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Licensing, compliance and enforcement under the Gambling Act 2005 3 Licensing

See how we rate the sites, how casino regulation works, how you can verify the licence yourself. Here you can find licensed casinos that are safe for British players. We help you find UK licensed casinos, including the latest sites launched with UK Gambling Commissions stamp of approval. Premises licence holders must also send us copies of applications to transfer or vary their premises licence(s), or apply for a reinstatement of any lapsed licence(s). When a premises licence or provisional statement is applied for, the applicant must send a copy to us.

These responses highlighted the low-risk nature of these machines. Concerns were also expressed that the exposure of these machines to children may normalise gambling behaviour. Based on responses to the consultation, we will proceed with making it an offence for a person to invite, cause or permit a child or young person to use ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style machines. Most responses in favour of implementing these features on machines were in agreement with the rationale outlined in the consultation that it would help customers to make more informed decisions and keep track of their spending. However, some betting shop operators were aligned with the non-industry responses and believed that the session time and net position should be displayed at all times. We propose that Category D machines are not required to display safer gambling messaging beyond the current requirements placed on these machines.

• 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.
• One of the main benefits of a national gambling licensing system is that it can help casino customers regulate their gambling within the system.
• With our help, you can find new casinos, bonuses and offers, and learn about games, slots, and payment methods.
• There were 39 responses to this section of the consultation.

Premises licences are the third main category of licence (operating and personal licences being the other two) that will be issued under the Act. This includes betting shops, casinos, bingo premises and arcades. Separately, the Gambling Commission confirmed in our online games design response in 2021 and our remote gambling and software technical standards (RTS) that for remote slots it must be a minimum of 2.5 seconds from the time a game is started until the next game cycle can be commenced (RTS 14D). (3) Where this condition is attached to a remote casino operating licence which was issued before this regulation comes into force, the condition has effect from the date on which this regulation comes into force. Withdrawing from online casinos using PayPal and other e-wallets tend to be the fastest option, taking just a few hours. These reviews cover how to use each method and list the top online casinos for each option.

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.

In response to these challenges, the white paper committed to changing the 80/20 rule to 50/50 to better meet the needs of industry and demands of customers. We welcome further evidence on the unmet consumer demand in the consultation response. The main theme that emerged from industry was that the current rule does not allow operators to meet consumer demand. A number of premises, particularly those located in motorway service stations, chose to retain their existing entitlements. Please upload any further evidence or any other information that should be considered as part of this consultation relating to casino measures. (Mandatory response)Increased revenue / No impact  Decreased revenue / I don’t know

Industry trade bodies have provided evidence which suggests that the removal of the 80/20 rule would result in a large-scale reduction of tablets and in-fill machines, although the extent to which tablets will be removed will vary by operator. Under the scenario outlined in Option 2, it is anticipated that a genuine balance and choice of higher and lower stake machines would be achieved across venues. Indeed, we reviewed data  that showed some operators, particularly in the bingo sector where tablets are in widespread use for playing bingo games, have significantly greater numbers of Category B cabinets than Category C and D cabinets. It would also provide greater flexibility in determining the make-up of their machines and potentially lead to the removal of machines, such as tablets and in-fills, that are infrequently played. Consequently, under Option 2 industry as a whole would have the flexibility to casino not on gamstop reduce the number of Category C and D machines and/or increase the overall number of Category B machines across the sector, saving energy and/or increasing overall GGY. Consequently, it would deter operators from offering tablets and in-fill devices as a way to increase the number of Category B cabinets on their premises.

What is the best slot game to play?

As such, the consultation sought to understand if the regulatory framework could be strengthened to ensure that there is a consistent minimum offer of Category C and D gaming machines on cabinet devices in venues across the arcade and bingo sector. However, in recent years there has been a proliferation of space-saving in-fill and tablet gaming machines in arcade and bingo venues. How, if at all, would the approaches taken in Options 1, 2 and 3 impact the ability of business to meet customer demand for gaming machines?

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.

General guidance on who may be considered relevant is available on the Commission’s website and in regulations4. In considering an application the Commission has regard to the licensing objectives and whether they are likely to be compromised, and the suitability of an applicant to carry out the licensed activities. Guidance on the type of information required is included on our website and online application services. Those seeking a licence are required to submit an application form with the prescribed fee and supporting documentation.

It will not be possible for a casino licensee to rely on an ancillary remote betting licence, even where SSBTs are available alongside a non-remote offering, as the ancillary remote betting licence is bound to a betting premises licence. To offer self-service betting terminals (SSBTs), casinos would be required to apply for a remote general betting (standard) (real events) licence. Licence holders should also consider whether, as a result of the changes and gambling facilities offered, an operating licence (OL) variation is required with regards to fee category and/or the licensed activities being offered (such as betting). As well as a fixed numerical maximum, the number of gaming machines must not exceed a specified multiple of the number of gaming tables used in that casino (Regulation 3 of the 2009 Regulations addresses when a gaming table is to be treated as being used in a casino at a particular time) This enables the holder of a converted casino premises licence who wants to utilise the new entitlements to apply to the relevant licensing authority to vary that licence so the casino plan can show the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a table gaming area.

