when gambling combines breaks in play with safer gambling messaging. (Optional response) Open text box (Optional response)i) Monetary thresholds ii) Time thresholds Sliding scale However, the government believes that there could be benefits to harmonising these measures as part of direct cashless gambling.
The majority of responses received came from respondents within the bingo and arcade sectors. Do you have any additional insights or evidence relating to recent trends in GGY, profit and costs for bingo and AGC operators? The 2 additional options consulted were Option 2(a) and Option 2(b). Therefore, under Option 1, we believe there is significant potential for operators to offer predominantly Category B cabinets while meeting their Category C and D ratio through in-fills and tablets.
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.
Figure 4: Current machine to table ratio for different types of casinos
Non-remote linked licences gambling software Non-remote 2005 Act casino operating licence Non-remote 1968 Act casino operating licence Non-remote pool betting operating licence
- This would mean the introduction of a machine-to-table ratio for 1968 Act casinos that seek to increase their Category B gaming machine entitlement above 20, and a change to the machine-to-table ratio currently in place for Small 2005 Act casinos.
- Rules introduced by the Gambling Commission in 2021 for online slots games mandate the display of money and time spent during a session.
- Where the licensing authority grants an application, a person who made representations may appeal.
- No licence details in the footer; no entry on the UKGC public register; no GAMSTOP or safer-gambling tools; pressure to deposit quickly; vague or missing terms; and no clear company name or complaints process.
- To be allowed 80 machines, its non-gambling area would have to be at least 250sqm.
The Behavioural Insights Team highlighted some research they had undertaken on individuals’ experiences of gambling management tools. Many of the responses from outside of industry were strongly in favour of staff alerts but argued that they needed to be complemented by staff training so that they can intervene in a meaningful way. Non-industry responses were supportive of staff alerts being mandated, while views were split across industry. The Behavioural Insights Team’s response to the consultation recommended that voluntary limits that are strongly encouraged are used over mandatory limits as the evidence of the impact of the latter is limited. However, what the mandatory limits should be and how long the cooling-off period should be once the limits are hit prompted a wide range of responses.
Making it an offence for a person to invite, cause or permit a child or young person to use these machines should act as a further incentive to abide by the rules. The current industry voluntary code allows these machines to remain alongside all other types of Category D machines. Moving them to an age restricted area would disproportionately impact small businesses who are reliant on streams of income from all of their different types of machines. In addition, as the maximum stake on these machines is 10p, these machines are less likely to be played in an area where there are Category C machines which have a maximum stake of £1 and can often be played at different staking levels up to this maximum. The industry has said that they are primarily used by family members who are 18 or over, while children play machines like crane grabs and coin pushers in the same area. They do not have any age restricted areas as they have no adult-only machines.
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.
Licensing Requirements for UK Casinos
Rawa Kaftan is a regulatory lawyer in Wiggin’s Betting & Gaming team and advises key stakeholders in the gambling industry, including many of the world’s largest online B2C operators, software suppliers, payment service providers and investors. Finally, in June 2025 the UK Government announced that it plans to introduce a “Voluntary Code” for prize draw operators whose offerings do not require a licence under the gambling framework because of the presence of a free entry route. The Gambling Commission’s Notice essentially makes clear that those B2B operators have a role in assisting the Gambling Commission in tackling unlicensed gambling in the British market and that such B2Bs place their own licence at risk by not taking sufficient steps to ensure that its content is only made available to British consumers via licensed B2C websites. The regulator has indicated that it may be less inclined to “settle” regulatory enforcement actions, particularly where operators have been made the subject of prior regulatory enforcement action, leaning towards the imposition of sanctions and penalties or, in more serious cases, suspensions and revocations of licences. For instance, since 28 February 2025, online gambling operators have been required to undertake a financial vulnerability check where a customer’s net spend exceeds £150 in a rolling 30-day period and, following the passing of secondary legislation, since May 2025 maximum stake limits per spin for online slot games are in place (£2 for those aged 18–24; £5 for those aged 25 and over). The main legislation governing gambling in the three forms identified in English law (gaming, betting and participating in a lottery) is the Gambling Act 2005.
The current estimate is that 90 out of 122 casinos are limited to 20 gaming machines, regardless of overall size. Currently, no more than 20% of the total number of gaming machines on these premises can be Category B; the remaining machines must be of a lower category (i.e. C or D). The government will introduce regulations through a draft affirmative statutory instrument to ensure that, for every 2 Category B gaming machines sited in AGC or bingo premises, at least one Category C or D gaming machine of a similar size is also sited on the premises. Both policy options are variations of Option 2, meaning that they focus on addressing the practice of operators siting increased numbers of Category B cabinet gaming machines by making lower staking Category C and D content available on in-fill and tablet gaming machines. A substantial number of responses drew upon the higher levels of customer spend which is evidenced on Category B gaming machines by comparison to Category C and D gaming machines, particularly as this relates to potential indicators of gambling-related harm. 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.
Independent UK live casino comparison. These organisations offer free, confidential support for anyone affected by gambling. Search by company name or licence number While not yet mandatory, most major operators are complying voluntarily. License holders can be fined, have conditions imposed, or lose their licence entirely for violations.
Information about the activities we licence, the fees you need to pay and when. If you want to complain about a gambling business or need further help please contact us. If you are leaving the British gambling market, the Gambling Commission has expectations of licensees in these situations.
We can also analyse average loss and session length data to consider the possible risks of gambling harm for those customers who increase their gambling participation as a result of these measures. Notably, these rates are below the at-risk and problem gambling rates for casino table games (31.5% and 6.4% respectively). • Any non-gambling area may consist of one or more areas within the premisesDo you agree that this should remain the same under the new regime? It is for the Scottish Ministers to consider whether they want to amend the Mandatory and Default Conditions that apply to casinos located in Scotland. Therefore, we would welcome any responses which highlight concerns about this approach and how non-gambling areas could be calculated using a different method.
The way different casino sites do this varies from one brand to the next, which is why it’s smart to first understand the offer types. The latter is a good sign of trust, and if there is a UKGC licence in there as well, the site is especially good. These are aimed at making sure all gambling is safe and fair, with the UK Gambling Commission overseeing all gambling activities within the UK.
The majority of responses were in favour of mandatory limits being a required feature on machines accepting direct debit card payments. Vii) Category D machines (Optional response) While this situation appears extremely unlikely, we do not see any reason for it not applying to this type of machine as they still carry risks, even if smaller than other forms of gambling on different machines. As set out above, while chip and PIN could be used as a verification method, we would expect manufacturers and operators to adapt or make new machines that accept payments made by mobile devices which have some sort of biometric verification and meet the SCA standards. They also highlighted the importance of card account verification given the potential for stolen debit cards to be used to make direct payments to gambling machines.
Therefore, allowing casinos to provide sports betting services will open up a new section of the market to them. In addition, the current GGY derived from betting in casinos where it is permitted, is very small. All casinos to be permitted to offer sports betting. We would not permit betting in Scottish 1968 Act casinos until Scottish Ministers have had the opportunity to consider what (if any) restrictions or protections they would like to put in place by way of amendments to the Mandatory and Default Conditions Regulations. While permitting betting in 1968 Act casinos is not a reserved matter, as outlined above, we intend to impose a limit on the number of SSBTs that can be made available in a casino. 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.