• Lobby areas and toilet facilities may be taken into account but the non-gambling area shall not consist exclusively of lobby areas and toilet facilities. • Facilities for gambling cannot be provided in the non-gambling area. An example of a wholly automated gaming table is an automatic roulette wheel into which the ball is inserted not by a human dealer but at regular intervals by the mechanism itself, and bets are placed at touch screen terminals.

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.

Staff learn to identify problem gambling behaviors, conduct KYC checks, and verify ages. 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). Robust AML casino laws safeguard the industry’s integrity. Staff must be trained to spot these signs, and operators face fines or license loss for failing to report.

Application Process

What do you think are the potential impacts of raising licence fees on the local area? (Mandatory response)10% / 20% / 30% / A different amount / I do not think fees should be increased / I don’t know Are there any functions that local authorities/ licensing boards do not exercise at present, but could if fees were increased (e.g. a more proactive enforcement policy)? (Optional response)Yes / No / I don’t know If you are a local authority/ licensing board, do you currently charge the maximum fees as set out in the Gambling Act 2005? However, given the relatively low level of annual fees per premises at present, we consider this to be unlikely.

This does not prevent the licensing authority imposing conditions on such matters under section 169, subject to any mandatory conditions which the Secretary of State may prescribe under section 167. Provision of facilities for bingo may not be made in a small casino, but the Secretary of State has power to repeal this restriction by order. The regulations will determine whether the banks of terminals count as a table in their own right.

Remote licences are, in fact, a legal requirement for any business, wherever located, to offer facilities for gambling to British residents. Points to note are that land-based casino licences are not freely available and the rollout of major casino resorts envisaged when the legislation was passed has generally not occurred. The Gambling Act 2005 provides for a range of licences to be granted to both non-remote (i.e., land-based) as well as remote businesses.

Under this option, for every device with higher maximum staking there would be a lower maximum staking machine of equivalent size and nature available to customers. The same rule would apply to all other gaming machine device types. This is in addition to a 9 percent increase in the overall number of B3 machines, representing approximately 900 machines across the total AGC estate.

For example, a casino with two premises licences that meets the size and physical separation requirements could site 160 machines – more than a Large 2005 Act casino. In these instances, the parent premises may be adjoined by an ‘electric casino’ that consists largely of gaming machines with a very limited table offer. As set out in the white paper, the availability of gaming machines in British casinos is also very low compared to international jurisdictions, and an increase will help to meet the expectations of overseas visitors.

In order to slow the speed of direct cashless transactions and provide a break in play, the government proposes that there should be a minimum transaction time for players making direct cashless payment transactions on gaming machines. What should the maximum transaction value be for direct cashless payments on gaming machines? Should card account verification (such as chip and PIN or Face ID on mobile payment systems) be required if direct cashless payments are permitted on gaming machines? The authorisation required by the account holder in these systems mitigates against the risk of cashless payments facilitating crime through stolen cards being used on gaming machines. The risk would be that some forms of direct cashless payment (such as contactless) lack account verification and could allow stolen cards to be used on gaming machines.

There have been substantial changes to how consumers make payments in society since the ban on direct debit card use on gaming machines. Measures that we are seeking views on are intended to address inconsistencies between the different types of casino licence, as well as levelling the playing field to an extent between land-based and online operators. The UKGC issues licenses for both physical (non-remote) and online (remote) casinos, each tailored to specific operations.

Evidence was received in response to the land-based gambling consultation and through an additional supplementary consultation which focused on this reform specifically. Further details of proposed new operating licence fees will follow in due course. Operators will also need to be able to demonstrate that their new gambling and non-gambling areas abide by the updated rules in the Mandatory and Default Conditions, which will include the sliding scale and other restrictions on the sizes of different areas of the casino. As set out in section 151 of the 2005 Act and in the Gambling Act 2005 (Premises Licences and Provisional Statements) Regulations 2007, the operator will also need to submit an up-to-date plan showing their table gaming area, other gambling areas and non-gambling areas.

Six guarantees you get at a licensed casino that you simply don’t at an unlicensed one. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the independent regulator for gambling in Great Britain, set up under the Gambling Act 2005. This guide explains exactly what a UKGC licence means, how to verify one in under a minute, and how to spot a site that doesn’t have one. We may earn commissions from operator sign-ups, at no cost to you. We may earn affiliate commissions when you click through links on this site.